News

REPUBLICANS TURN BACK DEMOCRATIC CHALLENGERS

Sheriff Charlie McDonald and County Commissioner Michael Edney talk about election results.

By Bill Moss, Published: November 5, 2014

Republican incumbents surged to re-election on Tuesday, turning back a stronger than usual challenges in the high-profile sheriff's race and the 48th state Senate District.

"We ran a good campaign. We've got a good record," said incumbent Republican Tom Apodaca, who won a seventh term. "I like to think of it as a mandate from the people. I think a majority of the people agreed with what we're doing. We made changes to things that needed to be changed. I also don't think the argument that we're out to destroy K-12 public education sold to the people that dug into it. We're not. We're absolutely not."
With early voting accounting for close to half the total turnout, the first reports showed the incumbents with safe leads.
Apodaca led challenger Rick Wood 57 to 53 percent in Henderson County. Elsewhere in early voting in Henderson County, Republican challenger Thom Tillis led Sen. Kay Hagan 58 to 39 percent, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows led Tom Hill 62 to 37 percent, Rep. Chris Whitmore outpolled Norm Bossert 65.5 to 34.5 percent and Chuck McGrady led Shelby Mood 75 to 25 percent.
Charlie McDonald, who led Democratic challenger Marty Katz 62 to 38 percent in early voting, accepted congratulations from supporters gathered at Boyd Chevrolet.
"We were a known commodity," he said. "We have a very good track record, I kept the promises I made and people realize we want to move forward. I think people weren't ready to change things just for the sake of change."
Although Katz had the endorsement of primary opponent Michael Brown and former sheriff's Capt. Tim Griffin, a popular figure who nearly upset County Commissioner Tommy Thompson in May, McDonald still won in a landslide.
"I think there were some disgruntled folks from the past but I think people see through that. We just stayed on the high road."
Former Sheriff George Erwin, a McDonald supporter, said he advised to McDonald to "play like an underdog because you always play harder."
"This has been the most negative campaign I've seen," he said. "I think it's worse" than the three campaigns he ran. "All this money that's in here is just tearing the other candidate down. Then they wonder why people don't run for office. I don't blame them."
While Democrats Wood and Katz raised more money and mounted a more credible campaigns in a general election than the county has seen in recent years, they were not able to erode conservative and Republican support for the incumbents.
"It's not a matter of credible candidates," said Robert Danos, a former party chair. "Henderson County is still deeply conservative. When you have candidates like Tom Apodaca, Charlie McDonald, Chuck McGrady and Colby Coren talking about school choice, education reform and tax reform they're going to win. I like Rick Wood but when your campaign is based on education and you're against the reforms that conservative support you're going to lose."
County Commissioner Michael Edney, one of three Republican candidates who won Tuesday night without opposition, said he thought voters had endorsed the party's achievements and governance.
"I think it's been a great year for Republicans in Henderson County and a vindication of what we've been doing," he said. "It's a Republican county and even new Republicans coming in, a lot of them are registering unaffiliated but they're still conservative."