“It has been an honor to be the first woman to serve as District Attorney for the seven westernmost counties of North Carolina, and today I’m announcing my candidacy for re-election,” she said. “I have served the people of our communities as a prosecutor for my entire career, and I’ve worked hard during my first term to make my office accessible, efficient and effective.”

Welch said her office has been open to the public during regular hours each week in every county for the first time in the history of the office, and that she’s worked together with elected legislators to be able to bring additional prosecutors and staff to an office that desperately needed the extra support.

“Working together with our talented and professional law enforcement officers we have been able to bring violent criminals to justice and we’ve made tremendous progress in ridding our communities of the drug dealers who ruin lives and families,” she said in a press release. “We’ve also partnered with our children’s advocacy centers and child abuse response agencies to give a loud voice to the littlest victims and send a strong message that we will not tolerate those who prey on our children.”

When she was first elected, Welch said she promised to be more than an administrator and she said she’s kept that promise by working in the courtrooms as a lawyer, and as a District Attorney she has personally sent drug dealers and violent criminals to prison for the rest of their lives.