Filing deadline approaches
BY ANDREW MACKIE
RECORD STAFF WRITER
HICKORY
Three Catawba County office holders lack opposition as the clock ticks down on the election-filing period.
N.C. House Reps. Mitchell Setzer and Mark Hilton filed two weeks ago, but are yet to face challeng-ers. Setzer represents the 89th District, which encompasses sections of eastern Catawba along with southwestern Iredell counties. Hilton’s 96th District includes most of western Catawba County.
Both are longtime office holders.
A third Republican, Register of Deeds Donna Spencer, also is unopposed as of Wednesday after-noon. Spencer is seeking her second four-year term.
Regardless of the inactivity for those candidates, several interesting races already have developed.
They include:
* U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry against Republican challenger Lance Sigmon. Democrats Steve Ivester and Daniel Johnson will compete for that party’s nomination.
* Former Bank of Granite Chief Executive Officer and Democrat John Forlines entered the 87th House District race this week in the filing period’s biggest surprise. Longtime Republican incum-bent Edgar Starnes will seek re-election.
* Catawba County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Kitty Barnes opposes incumbent and fellow Republican N.C. Sen. Austin Allran.
* Two Alexander County residents will battle for the 88th District House seat that includes Alexan-der County and roughly 90 percent of Hickory. Republican Mark Hollo, who held the seat from 2004 to 2006, hopes for a rematch with the person who took his seat, Democrat Ray Warren.
* Phillip Parlier of the Mountain View area will oppose incumbent Republicans Barbara Beatty and Dan Hunsucker in the May primary.
The official filing period ends Friday at noon.
For more information, call the Catawba County Board of Elections at 464-2424.
For more in-depth news stories and press releases from candidates go to the ‘Let’s Talk Politics’ blog at hickoryrecord.com.
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