Purcell defeats Gholston

By Tiffany Thompson, Staff Writer

Thursday, May 8, 2008 May 07, 2008 01:44 pm

— Sen. William R. “Bill” Purcell, D-Laurinburg, is one step closer to being elected for a sixth term in the North Carolina Senate after winning the primary Tuesday.
The incumbent democratic senator faced off against Betty Blue Gholston for the District 25 seat, which consists of Anson, Richmond, Scotland and Stanly counties.
“I appreciate the strong support I received from Stanly County. I believe it is important for Stanly County and the rest of the district to have a representative in Raleigh,” Purcell said.
Overall, Purcell won the primary by 64.19 percent, or 18,009 votes. Gholston pulled in approximately 10,000 votes.
“My opponent and I had a positive campaign and I am really thankful for that,” Purcell said.
In Stanly County, Purcell won with 68.11 percent, with 4,619 votes. His margin of victory for Scotland County, Gholston’s home county, was 55.47 percent, with 3,745 votes.
Purcell received 3,797 votes in Anson County, which was a win with 72.05 percent, and in Richmond County, he won with 63.22 percent, with 5,848 votes.
“I am thankful that the district thought I was worthy to continue to represent them in the senate, and this win makes me one step closer to having the chance to bring the district’s concerns before state leadership,” Purcell said.
One thing that surprised the senator, though, was the voter turnout. Between the four counties, 102,679 voters were registered, but only 38,401, or 37.4 percent, cast ballots.
“The voter turnout was not what I thought it was going to be for the state. I thought it was going to be much higher, so I was a little surprised,” Purcell said.
This primary win does not mean business goes on as usual for the senator. While he will return to Raleigh for the next senate session on Tuesday, he will also need to focus on the upcoming election in November.
In the general election on Nov. 4, Purcell will be running against Janice Abernathy, who has filed for the District 25 seat with the Republican Party.
“I plan to start preparing for the race in the fall, so between that and the next session, I will be pretty busy,” Purcell said.

Contact Tiffany Thompson at (704) 982-2121 ext. 24 or snaponline24@carolina.rr.com.