Republican candidates carried Iredell County in all the races on the ballot in the November 2 election.

George W. Bush was the choice of 68 percent of Iredell’s voters, besting his 65 percent margin in 2000. Bush won 27 of the county’s 29 precincts; Kerry carried two south Statesville precincts.

U.S. Senate candidate Richard Burr carried Iredell with 63 percent of the vote. Republican Congressional candidates Virginia Foxx and Patrick McHenry won 60% and 69% of the vote, respectively, in the Iredell portions of their districts.

GOP challenger Patrick Ballentine edged Democrat Governor Mike Easley by a 52/47 percent margin in Iredell, the closest of any race in the county. Easley won by a large margin statewide.

Republican candidates for Council of State offices carried the county by margins ranging from 54 to 64 percent.

Iredell voters supported the controversial Constitutional Amendment One (allowing “tax increment” financing) by a 55/45 percent margin. The amendment passed statewide by a smaller margin.

The Republican candidates for the three open county commissioner seats won easily, with an average margin of 64 percent. Veteran commissioner Sara Haire Tice was top vote-getter, followed closely by newcomer Ken Robertson. Incumbent Godfrey Williams placed third.

The vote for commissioner revealed significant differences in voting patterns by geographic areas of the county (see table on page 5 of printed version of Boone Report).

Some of the South Iredell “powers that be” urged Republicans to split their tickets and vote for liberal Mooresville Democrat John Meadows (technically a resident of west Rowan County).

Although he trailed badly countywide, Meadows won the Coddle Creek (Mooresville) precincts, edging out Republican Godfrey Williams for third place. George W. Bush received 68 percent of the vote in these precincts, the same as his countywide margin.

The Republican commissioner candidates carried the Davidson (Lake Norman area) precincts by a comfortable margin, although Meadows ran far ahead of his fellow Democrats in this area.

In the part of the county north of Mooresville, Robertson ran first, followed by Williams, with Tice placing third.