By John Brice
Correspondent
It was a super Tuesday in more ways than one for Dr. Sharon Weldon as she scored a massive landslide upset victory against incumbent Casey Chambley to win the Republican primary nomination for the office of Chambers County School District Superintendent on March 5th of 2024. Weldon received 3,072 votes for a 60.75% majority in her triumph against Chambley’s 1,985 votes. By winning the Republican primary, Weldon will next face her Democrat opponent Winford Lee Ashmore in the November general election.
In a facebook post written on the eve of the primary, Weldon addressed her followers by remarking “Good evening, Chambers County! I just wanted to get on here and remind you to be sure you ask for a Republican ballot tomorrow if you want to vote in the Superintendent race since tomorrow is a primary race. And remember that voting on the Republican ballot tomorrow does not limit your voting in November for the general election; you’ll still be able to vote for Republicans, Democrats, and/or Independents in that election. I also wanted to let you guys know where I would be tomorrow. I made a commitment at the beginning of this journey and it was to NEVER allow the campaigning or the election to interfere with my students and their instructional time. So tomorrow, from 7:30 to 3:00, I’ll be in my classroom teaching my students. And that’s where I should be, because students first is not something that I say because it sounds good for the election, it’s my foundational belief in what I do everyday in this calling. I’ve worked very hard the past 5 or 6 months to meet people and get my message out there. I hope that that hard work conveys my message and beliefs to you. I also respect your right as a voting citizen to approach your polling place in peace without anyone trying to sway your personal decisions that you’ve brought to the polls. Vote your convictions for our county! But ultimately I encourage you to join me in voting for me, Sharon Weldon, Superintendent of Chambers County Schools.”
Commenting to the LaFayette Sun in the Chambers County Courthouse on election night regarding her success, Weldon noted . “I am excited, I am humble, I am nervous, I am confident, I am a mix of everything that there is.” She went on to continue “I went in this thing, it was a God thing, it was a God decision. I have been so prayed up. I started getting really excited because yesterday I had different formats and different things but the exact same message was sent to me from different people. It was just confirmation that God was in it, that God was doing it, that I don’t have to be afraid because God has got this. And that the battle ain’t mine, the battle belongs to God. Wow, that was powerful. I had a peace that I couldn’t explain because I know I had a lot of people that are praying for me.”
Concluding her thoughts, Weldon commented “I want to say thank you, because this didn’t happen just because of me. This happened because we, as Chambers County, we all came together and we spoke. I am so proud that I am going to get stuff to move forward now into November and it’s not just me, it’s Chambers County.”