SALISBURY — The election for two seats on the Rowan County Board of Commissioners is down to four candidates after Democrat Shameka Jackson withdrew from the race.

Jackson formally began the process to withdraw from the race back in May, confirmed Rowan County Board of Elections Director Sharon Main. She filed the documents required to fully close her campaign financial committee in early July.

Jackson did not respond to emails and calls asking for comment by the Post’s deadline on Monday.

After Jackson’s withdrawal, four candidates remain in the election. Republicans Mike Caskey and Craig Pierce are the incumbents. Democrat Alissa Redmond and We the People Party member Mark Ortiz are the two challengers that remain on the ballot.

Pierce has served on the Rowan County Board of Commissioners since being first elected in 2012. Before that, he ran for a seat on the Rowan-Salisbury school board.

Caskey has been a part of the board since being elected in 2012. Before that, Caskey served on the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education for a term. Caskey also serves as a police officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.

Redmond has been a part of downtown Salisbury and an active voice in local issues ever since her purchase of South Main Book Company in 2019. 

Ortiz, a Kannapolis native, is the newest name on the ballot. He was added after the We the People Party, founded by presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was formally recognized by the North Carolina State Board of Elections on July 16. Ortiz is the only member of the party who is running for a local office in North Carolina, as the only other candidate in the state is Jeff Scott of Charlotte, who is running for District 40 seat in the state Senate.