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With the conclusion of filing at noon on December 15, the candidates are now set for the primary election which will be held in March.

A number of local incumbents will face challengers during their reelection bids, while others will move on to the general election with no opposition.

Bertie County’s races included two seats on the Board of Commissioners as well as the Register of Deeds.

Candidates for those races include Nicole Outlaw (Commissioner, District 1), Lewis (LC) Hoggard III (Commissioner, District 1), J. Willie Davis, Jr. (Commissioner, District 1), Vivian B. Saunders (Commissioner, District 4), and Annie F. Wilson (incumbent, Register of Deeds). All are registered Democrats, except for Davis who is a Republican.

Bertie County is included in the NC House of Representatives District 23. Democrat incumbent Shelly Willingham filed for a chance at reelection, and will face off against Democrat Abbie Lane in the primary. Republican Brent Roberson also filed for the seat.

In Gates County, two seats are available on the Board of Commissioners as well as on the Board of Education. The Register of Deeds is also up for election.

Candidates for those races include Linda Hofler (incumbent, Commissioner, Hobbsville District), Nathan Berryman (Commissioner, Hobbsville District), Althea Riddick (incumbent, Commissioner, Sunbury District), Dave Forsythe (Commissioner, Sunbury District), and Mary Cathy Horton (incumbent, Register of Deeds).

Hofler, Riddick, and Horton are registered Democrats. Berryman and Forsythe are Republicans.

Candidates in the nonpartisan Board of Education race include Jonathan Jones and Ray Felton (incumbent) for the District 2 seat, and Amanda J. Heimbecker (incumbent) and Terri R. Riddick for the District 4 seat.

Gates County and Hertford County are both included in the NC House of Representatives District 5. Republican incumbent Bill Ward filed for reelection. Democrat Howard Hunter III, who lost to Ward in the last election, also filed for a chance to serve again.

Local races in Hertford County include the Register of Deeds and three county commissioner seats.

Democrat incumbent John D. Horton will face two other Democrats for the District 1 Commissioner seat: Carnissa Vann Melton and James (BJ) Futrell, Jr.

Other candidates for Hertford County races include Ronald J. Gatling (incumbent, Commissioner, District 2) and William (Bill) Mitchell, Jr. (incumbent, Commissioner, District 3). Both are Democrats.

No one filed for the county’s Register of Deeds.

Commissioners in Northampton County will also face competition in their bids for reelection. Charles R. Tyner, Sr. (incumbent), Marcenda Rogers, and Keith Hugh Edwards filed for the District 1 Commissioner seat. And Geneva Riddick-Faulkner (incumbent) and Keedra Whitaker filed for the District 2 Commissioner seat.

All of those candidates are Democrats.

Robin Phillips Williams, the Democrat incumbent, was the only candidate to file for the county’s Register of Deeds.

Candidates for Northampton County’s nonpartisan Board of Education race include Barbara A. Stephenson, Theresa Cade, Clinton McCray Williams, Tony Burnette, Shakila Spruill, and Garry T. Elliott. There are four seats available on the board. All but Spruill and Elliott are incumbents.

Northampton County is included in NC House of Representatives District 27. Democrat incumbent Michael H. Wray is the sole candidate in that race.

All four Roanoke-Chowan counties are included in District 1 of the NC Senate. Republican incumbent Bobby Hanig and Democrat Susan Harman-Scott are the two candidates in that race.

Voters in Bertie, Hertford, and Northampton will also get a chance to vote for District Court Judge District 7 (Seats 1-4). Candidates who filed for those races include W. Rob Lewis II (Seat 1), Teresa Raquel Robinson Freeman (Seat 2), Takiya Lewis Blalock (Seat 3), Thomas Earl Dixon (Seat 3), Assata Kimbrough Buffaloe (Seat 4), and Jamal Summey (Seat 4). All are registered Democrats.

Gates County is in a different district for District Court Judge, with Seats 4 and 5 up for grabs. Candidates who filed in those races include Edgar L. Barnes (Seat 4) and Amber Davis Malarney (Seat 5). Both are registered as Republicans.

In addition to local races, filing was also open for a federal race (US House of Representatives) and several statewide offices.

All four Roanoke-Chowan area counties are included in US House District 1. Candidates who filed for that race include incumbent Don Davis (Democrat), Tom Bailey (Libertarian), Sandy Smith (Republican), and Laurie Buckhout (Republican).

A number of statewide races will also be included on the primary ballot. Those elections include Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, State Auditor, Commissioner of Agriculture, Commissioner of Insurance, Commissioner of Labor, Secretary of State, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Treasurer, NC Supreme Court Associate Justice (seat 6), and NC Court of Appeals Judge (seats 12, 14, 15).

Democrat candidates for Governor include Chrelle Booker, Michael R. (Mike) Morgan, Marcus W. Williams, Josh Stein, and Gary Foxx. Republican candidates include Dale R. Folwell, Bill Graham, and Mark Robinson. Shannon W. Bray filed as a Libertarian candidate, and Wayne Turner as a Green Party candidate.

For Lt. Governor, Democrat candidates include Ben Clark and Rachel Hunt. Republican candidates include Rivera Douthit, Deanna Ballard, Jeffrey Elmore, Hal Weatherman, Marlenis Hernandez Novoa, Allen Mashburn, Peter Boykin, Seth Woodall, Sam Page, and Jim O’Neill. Dee Watson is the sole Libertarian candidate in that race.

The primary election will be held on Tuesday, March 5. Voters will choose which candidates will be the party nominees for the general election in November 2024.