ALBEMARLE — After winning last month’s election and becoming Stanly County’s first female Clerk of Superior Court, Ginger Efird was officially sworn into office on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Stanly County Courtroom in Albemarle.
With Michael Huneycutt stepping down from the position after 16 years of service, Efird, a Republican, defeated her challenger Todd H. Lowder, a Democrat, in a landslide on Nov. 8 with 79% (18,161 votes) of the electorate.
Efird has been the administrative assistant to the District Attorney of Prosecutorial District 28 (Montgomery and Stanly Counties) for the past three years, while Lowder is currently the county’s chief magistrate.
On May 17, she won the Republican primary election with 45% of the county’s votes, overtaking Pam Blake (35%) and Michael Greene (20%).
In front of a standing-room-only crowd on Thursday, Efird addressed her family, friends and supporters with a speech after the swearing-in process.
“Around 22 years ago, I walked into the District Attorney’s Office in Mecklenburg County as a rural little southern girl who was going to a great big city,” Efird said. “I remember speaking to myself, ‘what have I got myself into?’ because I’d been here in this little small county. It didn’t take me long to learn that it was where my heart was. I had the opportunity to grow, to learn in a great big court system. It taught me a lot of good things and a lot of good lessons that I was able to bring back here.”
In her successful election bid, Efird received a sizable amount of early support, with over 6,000 early in-person votes as well as over 7,000 Election Day votes.
“I want to thank each and every one of you,” she continued. “The people that are in this room are people that have an impact on my career, and I’m forever grateful. It is all of you that have led me to today. I’m proud of the work that I’ve done throughout my career.”
A lifelong resident of Stanly County, Efird received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree from Pfeiffer University in 2000 and soon began a five-year run as the domestic violence legal assistant for Prosecutorial District 26 (Mecklenburg County).
She followed that up with a year as the child sex assault/abuse legal assistant for Prosecutorial District 20 (Anson, Richmond Stanly and Union Counties), seven years as the administrative assistant for Prosecutorial District 20A (Anson, Richmond, and Stanly Counties), as well as three years in that same position for Prosecutorial District 20 (Stanly County).
Prior to the swearing-in, Stanly County District Attorney Lynn Clodfelter addressed Efird: “It was my pleasure to support you. I know you’re going to do well. I look around the room, and I see all these people who support you and are very proud of you. How this election turned out would have made no difference in that regard. I speak for everyone when I say you’re where you’re supposed to be. I know you’ll do a great job as the Clerk of Court for Stanly County, and I look forward to continuing to serve with you.”
Efird’s term as clerk will run from now until November 2026.