Anna Ferguson chosen GOP nominee for House 119 after Clampitt's death

Anna Ferguson has taken the Republican nomination in House District 119, putting a Qualla Community native and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians member on the November ballot in a western North Carolina seat that still needs a temporary appointment.

The seat opened after Rep. Mike Clampitt died on March 18 at age 71 after battling cancer. Clampitt, first elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2016, had just won the March 3 Republican primary with 1,913 votes, or 56% of the vote, ahead of Ferguson’s 1,128 and Mike Yow’s 184. He served four terms in the House.

Under state law, the Republican Party’s executive committee nominates a replacement for the remainder of Clampitt’s current term, and Gov. Josh Stein appoints that nominee. Because Clampitt had already secured the GOP nomination before his death, party leaders also had to name a new candidate for the November ballot. Ferguson will face Democrat Mark Burrows in the Nov. 3 general election.

District 119 covers Jackson, Swain and Transylvania counties, a stretch of Western North Carolina where state decisions on the budget, Medicaid funding and education carry outsized weight. Ferguson said those are among her top issues, along with balancing the state budget. She is a graduate of North Carolina State University and has worked in construction finance for 30 years.

Her public-service record includes work on the Eastern Band of Cherokees Planning Board and the EBCI Governing Board of Audit and Ethics. She would be the first enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians chosen as the GOP nominee to fill this seat. Principal Chief Michell Hicks congratulated Ferguson and said the community is proud to see her step forward to represent western North Carolina while honoring Clampitt’s service.

For Buncombe County readers, the significance is less about party labels than about who will help shape Western North Carolina’s voice in Raleigh. The House seat is still listed as pending appointment, and the next few months will determine whether Ferguson serves only the rest of Clampitt’s term, or also wins a full term after absentee ballots go out Sept. 4, early voting begins Oct. 15, and Election Day arrives Nov. 3.