Politics

Filing opens Monday for local, state and federal offices

By Bill Moss, Published: December 1, 2025

Henderson County voters will have plenty of local, state and federal races to decide next year, and they’ll begin seeing the official qualifying this week for offices up and down the ballot.

Filing opens at noon Monday for seats ranging from town councils to the U.S. Senate. Qualifying closes at noon Friday, Dec. 19. The primary is  March 3. The general election is Nov. 3.

Although there’s no presidential or gubernatorial election on the ballot, there's lots of other races. Voters will choose three county commissioners, the sheriff and three other constitutional officers — clerk of superior court, register of deeds and district attorney — judges at the district and state level and the 11th Congressional District representative and will decide who fills the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Thom Tillis.

Here’s a roundup, with incumbents listed:

Henderson County Board of Commissioners

A lively Republican primary is possible for the District 3 seat, which became open when incumbent Bill Lapsley announced that he would not seek re-election. Steve Wyatt, who served as Henderson County manager from 2006 until 2021, Mills River Mayor Shanon Gonce and homebuilder Rudd Orr of Mills River have all announced their candidacies for the seat. Also up for election are Rebecca McCall, who announced her intention to seek re-election in August, and Michael Edney, who has not publicly announced his plans.

On the Henderson County School Board, seats up for election in 2026 are currently held  by Blair Craven (appointed in 2024 to fill the seat made vacant by Jay Egolf’s election to Board of Commissioners), Shelia Dale and Alyssa Norman.

Constitutional offices

Two-term incumbent Sheriff Lowell Griffin has announced his re-election campaign. Other offices on the ballot:

• Clerk of Superior Court, J. Tyler Ray.
• Register of Deeds, Lee King.
• District Attorney (Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties), Andrew Murray.

Municipal elections

• Hendersonville: mayor, Barbara Volk (not seeking re-election). Announced candidates are Mayor pro tem Jennifer Hensley and former council member Jerry Smith; two council seats, Gina Baxter, Melinda Lowrance.
• Flat Rock: District 1, Matthew Toner III; District 2, Susan Gregory; District 3, Barbara Jeter.
• Fletcher: mayor, Preston Blakely; District 1, Amber McKinney; District 4, Trevor Lance.
• Laurel Park: two seats, Debra Bridges, Mark Morse.
• Mills River: mayor, District 3 (town council elects mayor), Shanon Gonce; District 1, Sandra Goode; District 2, James Cantrell.
• Saluda: mayor, Tangie Morgan; two seats, Paul Marion, Mark Oxtoby.

Statewide, besides the U.S. Senate race, are elections for a Supreme Court seat and three Court of Appeals seats. Also on the ballot are state House seats held by Jennifer Balkcom and Jake Johnson and the state Senate seat held by Tim Moffitt.