Stokes County voters resoundingly rejected both incumbent commissioners in Tuesday’s Republican primary.
The vote came nearly two months after the board’s controversial approval of a massive data center in Walnut Cove. Rick Morris, who voted in favor of the proposal, came in last place in the eight-way contest.
WFDD spoke with several Stokes County residents about the results and how the data center controversy factored into the race.
Daniel Webster: "I was kind of excited. Seeing Rick Morris at the bottom was satisfying."
Ryan D.: "I think the ones that didn't make it this time, yeah, it was 100% because of that. I grew up hunting on that land, and once it's gone, it's gone."
Bill Petree: "People come in here and say, 'I just can't believe those county commissioners went against the citizens. I just can't believe that.' And they had that on their mind when they went to vote, and they're going to have that mindset over the next two years."