Jennifer Horton, Paul Benjamin win Buncombe County Commission 1st district primaries
ASHEVILLE - Preliminary election results show clear frontrunners in primaries to challenge for the first district of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners.
Democrat Jennifer Horton, a long-term care facility owner and longtime health care professional, leads Sierra Club-endorsed Matt Kern, who owns a residential building company, by 680 votes with all 80 county precincts reporting March 5; there are 27 precincts in the first district.
On the right side of the aisle, minister Paul Benjamin defeated Asheville Fraternal of Police President Rondell Lance by 1,965 votes.
Results will not become official until March 15.
Democrats have a large advantage in the general election in November, twofold outnumbering Republicans in the Southern and Eastern districts of the county. At the same time, 41.4% of voters in the area are unaffiliated.
Horton, whose 10-point plan for Buncombe County includes focuses on health care and equity, told the Citizen Times she thought that her background in health care and mental health work resonated with voters.
"I'm thankful for the support, the encouragement. Give my gratitude," she said.
She will be met by Benjamin in the general election, who catastrophized the level of violence in his campaign materials, despite N.C. SBI data released in October indicating that crime has decreased in Buncombe from 2020 to 2022.
"My prayer is that the county will be able to heal beyond all the things that are coming our path," Benjamin told the Citizen Times after the results came out March 5. "We pray for a safe and productive campaign as we go to November."
Kern has sat on various board and committees through the county, including as the chairman of the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College Board of Trustees. He is also the first Vice-Chair of the Democratic Men of Buncombe County.
Kern's disappointment was clear in his voice when he spoke to the Citizen Times shortly after the results were released. He said he would support Horton in the general.
“I just feel like I ran a good solid campaign based on my credentials, my resume, 25 years of experience being involved in the Democratic party and in the end, the voters didn’t think that was good enough and I have to respect that,” he said.
Lance told the Citizen Times in a questionnaire before the primary that he intends to be a budget hawk. He noted neglect felt by rural residents, lamenting how county funds are targeted at projects within Asheville and other special interest groups.
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In 2020, Lance was found guilty of two counts of disorderly conduct and one count of assault on a female for his role in a melee that broke out after a Black Lives Matter Protest. He told the Citizen Times at the time that he tried to intervene to assist police.
Lance did not immediately respond to a call from the Citizen Times March 5.
The battle between Benjamin and Horton is not the only county commission race in November. Current Commissioner Amanda Edwards will face former Sheriff Van Duncan in a race for the top seat on the board, representing the entire county. Duncan qualified for the seat after exceeding the number of signatures necessary to earn a position on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate.
“I am a lifelong Democrat. I have never left the Democratic party,” Edwards told the Buncombe County Democrats election party Tuesday night in an obvious jab at Duncan.
The former sheriff left the Democratic Party after he said it became too far left for his taste.
More: What to know about 4 Buncombe County commission candidates running in March 5 primary
The results
Democrat (10,054 votes cast)
Jennifer Horton: 53.58%
Matt Kern: 46.62%
Republican (7,449 votes cast)
Paul Benjamin: 63.19%
Rondell Lance: 36.81%
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Sarah Honosky contributed to this report.
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: Horton, Benjamin win Buncombe County 1st district primaries
