Lincoln County Clerk Direl Baker reads the unofficial results during the general election. It was Baker’s last election as county clerk, as he was unseated by Republican candidate Kristy Scraggs.
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Lincoln County Clerk Direl Baker reads the unofficial results during the general election. It was Baker’s last election as county clerk, as he was unseated by Republican candidate Kristy Scraggs.
HAMLIN — Five Democratic incumbents were unseated Tuesday as Lincoln County Republicans swept the general election, according to unofficial results from County Clerk Direl Baker’s office.
Tuesday marked Baker’s last turn on election night, as he was unseated by Republican candidate Kristy Scraggs. With all 14 of the county’s precincts reporting, Scraggs received 2,761 votes to Baker’s 2,178, according to unofficial numbers.
Baker said he was disappointed in the results, but believes he was able to restore confidence in the county clerk’s office during his tenure.
“I just want to thank the voters of Lincoln County who gave me the opportunity to do this. It’s been an honor and a privilege,” Baker said.
Scraggs expressed gratitude for her friends, family and all of the “teammates” who supported her.
“I’m very thankful to all the people who believed in me. We worked very hard, and we worked all year. We went door-to-door and tried to meet every person in the county,” Scraggs said.
Scragg said she is looking forward to taking over in December.
“I’m ready to get in there and get started, and I’m excited about working with all of the other elected officials in our county,” she said.
For the past five years, Scraggs has served as clerk for the Town of Hamlin. She plans to resign from that post. Scraggs also owns a childcare service in Lincoln County.
In the race for Assessor, Republican Jamie Linville was victorious over Democratic incumbent Angel Barclay, who was appointed to the position earlier this year after former Assessor Jerome Browning resigned amid legal troubles.
Barclay was ahead when early and absentee numbers were announced and continued to lead with half of the precincts reporting.
In the other races, early and absentee voting showed the Democratic candidates ahead early on, but the tide changed when all but Linville pulled ahead with half of the county’s 14 precincts reporting in.
Linville finished the evening with 2,509 votes to Barclay’s 2,430.
“We knew that Republicans were going to have a strong showing. We pulled it out at the end. I’m excited to get to it. We have a lot of good experienced people in that office, and I’m excited to work with them,” Linville said.
In the race for the House of Delegates 30th District, Republican candidate David “Flimsy” Adkins received 2,533 votes to unseat Democratic incumbent Deidra Roberts, who received 1,967 votes.
Adkins will continue to serve as mayor of the Town of Hamlin. He’s looking forward to advocating for improved infrastructure in the district, from streets and sidewalks to broadband internet.
“I’m very humbled. I will be doing what I said. I will work hard for this county and this state, and I’m going to be working hard with both parties,” Adkins said.
The Republican candidates had a great deal of success because they carried a unified message and worked together, Adkins said.
“Teamwork. We worked from the middle of July when we started, and we stayed a team, we worked as a team, and we won as a team. I think both sides were top-notch on their campaigns and the way they ran them. It was clean,” Adkins said.
In other races:
Republican Kim Blair received 3,113 votes to replace Democratic incumbent Charles Vance, who received 1,786 votes, on the county commission, unofficial results show.
Republican Brian Graley picked up 2,882 votes to unseat incumbent County Clerk Wylie Stowers, a Democrat, who received 2,001 votes, according to the unofficial tally.
The Lincoln County Schools levy was approved by a wide margin, with 2,646 votes to approve and 1,910 votes against the measure, according to the unofficial results.
Lincoln County Board of Education Vice President Jody Pistore said he was pleased that so many voters showed continued support for the school system.
“It is not a new tax but a continuation of support expressed by the citizens of Lincoln County for the good of our students. The reason we are here is to give our students the best chance in life,” Pistore said.
The canvassing of the votes was set for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16.
