Small-town accountant defeats a veteran swing-vote legislator

About this episode

Patricia Smith discusses her surprising primary victory over incumbent legislator Shelly Willingham.

Williamston accountant and minister Patricia Smith pulled off an upset in this month’s primary over a six-term incumbent known for crossing party lines. Rep. Shelly Willingham, D-Edgecombe, was one of three moderate Democrats who helped give House Republicans what they call a “working supermajority” and lost their primaries. Willingham had survived previous attempts to unseat him in a primary, and while Stein endorsed a challenger to Rep. Carla Cunningham in Charlotte, he didn’t make any endorsements in the race to represent Edgecombe, Martin and Bertie counties. WUNC News' Colin Campbell spoke with Smith about her campaign, her concerns with Willingham's voting record, and some tense moments at the polls.

People in this episode

Host: Colin Campbell

Guest: Patricia Smith

Topics covered

• politics
• elections
• local government
• primary elections
• upset victories

Keywords

• Patricia Smith
• Shelly Willingham
• primary election
• politics
• North Carolina

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: WUNC News

Places: Edgecombe, Martin, Bertie

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