From Staff Reports

ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Retired Naval officer Gary Parris has won the Republican primary race for sheriff in a landslide, “clearing the field to face off against Sheriff Quentin Miller in November,” the Asheville Citizen Times reported on March 3.

The former defense contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense received 7,954 votes, according to unofficial results from the N.C. State Board of Elections. Parris defeated former sheriff Sgt. Victor “Vic” Morman, his sole challenger. Parris snared nearly 75 percent of the vote, with 100 percent of precincts reporting.

“Parris, 68, will face Miller, a Democrat, in the November general election,” the ACT noted. “No Democrat filed to run against Miller in the primary.”

In a late social media post on election night, Parris said Buncombe County "sent a clear message" and the margin he won by shows voters are "ready for leadership that will invest in our deputies, strengthen the culture of the Sheriff’s Office, and move Buncombe County forward."

Parris grew up in Alexander and spent three years with the Buncombe County Sheriff's Office before embarking on a decorated 22-year military career in the U.S. Navy. 

He previously told the ACT that he hopes to modernize and bring new technology to the sheriff’s office, while improving its culture and “enforcing the rule of law for the safety of everyone.”