While some Wake County races were landslides—Republican Holly Springs Mayor Dick Sears won by a 2–1 margin despite an endorsements snub from the Wake County GOP—the wild card of the evening goes to Morrisville, where gun control became a central issue in the mayoral race, two-term incumbent Jackie Holcombe lost to Mark Stohlman by just 88 votes, 932 to the challenger’s 1,020.
Stohlman won three of five precincts.
Holcombe had drawn the ire of the National Rifle Association for her opposition to state law that allows conceal-carry permit holders to bring guns into public parks, swimming pools and recreational areas. She told the INDY last month that local governments, not the state, should have the authority to determine the legality of weapons in these areas.
Stohlman, on the other hand, supported the law, and thus, received the backing of the NRA.
In Apex, a progressive Democrat won a seat on an otherwise conservative town council. Nicole Dozier received 18 percent of the vote, with 1,782 ballots cast. Denise Wilkie, an Apex High School teacher, received the most votes—1,860—for 18.82 percent. She is unaffiliated, although until this election, she was a registered Republican.
Jennifer Ferrell, also a progressive, came in fifth in a field of six candidates with 1,537 votes.
See all results at the Wake County Board of Elections site.