Smith cruises to re-election in state Senate race
Heavy early voting gave Democratic incumbent state Sen. Kandie Smith a healthy early lead according to unofficial totals released by the N.C. Board of Elections, and she did not relinquish any of it as today's Election Day ballots were counted. With 70 percent of precincts reporting in Pitt County and results from nearly 50 percent of precincts in Edgecombe County, Smith leads with 44,207 votes to just 25,807 for Republican challenger Henry Hostetler giving Smith 63.1 percent of the vote compared to Hostetler's 36.9 percent. "I’m grateful for the confidence of the people of Pitt and Edgecombe counties showed in me. I think they want me to continue to vote for the things that are important for them and to continue to fight for the things that are important to them, Smith said Tuesday night when reached at her legislative office. Smith said constituent services and consistency both played an important role in her re-election. "I don’t there were really one or two issues that drove the vote. I think there was consistency. When they see you’re working and they see your consistency and you’re accessible and that you're willing to try to help people solve problems, I think they
Edgecombe County, NC · 2d