Letters to the Editor

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NEWS 11/7/24 12:46pm

Elon invites hope through public art display post elections

By Avery Sloan and Anjolina Fantaroni

Hugs, smiles, tears and words of encouragement filled Haggard Avenue on Nov. 6 following the election results between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, former President Trump was elected the 47th President of the United States. Elon University invited students, staff and faculty to express words of hope on the portion of Haggard Avenue in front of Young Commons — closing the road from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to showcase and work on their public art display.

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NEWS 11/6/24 5:39am

Donald Trump elected 47th president of U.S.

By Alexa Citrin

The 2024 election has been noted as one of the closest races in U.S. history with candidates Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump fighting for the 47th spot in the Oval Office. After a neck-and-neck campaign season and election night, the winner was declared to be Republican Donald Trump — marking his second term in office. This election cycle was much closer, with early voting polls showing Harris leading by 1% nationally, and Trump winning by 1% in many southern states. As of 5:36 a.m. on Nov. 6, Trump won 277 electoral votes, while Harris won 224.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:52am

Dennis Riddell elected North Carolina House of Representatives District 64

By Avery Sloan

Republican Dennis Riddell won the North Carolina House of Representatives District 64 seat by 54.95% of the votes. Democrat LeVon Barnes received 45.05% of the votes. This will be Riddell’s seventh term in office. When running for office, Riddell campaigned on lowering income tax rates and protecting the Second Amendment. He also previously told Elon News Network that he is comfortable with the current 12-week abortion ban and supports exceptions up to 20 weeks for rape and incest. He said he cares about the environment, but is skeptical of claims of rising sea levels. His main platform is focused on maintaining a strong economy.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:48am

Stephen Ross elected North Carolina House of Representatives District 63

By Avery Sloan

Republican Stephen Ross won the North Carolina House of Representatives District 63 seat by 55.13% of the votes. Democrat Robin Wintringham received 44.87% of the votes. Ross previously served as the state house representative for District 63 from 2013 to 2021, he lost his election in 2020 to Ricky Hurtado, but won in 2022 rematch. Ross did not respond to any interview requests from Elon News Network, but according to his biography on the North Carolina General Assembly website, he is the chair of the commerce, house select committee on substance abuse and finance committees.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:39am

Amy Galey wins North Carolina State Senate District 25

By Abigail Hobbs

North Carolina State Sen. Republican Amy Galey won her reelection campaign for District 25’s state senate seat. Galey won against Democrat Donna Vanhook with 60.34% and Vanhook received 39.66% of the votes. Galey previously told Elon News Network she works to serve all of her constituents — even those who did not vote for her. 

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:38am

Rachel Hunt elected lieutenant governor of North Carolina

By Ryan Kupperman

Democratic candidate Rachel Hunt won her bid for lieutenant governor of North Carolina with 49.44% of the votes statewide. Hunt beat Republican opponent Hal Weatherman, the Constitution Party’s Wayne Jones and Libertarian Shannon Bray. Hunt has served as a North Carolina state senator since 2023 and previously served as a state representative from 2019 to 2023. She has worked as a private practice attorney and owns her own educational consulting business. Hunt also served on the board of directors for the North Carolina Foundation for Public School Children.

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NEWS 11/6/24 2:29am

Mo Green elected North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction

By Ryan Kupperman

Democratic candidate Mo Green won his bid for North Carolina’s superintendent of public instruction with 51.12% of the votes statewide. State superintendent of public instruction oversees day-to-day operations of the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, serves as secretary and chief administrative officer of the State Board of Education and serves in the North Carolina Council of State. The superintendent’s race has gained national attention for one of North Carolina’s most polarizing races on the ballot. Republican candidate Michele Morrow turned heads by expressing support for abolishing the North Carolina Department of Education and cutting the state off from federal funds.

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NEWS 11/6/24 1:44am

Richard Hudson elected to U.S House of Representatives District 9

By Ryan Kupperman

Republican incumbent Richard Hudson won his bid for the U.S. House of Representatives District 9 with 56.4% of the votes statewide. Hudson beat Democratic opponent Nigel Bristow and Independent opponent Shelane Etchison. Hudson was first elected to represent North Carolina’s 9th District in 2012. He serves as the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which aims to elect Republicans to the U.S. House of Representatives. He was also rated the most effective legislator from North Carolina and the 12th most conservative member of the house.

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NEWS 11/6/24 1:25am

Four board of education candidates elected

By Avery Sloan

Four candidates — Sandy Ellington-Graves, Avery Wagoner, Seneca Rogers and Tameka Harvey — were elected to the Alamance County Board of Education. Ellington-Graves received 15.35% of the votes, Wagoner received 14.71%, Rogers received 14.65% and Harvey received 13.67%. Eight candidates ran, but did not receive enough votes to be on the board. Last fall, mold was found in 32 of the 36 ABSS schools, leading to a late start for the school year and an estimated recovery plan totaling $225 million over five years.

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NEWS 11/6/24 1:18am

District 17 judge seat results

By Abigail Hobbs

Republican Bryan Ray won the first of five of North Carolina’s District 17 Court Judge seats. Democrat Larry Brown Jr. won the second of five of North Carolina’s District 17 Court Judge seats. Republican Craig Turner won the third of five of North Carolina’s District 17 Court Judge seats. Democrat incumbent Kathryn Overby won reelection for the fourth of five of North Carolina’s District 17 Court Judge seats. Republican Meredith Tuck Edwards won the fifth of five of North Carolina’s District 17 Court Judge seats.

