WS Chronicle

Denise “DD” Adams will take on U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx in November.

After more than a year of campaigning, Adams won her primary against fellow Democrat Jenny Marshall.

Adams, a city council member who represents Winston-Salem’s North Ward, got about 54 percent of the vote and Marshall, a school teacher and first-time politician, got about 45 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results. Just over 14 percent of registered voters cast their ballots in all races statewide.

The 5th District contains parts of 11 counties, including all of Forsyth. Adams won Forsyth County, while Marshall led in the other parts of the district. The district is heavily Republican, which has led to decisive General Election victories in the past for Foxx, who is in her sixth term.

Foxx won her primary against challengers Dillon Gentry and Cortland J. Meader Jr. with 80 percent of the vote. As of April 18, Foxx’s campaign had nearly $3 million on hand compared to Adams’ campaign, which had $4,579.93 on hand and had raised $131,074.93 overall.

Tuesday night was a time for celebration for Adams as she thanked her campaign team and many supporters at a watch party held at Vintage Sofa Bar. She said her team’s voter outreach and turnout efforts were a large part of her victory. The desire of 5th District residents for a change, was another.

“We’re done with representatives like Virginia Foxx in this district,” said Adams. “These people, they sow division for their own political power, but you know what? This November we will come together to send her packing. The blue wave in North Carolina starts right now.”

Marshall said she was proud of the campaign she ran, which was competitive in fundraising with Adams, raising $127,076.48 as of April 18. She said her campaign shows that a progressive populist message can resonate in the rural part of the district. She said she would continue to fight for the issues it raised like economic equity and universal healthcare and that she’d consider running again if the opportunity presented itself.

“We had a tremendous amount of support for this campaign,” said Marshall. “And it’s not just the campaign, it’s the message and the message doesn’t just go away because we lost an election.”

Marshall said she hopes that everyone will come together to beat Foxx in November.