It’s been mostly incumbents who have filed to run for local offices in 2020 at the Beaufort County Board of Elections this week. Filing began Monday and continues for two more weeks until noon Dec. 20.

Four seats will be open on the Beaufort County Board of Commissioners in 2020 as the terms of Jerry Langley, John Rebholz, Jerry Evans and Hood Richardson expire. So far, Evans and Rebholz have filed to run again on the Republican ballot, along with newcomer Galen Swain. No candidates have filed on the Democratic ticket so far.

For the Beaufort County Board of Education, odd numbered seats will be on the ballot this year. So far, only Democrat Eltha Booth (District 1) and Republican T.W. Allen (District 3) have filed to run.

Beaufort County’s Board of Education elections, along with those of eight other counties, switched from nonpartisan to partisan in 2017 with the passage of S.B. 253, which was sponsored by Republican N.C. Senator Norm Sanderson.

Republican Register of Deeds Jennifer Whitehurst has likewise filed for reelection.

As for state-level representation, two Republican candidates have filed for N.C. House of Representatives District 79 and N.C. Senate District 3. For the House seat, incumbent Republican Keith Kidwell, of Chocowinity, has filed to run for a second term. In the Senate, Republican Vance County Commissioner Thomas Hester, of Henderson, will run for the office.

The N.C. Senate District 3 seat is without an incumbent this election, as Democratic state senator Erica Smith has joined a field of five Democratic U.S. Senate hopefuls seeking the seat held by Republican U.S. Senator Thom Tillis.

Republican Congressman Greg Murphy, who won a special election earlier this year to fill out the remainder of the late Walter B. Jones Jr.’s term in Congress, has filed to run for reelection for that seat in 2020 on the Republican ticket. No challengers, either Republican or Democrat, have yet filed to challenge him.

In the second Judicial District, which covers Beaufort, Martin, Hyde, Washington and Tyrrell counties, two District Court judge seats are up for election. Democrats Christopher McLendon and Keith Mason currently hold those seats, and both have filed for reelection. As of Friday, no Republican challengers had filed to run against them in the November 2020 general election.

For full, up-to-date listings of candidates who have filed for state and national offices, visit www.ncsbe.gov/Elections/Candidate-Filing. For more information on how and where to file, visit www.beaufortncboe.org.