UPDATED Ashvegas Political Hit List: Knight collecting signatures to challenge Williams for Buncombe DA

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Update May 20: Knight is actively collecting signatures of registered voters to get her name listed on the ballot for the November election, according to Ashvegas sources. See below for background, but it looks like Knight is working hard to meet the fast-approaching deadline to have her name listed on the ballot as a Todd Williams challenger.

Original post May 13: Last week, Democratic challenger Todd Williams handily vanquished his primary opponent, incumbent Buncombe County District Attorney Ron Moore. There’s no Republican challenger on the ballot for the November general election. But despite the easy victory (that comes with the caveat that Williams won in a low turnout election limited to registered Democrats and any unaffiliated voter who chose to vote in the Democratic primary), it’s clear that newcomer Williams has a target on his back.

Asheville attorney Ben Scales confirmed to me the news that he has already launched a petition campaign to get his name on the November ballot as an independent challenger to Williams. Scales is a well-known local defense attorney who must collect more than 7,000 signatures of registered local voters over the next month to get listed on the ballot as an independent candidate.

Now there’s word on the street that Rebecca Knight, a former Buncombe County district court judge, is mulling over a write-in campaign against Williams in November. Knight, who is working now as an attorney, is as well known in local legal circles.

Knight retired from the bench in 2012 after serving 30 years as a district court judge. She was Buncombe County’s first female district court judge. She’s married to another Buncombe judge, Marvin Pope.

Write-in campaigns are difficult – they require voters to take an extra step at the voting booth – literally writing in a candidate’s name on a ballot. Still, a coordinated Knight candidacy could challenge a relative unknown Williams in this mid-term election. We’ll keep an eye on this.

Image link for Rebecca Knight.

9 Comments

d smith June 16, 2014 - 2:00 pm

Rebecca Knight is about as corrupt as they come. She will sit there and not pay attention to a thing going on in her courtroom because she has already made up her mind before the testimony even starts. If you are even thinking of voting for her..please think again. We were lucky to get rid of her once by her being smart enough to retire. Please don’t sign her petition.

concerned conservative June 5, 2014 - 10:12 am

How do I give my signature for Rebecca Knight?

elizabeth May 29, 2014 - 5:19 pm

I have known Rebecca Knight personally and professionally for 20 years. She is a real person she is not plastic. She has an abundance of experience, knowledge and integrity that she will bring to the DA’s office. Her husband being a Judge would not even be an issue. They are both TRUE professionals in every sense of the word.

Tim Peck May 14, 2014 - 2:27 pm

UPDATE: Rebecca Knight is not in the running for this office.

Murphy May 20, 2014 - 6:48 pm

Looks like your wrong Pecker.

Santa May 13, 2014 - 11:11 pm

How would you like to be dragged into court by the DA’s office knowing she was married to the judge? THAT would be scary. I would rather have NO DA than this scenario, thank you very much.

Write in BEN SCALES.

Cwaster May 15, 2014 - 2:02 pm

Got to agree, that’s scary. Not Good.

Ivy May 13, 2014 - 10:45 pm

I expect Ms. Knight has ample knowledge and experience to be a DA. What gives me pause is her reluctance to step up, challenge, and mount a campaign for the office. I know very little about Mr. Williams but he at least declared against what most of us considered a formidable opponent. ??

theOtherBarry May 13, 2014 - 8:17 pm

What the hell – me too! I want to be the DA.

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