Alamance County Sheriff and District Attorney Overtaken in Sweeping Democratic Wave
When the final unofficial returns were posted at 9:59 p.m., the politics of Alamance County shifted dramatically. A Democratic blue tide overwhelmed several long-time local office-holders, reshaping the county’s leadership across multiple levels of government.
Among the most notable results, long-time incumbent Republican Sheriff Terry Johnson—first elected 24 years ago—was apparently defeated by Shannon Long, an unaffiliated candidate endorsed by local Democrats. District Attorney Sean Boone, an eight-year incumbent, also lost his seat to attorney and former assistant district attorney Scott Wells Drorbaugh.
All Three Incumbent County Commissioners Swept Out
The legislative branch of the county experienced an equally stark transformation. All three incumbent county commissioners lost their seats to Democratic challengers Ramona Allen, Sean Ewing, and Kourtney Royster. The outgoing board members included chairman Kelly Allen, vice-chairman Steve Carter, and Sam Powell.
Ramona Allen and Sean Ewing secured four-year terms, while Royster won the partial, two-year term left vacant by the death of Republican county commissioner John Paisley, Jr., a seat previously occupied by Powell. Ewing won his race despite the local Democratic Party withdrawing its endorsement of the Mebane city councilman's campaign.
It's a NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Unaffiliated candidate Shannon Long defeated longtime Alamance County Sheriff Terry S. Johnson on Tuesday, 34,633 votes to 31,452. Long, a first-time candidate, won by 3,181 votes with all 39 precincts reporting. The win came on a night when… pic.twitter.com/bicJqZkWH7
Following these results, the new configuration for the board of county commissioners will feature one Republican incumbent, Ed Priola; one unaffiliated former Republican incumbent, Pam Thompson; and the three new Democrats. This alignment marks the first Democratic majority on the board in three decades.
Incumbent Dennis Riddell Loses Seat to LeVon Barnes
State-level representation also saw turnover. Twelve-year incumbent Republican state representative Dennis Riddell lost his seat to LeVon Barnes. Meanwhile, in one of the closest local races, current Burlington city councilman and former Burlington mayor Ian Baltutis appeared to best Republican Ryan Moffitt by 236 votes, seeking his first election as a successor to Rep. Stephen Ross, who didn’t seek re-election.
In school board contests, two of the three Democrat-endorsed candidates, Stephanie Long Enoch and Samira Khan, won their races, alongside unaffiliated candidate Kyle Ward. They defeated one-term incumbent Dr. Charles Parker, who had received Republican endorsement, and Dr. Eric Hall, an unaffiliated candidate appointed to a seat for a partial term last year. Dan Ingle did not seek re-election. Ward finished ahead of the third Democrat-endorsed candidate, Brandy Whitaker, by 55 votes.
State Senator Amy Galey, whose district also reaches into Randolph County, appeared to win her race against Democratic challenger Southey Blanton. Several candidates ran unopposed and secured their positions, including Democrat Doug Green for one superior court judgeship, Republican Craig Turner for another, Republican Bryan Ray for a district court judgeship, and Republican Kristie Culler for Clerk of Court.