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NEWS 11/6/24 12:46am

Three board of commissioners candidates elected

By Abigail Hobbs

Three candidates — Pamela Thompson, John Paisley Jr. and Ed Priola were elected to the Alamance County Board of Commissioners. They respectively received 18.13% of the votes, 17.89% and 17.37%.

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NEWS 11/5/24 11:46pm

Jeff Jackson elected attorney general of North Carolina

By Ryan Kupperman

Congressman and Democratic candidate Jeff Jackson won his bid for attorney general of North Carolina with 51.65% of the votes statewide. While North Carolina had a Republican majority in the state general assembly heading into the 2024 election, the swing state had a Democratic triplex in the officers of governor, secretary of state and attorney general — all three of which were up for election this cycle. Jackson’s win defends one leg of this triangle for the Democratic Party. WRAL reported that Republican candidate Dan Bishop conceded the race at 11:32 p.m.

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NEWS 11/5/24 9:26pm

Josh Stein projected governor of North Carolina

By Ryan Kupperman

AP News has called North Carolina’s governor race in favor of Democratic candidate and Attorney General Josh Stein. With 23% of the votes counted, Stein has a 52.7% lead. Robinson has 42.6% of the vote. Stein beat Lt. Gov. and Republican candidate Mark Robinson with a steady lead in a race defined by starkly opposed campaigns. Projected ahead of Robinson in the last three Elon Poll surveys, Stein’s victory maintains the divide between North Carolina’s Republican-majority General Assembly.

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NEWS 11/5/24 8:50pm

Elon Votes hosts election night watch party

By Audrey Geib

Roughly 55 students are gathering in the Global Commons Great Hall for an election night watch party hosted by Elon Votes and funded by the Student Government Association from 8 to 11 p.m. Junior Emily Stuart, co-lead civic engagement ambassador with Elon Votes, said events like this are important to bring students together. North Carolina is among the seven battleground states that will help decide the outcome of the presidential race, making this an important night for many Elon students. Freshman and North Carolina native Isis Ruiz-Nunez said she chose to attend the watch party because of the community support.

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NEWS 11/5/24 8:45pm

Mark Robinson hosts watch party in Raleigh ahead of election results

By Nia Bedard

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson held a watch party at the City Club in Raleigh for the gubernatorial race. With the race called for Attorney General Josh Stein, Robinson has conceded the governorship. Robinson addressed the crowd at 9:04 p.m. saying he is still proud of the work he has done as lieutenant governor of North Carolina in spite of the loss. Throughout Robinson's address the crowd of supporters cheered for him and thanked him for running in the governor election.

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NEWS 11/5/24 8:12pm

North Carolina Democrats, Stein await election results

By Miles Hayford

In preparation for election results, particularly the results of the gubernatorial race, the North Carolina Democratic Party is hosting a watch party in Raleigh at the Marriott City Center. Attorney General Josh Stein and several key North Carolinian Democrats are expected to appear. As of 8:15 p.m., the event is in full swing. Droves of people, almost 100 so far, are piling in to see Stein and other Democratic politicians speak later. Gil Genn, a former member of the Maryland House of Delegates, is at the event and said he is most excited to see a transition from the old tonight.

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SPORTS 11/5/24 8:37am

Elon University men’s basketball gives North Carolina scare but falls short in season opener

By Miles Hayford

Light shows, a roaring crowd and a swarm of Carolina blue: It all seemed too much for the Phoenix to handle. The Elon University men’s basketball team stayed strong despite the adversity, giving the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill a scare but lost its season opener 90-76. It was their 13th loss when starting the season away from home, but it was a promising performance against the 9th ranked team in the nation and a sign of a bright future for the program. Elon started the season with nine returning players and brought back 54% of its scoring from last season.

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NEWS 11/5/24 7:27am

Election Day 2024: morning of general elections in Elon, Alamance County, North Carolina

By Elon News Network

Polls opened at 6:30 a.m. today for one of the most historic general elections in U.S. history. If elected, former President Donald Trump would be the second president in history to win his bid after losing a first attempt at reelection — and will have done so after being the first former president to be convicted of a crime. If Vice President Kamala Harris is elected, she will be the first woman to serve as president of the U.S. North Carolina also plays a pivotal role in this election as one of seven crucial battleground states.

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NEWS 11/5/24 7:27am

LIVE BLOG: 2024 general elections in Elon, Alamance County, North Carolina

By Elon News Network

Polls closed at 7:30 p.m. In addition to North Carolina's gubernatorial race, Elon News Network will be providing live updates for every election in North Carolina and Alamance County. With 0 out of 39 precincts counted at 7:30 p.m., ENN has already made projections for the winners of uncontested races. Reporters are also reporting live from Raleigh, where both Attorney General Josh Stein and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson are hosting watch parties for the state's governor race. ENN will also be reporting from the Alamance County's Democratic Watch Party and Alamance County's Republican Headquarters.

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SPORTS 11/4/24 10:30pm

Fourth quarter surge gives Elon University women’s basketball season opener win

By Benjamin Berfield

The Elon University women’s basketball team defeated High Point University 66-65 to win its first game of the season Nov. 4. It was a roller coaster game as a hot start turned into a 15-point deficit in the third quarter. However, hot fourth quarter shooting proved to be the difference in a thrilling opening night victory. The Phoenix went into the season hoping to improve on its 11-21 record last year and wasted no time getting ahead in the opening minutes. They jumped out to a 15-7 lead thanks to redshirt sophomore guard Raven Preston.

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