THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080411
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: EDENTON LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
State Rep. William T. Culpepper III, D-Chowan, the third member of a politically oriented Albemarle family to serve in the state General Assembly, faced a major challenge in early Democratic primary election returns Tuesday.
Unofficial returns from Chowan, Dare and Washington counties had Culpepper leading William ``Bill'' Forbes, a Creswell auctioneer, 1,274 votes to 1,028. Rocky Midgette, a Dare County truck driver, trailed with 392 votes.
No returns were in from Tyrrell and Perquimans counties, which are also in Culpepper's 86th House District.
Only Chowan County - where Culpepper practices law - reported final returns: Culpepper 977, Forbes 170 and Midgette 47.
The 86th House District was created by the General Assembly during 1992 statewide redistricting mandated by North Carolina's 1990 census growth to more than 6.2 million residents.
The old 1st House District was split into two voting enclaves, a new 1st House District and an 86th House District. The new 1st District included all of the far Northeastern counties of the state and the 86th District incorporated all of Chowan County, Dare County and Tyrrell County and parts of Washington and Perqimans coun ties.
Culpepper was originally appointed to serve the unexpired term of the late state Rep. R. M. ``Pete'' Thompson, D-Edenton, who died in office while serving as the first elected state representative in the new 86th District.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION NORTH CAROLINA RETURNS by CNB