Former Buncombe Sheriff Van Duncan wins ballot spot for County Commission chair
ASHEVILLE – Former Buncombe County Sheriff Van Duncan will compete for the top spot on the County Board after surpassing the number of signatures needed to qualify as an unaffiliated candidate.
Buncombe County Director of Elections Corinne Duncan told the Citizen Times Feb. 26 that Van Duncan has 8,728 signatures on his petition. State law required him to obtain signatures for 4% of Buncombe’s Jan. 1 registered voters to qualify.
By meeting the requirement ahead of the March 5 deadline, the former sheriff will move on to the general election ballot, where he will battle current County Commissioner Amanda Edwards for the top seat. Edwards, a Democrat, did not face a primary challenger.
Duncan, who was sheriff from 2006-2018, faces a fundraising challenge in the general election. He deployed an aggressive mailing campaign to recruit signatures, spending almost all the $40,769.10 he raised, campaign finance documents show. Duncan told the Citizen Times Feb. 26 that he targeted residents who voted in the past three elections, sending out just under 40,000 pieces of mail.
Despite gearing up for the general election with $2,738 in his bank account, Duncan said that he believes supporters were waiting for him to qualify to donate.
Edwards has hardly dipped into her war chest, the most recently filed campaign finance documents show. At the end of 2023, Edwards had $24,814.47 on hand. She has spent $7,616.46 this election period.
“I am committed to seeking the votes and support of the people of Buncombe County in November to serve as a proven and trusted leader who will be the first woman chair of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners,” Edwards told the Citizen Times in a Feb. 26 message.
She is the executive director for the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Foundation.
Duncan left the Democratic Party in 2018, noting a leftward shift and “anti-law enforcement sentiment.” He currently works as an investigator with the Biltmore Estate Co.'s police department.
He told the Citizen Times in December that he remained involved with policy issues through local business owners and conservative groups. Duncan focused his campaign on frustrations with public safety and homelessness policies, as well as issues with permitting and building he said in February “make it really hard for folks to build affordable housing here.”
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Mitchell Black covers Buncombe County and health care for the Citizen Times. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @MitchABlack. Please help support local journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Ex-Sheriff Van Duncan qualifies for Buncombe chair general election