Pender County residents will have the opportunity to cast their votes for several contested races in the upcoming November election, including local contests such as the county’s board of commissioners and N.C. House representative.
But one race won’t be on the ballot, at least not in its entirety: the election for Pender County Clerk of Court.
Camille Harrell won the Republican nomination in the March primary, defeating current clerk Elizabeth Craver in an election held amid Craver's jury trial on fraud charges. Craver was found not guilty on March 3, 2026, the day of the primary election.
There’s no Democratic candidate to oppose Harrell in the general election – but she isn’t running without competition.
Brenda Tucker has filed as a write-in
candidate and is running what she described as a “grassroots” campaign to get the word out about her candidacy. Tucker is the former clerk for New Hanover County, having served in that role for two decades before retiring in 2010. She’s also Craver’s mother.
Why Tucker says she’s running
Tucker wasn’t on the March primary ballot. But when Craver lost -- obtaining 42.3% of the vote to Harrell’s 57.7% -- the door opened for Tucker to go for the position without having to compete with her daughter for it.
Tucker said that people encouraged her to run so that Pender County residents would have another option when voting for clerk of court.
Tucker pointed to the timeline of Craver’s trial and questioned why it had to occur during the week of the election.
“I think the public has to make the decision as to whether or not they feel (the primary) was a free and fair election,” Tucker said. “But that is not why I chose to run. I chose to run because I love this job.”
Tucker maintained that her campaign wasn’t about revenge for her daughter, and if elected, she said she wouldn’t seek to hire Craver to a position in the clerk’s office.
“The respect that I have for the position and the respect that I have for democracy were first and foremost in my thought for making the decision to run,” Tucker said. "That office needs experience and it needs strong leadership. And I've proven I have all of those things."
The write-in hurdle
Deciding to enter the race after the primary means Tucker has a difficult path ahead. For one, her name won’t appear on the ballot. Instead, voters who choose her will have to write her in.
She also won’t have the Republican Party attached to her name. But Tucker, a registered Republican, said she doesn’t see the position as a political office anyway.
"My party affiliation or my personal beliefs or anything of that nature is not relevant to who I am as a clerk,” she said.
Who is Camille Harrell?
Camille Harrell is the Republican nominee for the clerk of court, having won the primary against Elizabeth Craver with over 57% of the vote.
Like Tucker, Harrell isn’t a stranger to the clerk’s office. Harrell previously worked under Craver and was appointed as interim clerk when Craver was suspended from her position for a short time during the investigation. She later resigned when Craver was reinstated.
“With nearly 13 years inside the Clerk’s Office, I understand the law and how every decision affects the public, attorneys, law enforcement and the courts,” Harrell said.
Harrell said her goals included holding workshops to familiarize the public with electronic court systems and expanding opportunities for teen court programs.
“I am committed to creating a healthy workplace environment that encourages employees to stay, grow, and succeed within the Clerk’s Office,” Harrell said.
When is the election?
Pender County Communications Director Brandi Cobb confirmed that Tucker had submitted a petition of 100 signatures from registered voters to the county board of elections -- a requirement for her votes to actually count.
The municipal election will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voters may also cast their ballots absentee by mail and during the early voting period, which begins Thursday, Oct. 15 and goes through Saturday, Oct. 31.
Charlie Kingree is the Pender County and trending topics reporter for the StarNews. He can be reached at ckingree@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Former New Hanover court clerk seeks Pender office as write-in candidate
