IFN Staff
N.C. Rep. Todd Carver grabbed nearly 60 percent of the vote Monday to easily win a Republican primary in the 95th House District.
According to unofficial results, Carver received 3,174 votes (59.46%) to fend off a challenge from Mike Kubiniec, an Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education member. Kubiniec garnered 2,164 votes (40.54%). Carver will face Democrat Michael Robinson in the November election.
A total of 20,399 ballots were cast out of 146,897 registered voters in Iredell County (13.89%).
Iredell County Board of Commissioners
Incumbents Scottie Brown and Bert Connolly finished first and third, respectively, in the Republican primary, and will be joined by political newcomer Brent Goddard as the GOP’s three nominees in the November election. A third incumbent, Brad Stroud Sr., finished fourth, meaning he will vacate his seat after the November election. Lisa Meier finished fifth and Angela Matthews was sixth.
Unofficial Totals
♦ Brown – 6,871 (20.02%)
♦ Goddard – 6,196 (18.05%)
♦ Connolly – 6,054 (17.64%)
♦ Stroud – 5,669 (16.52%)
♦ Meier – 5,169 (15.06%)
♦ Matthews – 4,366 (12.72%)
Brown, Connolly and Goddard will be joined on the November ballot by Democrats Amanda Kotis and Terence Brown. The top three vote-getters will receive four-year terms.
Clerk of Superior Court
Incumbent Jim Mixson cruised to an easy win in the Republican primary. Mixson garnered 10,079 votes (80.13%), and H. William Compton Jr. received 2,499 (19.87%). Mixson will be unopposed in the November election.
I-SS Board of Education
In races for three seats on the I-SS Board:
♦ Incumbent Brian Sloan easily outpolled former board chairman Bill Howell in the GOP primary to win a second term as the District 1 representative. Sloan received 1,193 votes (58.71%), and Howell garnered 839 votes (41.29%). Sloan will be unopposed in the November election.
♦ In the Republican primary for the District 3 seat, John Sherrill defeated incumbent Cindy Haynes, who was appointed in 2025 to complete the term of Abby Trent. Sherrill garnered 790 votes (54.86%), and Haynes received 650 (45.14%). Sherrill will be unopposed in the November election.
♦ In the Republican primary for the District 5 seat, Boen Nutting won handily in the race for the seat being vacated by Mike Kubiniec, who opted to run for a seat in the N.C. House. Nutting tallied 887 votes (64.42%), and Luke Hessels garnered 490 (35.58%). Nutting will be unopposed in the November election.
NC District Court Judge – District 32 (Seat 06)
In the GOP primary, Martin Gottholm defeated incumbent Judge Jessie Conley, who was appointed in 2025 by Gov. Josh Stein. Gottholm received 9,139 votes (54.24%), and Conley tallied 7,710 (45.76%). While Gottholm won 58% of the vote in Iredell County, Conley prevailed in Alexander County, garnering nearly 57 percent of the vote. Gottholm will be unopposed in the November election.
NC House – 89th District
Incumbent Mitchell Setzer easily won the GOP primary, tallying 8,009 votes (86.18%) to defeat Lisa Koperski, who received 1,284 votes (13.82%). Setzer will face Democrat Robert “Spider” Thompson in the November general election.
Congratulations to Rep. Carver on his re-election.
I also want to recognize Mike Kubiniec for running a thoughtful and substantive campaign. Earning more than 2,100 votes and over 40% in a competitive primary is not insignificant — it reflects real engagement and a meaningful number of voters who were open to a different vision for District 95.
It’s also worth noting that contested Republican primaries in District 95 have been rare in recent election cycles. For several years, Republican candidates advanced without a primary opponent. The 2026 race was different. It brought genuine intra-party discussion and gave voters a real choice.
Competitive primaries are healthy. They sharpen ideas, encourage accountability, and strengthen the party by allowing voters to weigh competing approaches to leadership. Regardless of the outcome, that kind of participation benefits the district.
Whatever you need to say to make you feel better about your loss Captain K.
As an Unaffiliated voter, I specifically picked the Republican primary ballot to vote against Kubiniec and Matthews. Looks like I wasn’t the only one.
Participation matters, regardless of which candidate someone supports.
It’s also worth putting the results in perspective. Incumbents in state legislative primaries win the vast majority of the time — often well over 90% of races, and challengers rarely approach 40% of the vote because incumbents have significant advantages in name recognition, fundraising, and party support.
In that context, Kubiniec receiving 40.54% of the vote indicates that Carver did NOT simply dominate the field and that a substantial portion of engaged primary voters were open to a different direction.
Anyone who steps forward to challenge an incumbent knows the odds are long going in. I’m sure Kubiniec’s loss was no surprise. So, whether someone voted for or against him, the fact that the race drew meaningful support on both sides suggests that the conversation about the district’s direction is far from one-sided.
QANON Angie goes down again!
Will she keep running every two years or finally realize that she is unelectable?
Looking forward to the Iredell GOP working for an honest disclosure and full reckoning on the EPSTEIN Files.
The GOP should not be the Political Refuge of Rapists, Sex Traffickers, Child Molesters and Sex Predators, Murderers, and much, much worse. The Iredell GOP has an opportunity to be the exception to these abhorrent crimes against women and children and not the norm.
Release the EPSTEIN Files!