PAGE 4 // THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2010 NEWS the pendulum THE PENDULUM MIDTERM ELECTION COVERAGE ELEpTim lESUlfS U.S HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 6 c Sam Turner —^ Democrat Howard Coble Republican N.C. STATE SENATE DISTRICT 24 Tony Forlest Democrat Rick Gunn Republican Barry Coe Libertarian N.C. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 64 Dan W. Ingle Republican DISTRICT ATTORNEY DISTRICT ISA Pat Nadolski Democrat L Robert(Rob) Sharpe Republican Election results is of Nov. 1 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Ann Vauphan Democrat Henry Vines Democrat Bill Lashley Republican C Timothy D. (Tim Republican ^Brandon A. Black Sutton Libertarian BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS UNEXPIRED TERM ENDING 2012 Jeremy Teetor Democrat Tom Manning Republican CLERK OF SUPERIOR COURT Hunt Johnson Democrat SHERIFF David Barber Republican Ron Parrish Democrat Terry S. Johnson Republican SUPREME COURT ASSOCIATE JUSTICE Robert C. (Bob) Hunter Barbara Jackson COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE Sanford Steelman COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE Ann Marie Calabria Jane Gray COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE Rick Elmore Steven Walker COURT OF APPEALS JUDGE Martha Geer Dean R. Poirier SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE DISTRICT ISA Wayne Abernathy Robert F. (Rob) Johnson James K. (Jim) Roberson SARAH BETH COSTELLO | GF^APHICS EDITOfl Gunn knocks out incumbent Foriest for NC State Senate seat v« (D) TONY FORIEST (L) BARRY COE (R) RICK GUNN Becca lynes Senior Reporter After a cotentious race that saw harsh campaign commercials, Republican Rick Gunn defeated Democrat Tony Foriest and Libertarian Barry Coe in the race for North Carolina State Senate. He received 53 percent of the vote, while Foriest received 41 percent and Coe received 5 percent. Both Gunn and Coe sought their first elected office in the N.C. Senate, while Foriest sought a third term as a state senator representing Alamance and Caswell counties. But 2010 is not the first year that Gunn and Foriest opposed each other. In 2008, the candidates ran against one other in the race for the same District 24 seat. Gunn said he plans to improve the current economy, create jobs and place an emphasis on education, and he seeks to improve issues involving taxes and spending, transportation and health care. In addition, Gunn places a focus on a tax reform and a decrease in government spending. If reelected as state senator, Foriest said he would have looked to create jobs and improve the current economy. His main focus was to create a stronger community that will be attractive to businesses and employers by emphasizing education. While Coe is not a member of either major political party, his intent was to bring about a reduction in state government spending by 50 percent. He also sought to abolish laws that restrict individual rights and responsibility. His overall focus was on creating a limited government. In recent months, the candidates have heavily campaigned against one another through the use of television ads and mailers. Both Foriest and Gunn accused each other of distorting and attacking one another’s records and opinions in campaign paraphernalia. Steve Taylor, an Alamance County voter, said he felt the campaigns of both Foriest and Gunn were offensive and because of that, he chose to vote for Coe. “1 came here because I was disgusted with the Tony Foriest, Rick Gunn campaign," Taylor said. “I wanted to vote against both of those cats because they did a lot of sleazy advertising.” Kathleen Treadwell, an Alamance County voter, also expressed her distaste for the candidates' campaign materials. “I think they both should be ashamed of themselves for their dirty, dirty, nasty campaign literature," Treadwell said. “I came home every single day, and there was something in the mail. I thought that it was offensive, and they should really be ashamed of themselves.” Coble beats Turner for fourteenth House term (R) HOWARD COBLE Eva Hill Copy Editor Howard Coble, the incumbent Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, defeated his challenger, Sam Turner, 73 percent to 27 percent Nov. 2. This election gave him his fourteenth term in office, where he started serving in 1985. Coble said he believes the economy is one of the major issues in this election, and reducing national debt is the key to solving current economic problems. He said a smaller government and lower taxes are the most effective forms of government. Coble is a member of both the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Judiciary Committee. Alice Wood, an Alamance County voter, said the most important issue to sway her decision in the election involved the economy. “We need to have a little more money, so we don't have to worry about paying the bills,” Wood said. I don t think we should raise taxes because they are (D) SAM TURNER already too high.” Kathy Sanford, an Alamance County voter, also said the most important issues influencing her voting decisions for the election involved unemployment rates, jobs and the economy. Born in Greensboro, N.C., Coble served 27 years in the U.S. Coast Guard and Reserve and has represented the 6th district in North Carolina for 25 years. According to Turner’s website, the United States' trade deficit and “out of control" banking sector are the main cause of economic problems. He said he ran for office because he believes many problems in the U.S. come from the “large amounts money funneled into Washington politics by the wealthy and large corporations." Turner grew up in Salisbury, N.C., and is an Independent Democrat. He served in the Air Force after graduating from N.C- State University and went on to fly for a major commercial airline. He currently resides in Salisbury with his wife an three daughters.