While more Rowan Countians have declared a run for the 2022 election, the following is a list of those who formally filed before the North Carolina Supreme Court halted the filing period and pushed back the primary.

The original candidate filing period for the 2022 election began Dec. 6 and was scheduled to end on Dec. 17. However, the North Carolina Supreme Court on Dec. 8 halted the filing period and pushed back the date of the primary election from March 8 to May 17.

The changes are attributed to ongoing lawsuits alleging gerrymandering in drawing newly adopted district boundaries. While the new filing period still undetermined, courts have been ordered to rule on the lawsuits by Jan. 11.

Candidates who have already filed won’t need to do so again. They could also choose to withdraw from the race when there’s a new filing period.

Rowan County Sheriff

• Simon Brown, Democrat

• Carlton Killian, Democrat, former state trooper

• Tommie Cato, Republican, a former state trooper and current school resource officer

• Jack Eller, Republican, trucking company operator

• Mike Caskey, Republican, Rowan County commissioner and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer

• Travis Allen, Republican investigator with Rowan County Sheriff’s Office

• Greg Hannold, Republican, captain with Rowan County Sheriff’s Office who oversees the jail

Rowan County Commissioners (three seats)

• Angie Spillman, Republican

• Greg Edds, Republican, incumbent and chairman of commissioners

• Judy Klusman, Republican, incumbent

• Jim Greene, Republican, incumbent and vice chairman of commissioners

• Alisha Byrd-Clark, Democrat, member of Rowan-Salisbury Schools Board of Education

District Attorney

• Brandy Cook, Republican, incumbent

Rowan County District Court (four seats)

• James Randolph, Republican, incumbent

• Lauren Hoben, Republican, Salisbury attorney

Superior Court Judge 

• Tim Gould, Republican, incumbent

NC House District 76

• Rep. Harry Warren, Republican, incumbent

NC House District 77

• Rep. Julia Howard, Republican, incumbent

NC House District 83 (a newly drawn district to include part of Rowan County in 2022)

• Grant Campbell, Republican

NC Senate District 33

• Sen. Carl Ford, Republican, incumbent

U.S. House Congressional District 10 (a newly drawn district to include Rowan County in 2022)

• Rep. Richard Hudson, Republican, currently represents North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District

U.S. Senate

• Benjamin E. Griffiths, Republican, of Cleveland

• Lee Brian, Republican, of Clayton

• Lichia Sibhatu, Republican, of Raleigh

• Jen Banwart, Republican, of Fuquay Varina

• Charles Kenneth Moss, Republican, of Randleman

• Everett “Rett” Newton, Democrat, of Beaufort

• Constance “Lov” Johnson, Democrat, has made unsuccessful bids for Salisbury City Council, Rowan-Salisbury Schools Board of Education and N.C. Senate

North Carolina Supreme Court (two seats)

• Lucy Inman, Democrat, of Raleigh

• Richard Dietz, Democrat, of Raleigh, who currently sits on the North Carolina Court of Appeals

• April Wood, Republican, of Lexington, who won election to the N.C. Court of Appeals in 2020

• Sam J. Ervin IV, Democrat, of Morganton

• Trey Allen, Republican, of Hillsborough, currently serves as general counsel of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Court

Rowan County Clerk of Superior Court (one seat)

• Rebecca Saleeby, Republican

• Todd Wyrick, Republican

North Carolina Court of Appeals (four seats)

• Julee Tate Flood, Republican, of Holly Springs

• Beth Freshwater-Smith, Republican, of Wilson

• Donna Stroud, Republican, an incumbent from Garner

• Gale Murray Adams, Republican, of Fayetteville

• John M. Tyson, Republican, an incumbent from Fayetteville

• Darren Jackson, Democrat, of Raleigh

• Michael J. Stading, Republican, of Mecklenburg

Rowan County Register of Deeds

• John Brindle, Republican, incumbent

 

Gov. Cooper grants pardon of innocence for man wrongly convicted three decades ago

Gov. Roy Cooper last week pardoned Howard Denice Dudley nearly 30 years after a wrongful conviction.

In 1992, Dudley, who is originally from from Lenoir County, was sentenced to concurrent life sentences after falsely being convicted of first-degree sexual offense and indecent liberties with a minor. In 2005, the News & Observer published a series chronicling the case after Dudley’s daughter, who made the allegation, said she made up the story.

In 2016, Superior Court Judge W. Douglas Parsons ruled that the state’s key witness testimony during Dudley’s trial was false and that she was the only material witness that directly implicated Dudley. Additionally, Parsons ruled the state’s failure to disclose material exculpatory evidence was an “egregious violation of Brady v. Maryland,” a U.S. Supreme Court case from 1967 that ruled prosecutors must turn over all evidence that might exonerate the defendant in the case.

Dudley’s charges were dismissed a few months later in 2016.

With Cooper’s pardon, Dudley is now eligible to file a claim that allows compensation to persons wrongly convicted of felonies.