Parris and Morman Vie in Buncombe GOP Primary for Sheriff March 3

Victor "Vic" Morman, 56, and retired Naval officer Gary Parris are the only Republicans on the March 3 GOP primary ballot for Buncombe County sheriff, with early voting open through Saturday, Feb. 28 and Primary Election Day set for Tuesday, March 3. Incumbent Quentin Miller, a Democrat, is running for re-election, making the primary winner the GOP nominee to challenge Miller later in the cycle.

Morman filed his notice of candidacy on Dec. 18, 2025 and has framed his campaign around community outreach, recruitment and retention, school safety, and the opioid epidemic. He is a former Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office sergeant who served under two administrations, rejoined the office to help launch a motorcycle traffic unit and later led the DWI Taskforce. After leaving the sheriff’s office he founded A+ Transportation, LLC to provide medical transportation for seniors. Morman graduated from T.C. Roberson High School, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Shaw University, and lists a North Carolina Training and Standards Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate plus an N.C. Sheriffs Standard Advanced Law Enforcement Certificate and more than 1,500 hours of specialized law enforcement training on his campaign materials. On why he entered the race he told reporters, "It’s about purpose, not about politics," and he has warned that the opioid epidemic has "carried into the Buncombe County Detention Facility with recent overdose deaths."

Parris has presented himself as a law-and-order candidate with a focus on intergovernmental cooperation. In a written response to an identical News 13 question set returned by both Republican candidates, he wrote: "The Sheriff is the chief law enforcement officer of the county and is responsible for addressing crime to make our communities safer for everyone. If elected Sheriff, I will humbly shoulder this responsibility and create a unified command structure. My first step will be to sign mutual aid agreements with all our municipalities here in Buncombe County and with the Sheriff’s Offices in our neighboring counties, creating a joint unified command structure to address the trafficking of fentanyl, children, women, and guns." Widespread mutual aid agreements and a unified command would alter how Buncombe coordinates with Asheville and neighboring counties on trafficking and narcotics enforcement if adopted.

The campaign has already seen a procedural test: a formal candidate challenge to Morman was filed on Jan. 6, 2026. The Buncombe County Board of Elections held a hearing at its Jan. 20, 2026 meeting where challengers and candidates presented evidence and witnesses; the Board voted to deny the challenge to Morman and said it will issue a written decision including findings of fact, conclusions of law, and an order. The Board reiterated that the burden is on candidates to show by a preponderance of the evidence that they are qualified for office.

Ballot organizations list Vic Morman and Gary Parris as the two Republicans in the sheriff contest for the March 3 primary alongside other local races such as Asheville City Council. With early voting still underway through Feb. 28, voters choosing between a former sheriff’s office sergeant focused on detention oversight, recruitment and school safety and a retired Naval officer proposing formalized regional mutual aid will determine which Republican profile faces Sheriff Quentin Miller and how immediate priorities such as detention facility safety and regional anti-trafficking coordination are framed heading into the general election.