By Miles Layton

ELIZABETH CITY — Nina Daniels, a candidate in the Republican primary for Pasquotank County sheriff, forcefully rejected allegations late Saturday that she improperly changed her party affiliation to qualify for the March 3 primary election, calling the claims false and misleading and vowing to continue her campaign.

Daniels is challenging incumbent Sheriff Tommy S. Wooten II in the Republican primary. Wooten, who was formally endorsed Friday by the Pasquotank Political Action Committee, is seeking re-election.

“The Pasquotank Political Action Committee (PAC) would like to formally endorse the only eligible candidate for Sheriff in the upcoming Primary Election, Tommy S. Wooten II,” the PAC said in a public statement.

The PAC alleged that Daniels failed to meet state requirements for changing party affiliation prior to filing for office.

“It has come to our attention that Nina Daniels switched her party affiliation from UNA to REP later than the state law requirement of changing party affiliation 90 days prior to filing in a primary, making her ineligible to have filed as a Republican,” the statement said.

The PAC further criticized the Pasquotank County Board of Elections, saying the issue should have been addressed when Daniels filed.

“When Mrs. Daniels presented her filing application, the Pasquotank Board of Elections should have informed her of her ineligibility,” the PAC said.

Citing procedural errors, the PAC called on the county to refund Daniels’ filing fee.

“Due to the mishandling of her filing from the Pasquotank Board of Elections we are calling on the county to refund her filing fee, which was in excess of $800,” the statement said.

The PAC also announced plans to escalate the matter to the state level.

“An election law complaint is being prepared for the North Carolina State Board of Elections,” the statement said.

Christina Williams, executive director of the Pasquotank Political Action Committee, said responsibility for the issue lies with election officials, not the candidate.

“This is on the Pasquotank Board of Elections, not Nina,” Williams said. “We obviously have people working at the BOE that don’t understand the policy, process, or law for candidate filing or handling elections.”

Williams added, “While the local BOE should have caught this at filing, the state will now have to answer – what date is the true effective switch date? The date the switch is applied for on paper, or the date that the computer shows it was processed. This highlights to Republicans that a party change was made to run in the Republican primary. Mrs. Daniel’s is very defensive over her voter registration being questioned but this is reasonable for the voter to want to have clarified.”

Daniels responded publicly late Saturday night in a video statement, directly disputing the PAC’s claims and defending both her candidacy and the county Board of Elections.

“I want to get up here and address some false and misleading information that’s been circulating since last night by the political action committee regarding my candidacy for sheriff, also known as the PAC,” Daniels said.

Daniels accused the PAC of spreading falsehoods without contacting her for clarification.

“They posted a blatant lie,” she said. “They’ve had no problems contacting me, asking me any other questions, but never asked me about my paperwork. I would have easily shown them the same paperwork that I will attach to this video and be as transparent as I am with you.”

Daniels said she properly filed her paperwork and met all legal requirements.

“So with that being said, let me be absolutely clear,” she said. “I am still running for sheriff. I have filed my paperwork correctly and I have filed it within the required timeframe. Any other statements is a lie.”

She also defended the Pasquotank County Board of Elections, rejecting claims that officials mishandled her filing.

“Not only did the PAC discredit me, they also discredited Pasquotank County Board of Elections,” Daniels said. “The Board of Elections has followed the law and they completed their process appropriately.”

While Daniels said Sheriff Wooten did not personally release the PAC’s statement, she criticized him for not pushing back against it.

“While I know the sheriff did not personally release this misinformation, he has been complacent and he has allowed all of his supporters to spread false information and make derogatory comments towards me and my campaign committee,” she said.

Daniels said she expected better conduct from an elected official.

“This is something I expect from someone else, but not from an elected official who publicly preaches about his values, his integrity and his accountability and professionalism,” she said.

She emphasized her qualifications and readiness to serve if elected.

“I am well qualified, I am educated and I am fully prepared to perform the duties of sheriff if I’m elected,” Daniels said. “Our community deserves better than these political games. This race should be about what this county needs, rather than the lies.”

Daniels said she intends to continue her campaign and focus on voters as the primary approaches.

“I will continue to conduct my campaign based on being accountable, present and serving the citizens of this county,” she said.

She closed by thanking supporters and encouraging voter turnout during the early voting period.

“I want to thank everyone who has reached out to me today for clarifications, truth, accountability and I’m ready to continue this,” Daniels said. “Early voting starts February 12th through March 3rd, and it’s time for us to load these polls. I’ll see you there.”

The Republican primary election for Pasquotank County sheriff is scheduled for March 3.

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