Editing Richmond County, North Carolina (section)

===Politics===
{{PresHead|place=Richmond County, North Carolina|source=<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS|title=Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections|last=Leip|first=David|website=uselectionatlas.org|access-date=March 17, 2018}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|11,931|7,787|155|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2020|Republican|11,830|8,754|179|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|10,383|8,501|444|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2012|Democratic|9,332|9,904|181|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2008|Democratic|9,424|9,713|190|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2004|Democratic|7,709|8,383|53|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|2000|Democratic|6,263|7,935|71|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|3,973|7,564|1,264|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|4,356|9,163|2,034|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1988|Democratic|5,073|7,151|33|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1984|Democratic|6,807|7,494|29|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1980|Democratic|3,911|7,416|282|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|2,848|8,793|23|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|5,692|3,508|156|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|2,865|4,257|5,457|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1964|Democratic|3,123|8,516|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|3,285|8,293|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1956|Democratic|2,907|6,592|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|3,361|7,340|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1948|Democratic|866|4,376|840|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|938|5,394|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|779|6,530|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|607|6,709|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|693|4,862|36|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|2,045|2,975|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|599|2,475|163|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|1,124|3,341|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|650|1,553|0|North Carolina}}
{{PresFoot|1912|Democratic|82|1,319|185|North Carolina}}

Richmond County was long politically dominated by Democrats.<ref name= sasserRepub/><ref name= campbell/><ref name= dunn/> [[R. W. Goodman]], who served as sheriff of Richmond County from 1950 to 1994, was the [[political boss|boss]] of a [[conservative Democrat]]ic [[courthouse clique|courthouse machine]]. He held wide influence in determining who served in local government and represented the county in the [[North Carolina General Assembly]].<ref name= christensen>{{cite news| last = Christensen| first = Rob| title = Sheriff was last of breed| newspaper = The News & Observer| date = April 8, 2007|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115242117/sheriff-was-last-of-breed-rw-goodman/|page=B1}}</ref>{{sfn|Sherman|2012|p=81}} During his tenure Democrats dominated local offices and the politics of the county was largely conservative.{{sfn|Sherman|2012|pp=81–82}} A majority of the county electorate voted for Democratic U.S. presidential candidate [[Barack Obama]] in 2012, but Republican presidential candidate [[Donald Trump]] won by a 10 percent margin in 2016.<ref name= campbell>{{cite news|last=Campbell|first=Colin| title = 7 rural NC counties flip 'bloodshot red' for Trump| newspaper = The News & Observer|volume=152|issue=318| date = November 13, 2016| url = https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115219989/7-rural-nc-counties-flip-bloodshot/|pages=1A, 8A}}</ref> Following the 2020 elections, Republicans gained a majority of the seats on the county board of commissioners.<ref name= sasserRepub/> In 2022 Republicans won a majority of local elections in the county and gained control of all of the seats on the board of commissioners.<ref>{{cite news| last = Toler| first = William R.| title = Republicans to control Richmond County Board of Commissioners following 2022 midterm election| newspaper = The Richmond Observer| date = November 8, 2022| url = https://richmondobserver.com/local-news/republicans-to-control-richmond-county-board-of-commissioners-following-2022-midterm-election.html| access-date = December 26, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| last = Toler| first = William R.| title = Richmond County Commissioners sworn in; Webb to step down as attorney| newspaper = The Richmond Observer| date = December 6, 2022| url = https://richmondobserver.com/local-news/richmond-county-commissioners-sworn-in-webb-to-step-down-as-attorney.html| access-date = December 26, 2022}}</ref> As of March 2022, Richmond County had 27,358 registered voters of whom 12,346 were Democrats and 6,925 were Republicans.<ref name= sasserRepub>{{cite news| last = Sasser| first = Matthew| title = Richmond County Republicans hold annual convention, tout party's growth| newspaper = Richmond County Daily Journal| date = March 19, 2022| url = https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/news/105705/richmond-county-republicans-hold-annual-convention-tout-partys-growth| access-date = December 26, 2022}}</ref>