Bill Cook came out ahead in Beaufort County in his race against Democrat Stan White for the District 1 seat in the state Senate.
He led as vote totals came in from Beaufort, Camden, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hyde and Pasquotank counties, but when Perquimans County weighed in last, the race shifted in favor of White. White won the District 1 seat by only 388 votes.
A difference of less than 1 percent between both candidates’ vote totals means a recount is possible, and Cook said he would be pursuing one.
“I think that’s what I’m probably going to do,” Cook said from his home last night. “Four hundred is awfully close. It’s definitely a recount.”
The Beaufort County resident unseated four-term Rep. Arthur Williams in a 2010 run for the state House of Representatives, and he served a single term before tossing his hat into the Senate-race ring. Cook defeated Washington Republican Jerry Evans in the May primary to face White in the election.
During his tenure Cook gained a reputation as the fourth-most conservative legislator in the House, out of 120.
In early 2011, White was appointed by Gov. Bev Perdue to fill the unexpired term of former Sen. Mark Basnight, vacated because of health issues. While and has served on Agriculture/Environment/Natural Resources, Commerce, Education/Higher Education, Finance, Insurance, Program Evaluation, State and Local Government and Transportation committees. In September, he was tapped to serve on the Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Response.
Cook said he’d been watching returns at home and was surprised by the last-minute upset, “particularly as I watched on TV,” he said. “I was ahead until the end.”
Cook said that regardless of the outcome of the election, he was grateful for all the great volunteers who helped with his campaign.
Vote totals are unofficial until all regular ballots, absentee ballots and provisional ballots have been processed and certified by local boards of elections. That process, known as a canvass, takes place at local boards of elections at 11 a.m. Tuesday.