Primary fields set for May 5 election
With the filing deadline passing at noon last Thursday, the list of candidates for the May 5 county Republican and Democratic primary elections has been finalized.
Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank and Sheriff Russell Barker each has a single opponent in the GOP primary, but no one is running for either position in the Democratic primary.
For mayor, Frank is opposed by Third District County Commissioner Joshua Anderson. There are no Democratic or independent candidates.
In the sheriff’s race, incumbent Russell Barker is opposed by David G. Davis in the Republican primary.
There is no candidate for sheriff in the Democratic primary, but Colt Jennings is running as an independent in the Aug. 6 general election, after originally picking up a petition to run in the Republican primary. He will face the winner of the Republican primary and anyone else who files to run as an independent before the noon March 10 qualifying deadline for the Aug. 6 election.
Carl Bailey, one of four people who picked up petitions to run for sheriff, did not file to run in the May 5 primary, nor has he yet filed to run as an independent on Aug. 6.
Three candidates for County Commission who initially filed to run as Republicans changed their petitions to run instead as independents: Tina Graham Targonski for District 2, Tracy Wandell for District 1, and Kevin Craig for District 7.
County Trustee Regina Copeland was the last of the countywide incumbent candidates to file a petition.
The candidates began filing for the various county positions when registration officially opened Dec. 22.
Frank was the first candidate for any county office to pick up and file a petition to run, seeking re-election to the post she has held since Sept. 1, 2012.
The mayor serves a four-year term, but Frank was initially elected to fill out the two years remaining on the term of her predecessor, who resigned mid-term. She was re-elected to four-year terms in 2014, 2018 and 2022.
There are at least two candidates who qualified to run in all eight commission districts, for the two available seats.
Only the incumbents have qualified to run for the other five countywide positions in the primary: Rex Lynch for Circuit Court clerk, Regina Copeland for county trustee, Jeff Cole for county clerk, Tim Shelton for register of deeds, and Gary Long for road superintendent.
Property Assessor John Alley’s position is not on this year’s ballot, nor are any of the judgeships.
There are 16 County Commission seats open, with two seats in each district.
Four of the eight county School Board district seats are up for election this year, for a four-year term.
The open seats are in School Board Districts,1, 2, 6 and 7.
Candidates have qualified for all four of the open seats, but two of those candidates – in Districts 6 and 7 – are running as independents and will be only on the general election ballot on Aug. 6.
The other two districts – 1 and 2 – have candidates running unopposed in the Republican primary May 5.
Candidates who have qualified for County Commission in the primary (two seats open per district) are:
• District 1 – Chad McNabb (R), Raymond Neil Phillips (R).
• District 2 – Michael Y. Foster (R), Denise Palmer (R), Ronald C. Meredith Jr. (R).
• District 3 – Shannon Gray (R), Shelley Vandagriff (R), Rodney Archer (D).
• District 4 – Richard Constanzo (R), Tim Isbel (R), J. Shain Vowell (R), Amy Jones (R).
• District 5 – Martin “Marty” May (D), Robert McKamey (R), Jeff Pack (R), Karin Martin Partin (R), Barbara Vickery (R).
• District 6– Anthony Allen (R), filed), Aaron Wells (R); Ebony M. Capshaw (D), Derek Guy (D).
• District 7 – Sabra Beauchamp (R), Nathan Mullins (R), Sharon Bourgeois Capshaw (D), Steve Verran (D).
• District 8 – Jawrell Cook (R), Don A. Layton (R); Emily S. Wallace (R), Ashley Craven (D), Elizabeth “Liz” Henry (D).
School Board candidates who have qualified:
• District 1 – Ray Hagan (R).
• District 2 – Katherine Birkbeck (R).
• District 6 – Scott Gillenwaters, independent, Aug. 6 ballot only.
• District 7 – Don A. Bell, independent, Aug. 6 ballot.
To get on the ballot for either the May 5 primary or the Aug. 6 general election, candidates must have signatures of at least 25 registered voters on their individual petitions, and for district seats, those voters must be residents of the particular district, county Elections Administrator Mark Stephens said.
Early voting for the May 5 primary election will be held April 15-30, while early voting for the Aug. 6 general election will run from July 17-Aug. 1.
Deadline to register to vote in the May 5 primary is April 6.
The absentee ballot request deadline is April 25.
