Two Robeson County Commissioners switch from Democrat to Republican Party
County Commission now has five Republicans and three Democrats
Last week, Robeson County Commissioners Lance Herndon and Judy Sampson announced, at a Robeson County Republican Party event, their intention to switch from the Democrat to the Republican Party. The party switch means that the Robeson County Commission now has five Republican Commissioners and three Democrats.
Commissioner Herndon told the Robesonian, “My ideology hasn’t changed. I’m still the same guy I’ve always been, and I hope to represent Robeson County as I always have.
"The momentum of the Republican Party continues in Robeson County and the Sandhills. The values of North Carolina communities are aligned with an America First and Family First agenda. We welcome them to our party and in their efforts to continue making North Carolina the best state to live, work, and retire," said NCGOP Chairman Jason Simmons.
Big Picture
Robeson County voted overwhelmingly for President Obama in 2008 and 2012. But when President Trump emerged as the Republican nominee in 2016, the county flipped slightly toward the Republicans. In 2024, Robeson County voted 63% for Trump and only 35% for Biden. This county has seen one of the most dramatic swings from Democrat to Republican in the last decade.
The party switch on the County Commission reflects the new political reality that Republicans are now the predominant political party in Robeson County.
On the radar: media bias
In 2019, three county commissioners from Transylvania County, NC, announced their intention to register as unaffiliated in protest against President Donald Trump, only to lose in the next election cycle. Legacy media obsessively covered with glowing profiles in The Associated Press, The Transylvania Times, Spectrum News, The New Yorker, and other media outlets.
Will this party switch receive the same volume of coverage, or since it’s a positive story for Republicans, will it get buried?
