VOTE 2010: Pope upsets Gore in DA race

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — With all three counties reporting, Butch Pope has pulled off perhaps the biggest upset of the night by beating Rex Gore for the Democratic nomination for District Attorney in the 13th Judicial District.

Gore has served as DA in the district, which serves Bladen, Brunswick and Columbus Counties, since 1991.

The race wound up not being a close one. Pope received 10,199 votes to Gore’s 7,990.

Pope, a Whiteville attorney, now faces Republican Jon David, an assistant DA in New Hanover County, in the general election in November.

On Tuesday’s 11pm newscast Butch Pope told WWAY “Many people told us that we couldn’t win and we couldn’t beat the machine ( Rex Gore ) and that I’d never run for political office and that I didn’t know what I was getting into. People even told me my green signs wouldn’t work, that I needed to go red, white and blue signs. Well it looks to me that my green signs are working. My family has been behind me. Bladen, Columbus and Brunswick have been behind me. It’s been a lot of fun.”