Buncombe County Commissioner Martin Moore will become the first Black district attorney in the county’s history after winning the March 3 primary.
The seat opened after District Attorney Todd Williams announced in December he would not seek a fourth term after more than a decade as the county’s chief prosecutor.
In Tuesday’s election, Moore received 39.29% of the total ballots cast in the race, according to the State Board of Elections. He now joins County Commissioner Al Whitesides and Sheriff Quinten Miller as the first African American men to hold their respective countywide positions..
Moore told BPR that he feels a tremendous responsibility being the first Black man elected as the county's top prosecutor.
“ I think it's hopefully a sign that our community is willing to have the hard conversations,” Moore said. “Buncombe County has always been viewed, or at least for the time that I've been here, viewed as forward thinking, working to make diligent strides to take care of everyone in our community. Having the opportunity to have honest discussions about the criminal justice system, our school-to-prison pipeline and how different folks in our community are impacted by justice in different ways is a tremendous responsibility that comes with making sure that we lead from a place of compassion.”
Moore defeated fellow Democratic candidates Courtney Booth and Katie Kurdys. Booth, a public defender for 20 years, received 36.03% of the vote. Senior Assistant District Attorney Katie Kurdys finished with 24.7%.
Booth, who previously ran for the same position in 2022, said she was disappointed by the results.
“ It was a hard-fought battle,” Booth said. “I definitely was fighting a battle with a candidate that was heavily endorsed by a multitude of elected officials within the (Democratic) party.”
She added that she hopes the best for Moore and is hopeful for the community.
“A district attorney is a very, very powerful position,” Booth told BPR. “You have to have experience; you have to have empathy; you have to be very thoughtful because the district attorney can literally decide between life and death for a person.”
Since no Republicans filed to run for the seat, Moore’s victory effectively secures his election this November. Results from the March primary remain unofficial until the canvass period ends on March 13.
