Cadd cruises to victory over Turral in GOP primary for Beaufort County auditor
Political newcomers David Cadd and Willie Turral faced each other Tuesday in the Republican primary for Beaufort County auditor.
With 99% of the precincts counted, Cadd had 13,966 votes, or 67%, compared with 6,835 votes for Turral, or 33%.
Results from the county on the State Election Commission’s Election Night Results site were severely hampered Tuesday night as county election officials tried to resolve a recent redistricting error in Beaufort County that saw several candidates for County Council left off the ballot. The final results were finally released just before 1 a.m., shy 2 precincts, 96 of 98.
No Democratic candidate filed for the office, meaning Cadd likely will be the next auditor, although someone could still file as a write-in candidate in the November general election.
Embattled Auditor Jim Beckert, who faced many controversies during his tenure, did not seek reelection.
Beckert faced lawsuits from two female officeholders accusing him of of stalking, harassment and abusive behavior, and one from his own county government for “failure and refusal” to perform his duties as an elected official. Those lawsuits are pending.
“Beckert has repeatedly sought to usurp the powers of other officials and officers and to avoid fulfilling his legal obligations when they are at odds with his own personal wishes,” the suit read.
The auditor’s race was one of two countywide contests. There was also a primary contest for sheriff on the Republican ticket between longtime incumbent P.J. Tanner and former sheriff’s captain and solicitor’s investigator Joey “JoJo” Woodward Jr. Tanner, who has been sheriff since 1999, won that contest comfortably.
Other countywide offices saw Republican Heather Galvin run uncontested for probate judge and incumbent Maria Walls, also a Republican, run without opposition for county treasurer. Walls was one of the women who filed a harassment lawsuit against Beckert.
Cadd has not run for political office before but is a former deputy auditor in Beaufort County who worked under Beckert. He holds a master’s degree in business administration and a bachelor’s degree in business management and human resource management.
Cadd said the deputy auditor’s position shaped his understanding of the integral parts of Beaufort County.
Turral is a Realtor and director of a nonprofit director who holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is working toward a law degree from Charleston School of Law. He was a write-in candidate for the Beaufort County Council in 2018.
Turral said his goal for the office was to continually look for ways to improve the auditor’s office and its interactions with taxpayers.
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 10:47 PM.