Abigail Clayton will return to a familiar seat with the Jackson County Board of Education at the Aug. 30 meeting.
Polls on Tuesday welcomed voters for the second of three 2022 elections – this one a single-race runoff – to decide if newcomer Lisa Buchanan or incumbent Clayton would represent District 2 on the board.
When the polls closed, unofficial results showed Clayton had brought in 2,146 votes (59.69 percent), to Buchanan’s 1,449 votes (40.31 percent). The vote will be certified during the Aug. 5 canvass at the Board of Elections.
The nonpartisan Board of Education election is generally decided on primary election day. The runoff came about after Buchanan defeated Clayton on May 17. Buchanan had 2,865 votes (42.61 percent) to Clayton 2,463 votes (36.63 percent). Courtney Umphlett (1,365 votes, 20.30 percent) finished third in the race.
Because Buchanan finished with a plurality instead of a majority, second-place finisher Clayton filed for the runoff after the canvass by the Jackson County Board of Elections.
Though a nonpartisan race on paper, the contest took a hard partisan turn with the local Democratic Party backing Clayton and the Republican Party backing Buchanan.
Early voting helped Clayton jump to a large lead, 1,164 to 396. The early voting numbers seemed good for Clayton, but Clayton also received the majority of the early votes in the first primary, a deficit Buchanan made up for in day-of voting.
Though Republicans are typically more likely to vote on election day than in early voting, Buchanan’s 1,030 votes Tuesday were not enough for her to overcome Clayton, who gained 917 votes on election day. Clayton received 64 mail-in votes to Buchanan’s 23.
Clayton represents District 2 (Sylva - North Ward, Scotts Creek) on the board with newcomers Kim Moore of District 4 (Cullowhee, Caney Fork, River, Canada) and Lynn Dillard of District 5 (Cashiers, Glenville). The terms of Interim Board Chair Elizabeth Cooper in District 1 (Sylva-South Ward, Dillsboro, Barkers Creek and Qualla) and Wes Jamison in District 3 (Webster, Savannah and Greens Creek) expire in 2024.
“Statewide, two-thirds of the time, the winner in the first primary wins in the second primary,” said Chris Cooper, director of Western Carolina University’s Public Policy Institute. “Last night there were 10 runoffs or second primaries (statewide) and six of them flipped the winner, including here in Jackson County.”
Generally about 42 percent of voters who voted in the first election return to vote the second time around, but the school board election saw almost 54 percent of voters come back to vote.
“The difference maker was the early vote, when only 14 percent of the votes were from Republicans,” Cooper said. “That’s a tiny number. I am stunned the Republicans didn’t turn out.”
The 64-23 mail-in advantage is a sign of organization, he said.
“The job of parties is to turn out the vote, and the Democrats did through early voting and the mail-ins to a smaller degree,” Cooper said.
“I suppose I was no match for a corrupt political machine,” Buchanan said Wednesday morning. “I gave it my best shot and I’m very proud that I never compromised my integrity. I feel bad for the many teachers and parents who reached out to me hoping for change. I personally have made some incredible friendships through this and can honestly say I am blessed because of this experience.”
Clayton took to Facebook.
“Thank you to everyone who voted and has shown their support!” she wrote. “I look forward to continuing to serve our children, teachers and community.”
According to her bio submitted to the Herald, Clayton ran for re-election to continue giving back to the school system that gave her and her siblings a quality public education. She attended Cullowhee Valley Elementary School and Smoky Mountain High School. Clayton is the branch manager for State Employees’ Credit Union in Cullowhee.
