New Republican Party officers for North Carolina’s Sixth District include, from left, Chairman AJ Daoud of Surry County; Steve Herr, first vice chairman, from Rockingham County); Jeff Hyde, second vice chairman (Guilford County); and Teiji Kimball, third vice chairman (Durham County).
PILOT MOUNTAIN — Surry County has achieved a political first with the election of a Pilot Mountain man as the new Republican Party chairman of North Carolina’s Sixth District.
AJ Daoud, the owner and president of Cox-Needham Funeral Home, was selected for that position during the district convention at the Stokes County Courthouse in Danbury last Saturday. It was attended by about 230 voting delegates.
Daoud was in a two-man race with Al Bouldin, a former Republican chairman in Guilford County, and won by a two-to-one margin. They were vying to replace David Ruden, who is retiring as district chairman.
This is the first time in history that a Surry County resident has become a district chairman, according to a news release. The Sixth District, served by Rep. Howard Coble in Congress, comprises 10 counties, including all of Surry, Stokes, Rockingham, Caswell, Granville and Person and portions of Guilford, Alamance, Orange and Durham counties.
Daoud, 56, who has lived in Pilot Mountain for 15 years, said Wednesday that the chairmanship is expected to give Surry a stronger political voice.
“Surry County will start to have more influence in the Republican platform,” he said, along with other political activities at the state level. The Sixth District party chairman is the liaison to Rep. Coble, state GOP leaders and the governor’s office.
Daoud will serve on a central committee that includes 12 district chairmen along with the committee chairman and vice chairman.
The local man said his election to the district GOP post stemmed from a combination of factors.
“I was actually approached by several people,” Daoud said.
His unsuccessful candidacy last fall for North Carolina secretary of state also is thought to have played a role, due to Daoud campaigning for other Republican candidates along the way and gaining favor among the party leadership.
Last weekend marked the first time the district convention has been held in Stokes County, one of four locations hosting GOP conventions across North Carolina this month. “We had a great turnout,” Daoud said.
“I was very blessed and honored by the support of people throughout the district.”
Reach Tom Joyce at 719-1924 or tjoyce@civitasmedia.com.
On the topic of Mr. Daoud, I'm not a big fan of him. I've seen him do some very unprofessional things in the times I've been around him that makes me feel like he is a joke. I know he's done some good things for our community, but I just can't get over what I've seen him do.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2206&dat=19860121&id=2w5VAAAAIBAJ&sjid=MT0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=6198,5324347