Whisnant wins by slim margin

An unprecedented extension of the race for senior class office left candidates with an extra week to zero in on their campaign strategies and platforms. Tuesday night, it was clear that the extra week made a difference.

Senior class president-elect Bobby Whisnant Jr. and vice president-elect Jenny Peddycord narrowly took the crown Tuesday, walking away from this year’s campus election season with 51.6 percent of the junior class vote.

Of the 1,584 total ballots cast in the race, Whisnant and Peddycord garnered 818, while opponents Madison Perry and Whit Walker grabbed 766, closing with 48.4 percent of the votes.

The two campaigns were forced into a runoff election after last week’s general election results left neither ticket with a majority of the votes. At the time, Whisnant and Peddycord trailed Perry and Walker by one vote — 914 to 915.

“I just want to say thank you to the class of 2006,” Whisnant said. “We’re very honored that the junior class picked us to be their senior class leaders.”

After hearing the totals and celebrating with his campaign staff, Whisnant called his mother. “She’s been talking me through the campaign the entire time, telling me to walk by faith and not by sight,” he said.

Though they immediately planned to celebrate at Linda’s Bar and Grill, Whisnant and Peddycord took time Tuesday to stress the importance and urgency of their plans.

“You really do need to go ahead and jump right in,” Peddycord said. “I think Bobby and I prepared our platform in a manner that was ready to go into action.”

Right off the bat, Whisnant and Peddycord said they want to emphasize their desire to reach out to those who voted for the opposing ticket, highlighting the need for unity. “Our initiatives and platforms are for everyone,” Whisnant said.

During their first 100 days in office, the pair plans to tackle senior class marshal applications first. Next, the pair said they would like to get their senior celebration off the ground and to schedule the first Commencement speaker meeting before Spring Break.

Perry and Walker said they have no regrets.

“We knew it was going to be close for sure,” Walker said. “I think we overcame a lot of folks who didn’t want us to get this far.”

The pair said their unorthodox strategies and disorganization contributed to a skeptical view of their campaign.

“We did it our way,” Perry said. “Whit and I don’t fit the typical politician definition.”

But the two spoke highly of the way that Whisnant and Peddycord managed to garner a wealth of support so early on in the race — something Perry said his campaign did not do as well.

“It’s all about a network of people who want to support you,” he said. “The key is finding out in advance who you want support coming from.”

The duo also said they wish they had devoted more energy to reaching out to a dispersed junior class.

“I’d do a better job of targeting other areas of campus,” Perry said.

Both candidates also said they will express hesitancy when deciding how and in what capacity they will assist the senior class office.

“Now that this is over and the dust is settling, it’s going to take time to see where I will invest my time next year,” Perry said.

For now, he said he’s got a lot of thank-you notes to write. “It’s time to break out the stationery.”

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.