THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996                  TAG: 9605090376
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 
SOURCE: By MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER 
DATELINE: EDENTON                            LENGTH: Medium:   54 lines

CULPEPPER WINS PRIMARY AND ANOTHER 2-YEAR TERM

There was finger-drumming and nail-chomping before supporters of state Rep. William C. Culpepper III knew the Edenton attorney had won the 86th District Democratic primary race for the North Carolina House.

Culpepper is unoppposed in the November elections, so he will return to the General Assembly for two more years.

But not until final, hand-counted returns trickled in from the more rustic precincts of the 86th District Tuesday night did Culpepper know he had a two-to-one victory over William Forbes, 50, a Washington County auctioneer who was Culpepper's closest rival.

Rocky Midgette, 38, a Dare County contender, ran a distant third.

Unofficial results showed Culpepper with 4,352 votes for 57 percent of the vote. Forbes had 2,155 votes and 28 percent, and Midgette 1,124 and 15 percent.

``The biggest moment came when my home neighborhood of East Edenton reported in with an 80 percent majority for me,'' said Culpepper.

Election boards in the five counties of the 86th District must send their returns to the Board of Elections in Raleigh for certification before the Tuesday balloting becomes official.

State Rep. William C. Owens Jr., an Elizabeth City Democrat who represents the Albemarle with Culpepper in the Republican-controlled House, said he was pleased with the primary returns.

``Bill Culpepper has been a lifelong friend and it's a pleasure to work with him,'' said Owens.

Culpepper is the third and latest like-named scion of an old Albemarle family to serve in the General Assembly. His father and grandfather were members of the state House.

The 86th District was created by the legislature after the 1990 census reported a population growth that required a redistricting of voting areas. The old 1st House district, now represented by Owens, was divided into a new 1st District and the 86th District.

Culpepper, 49, carried four out of the five counties in the 86th District that runs from the western reaches of Albemarle Sound along the south shore of the sound to Dare County.

Only Washington County, where Forbes lives, failed to give Culpepper a majority. Other counties in the 86th District are Chowan, Perquimans, Dare and Tyrrell.

``Gosh, I don't think I'll try this again for a while,'' said Forbes, the runner-up.

KEYWORDS: PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS NORTH CAROLINA by CNB