MANTEO, N.C. — Tuesday’s primary election results are setting up some big battles in key races in November.
Political analysts said a lot of eyes will be on the governor’s race in North Carolina and the U.S. House District 1 race.
Analysts say Tuesday’s primaries underscored the fact North Carolina remains a closely divided state politically, although no Democrat has won the state on the presidential level since Barack Obama in 2008 and the state’s two U.S. Senators are both Republicans.
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“Statewide you know, it seems like it should be a pretty strong state for Republicans but, you know, the elections tend to be pretty darn close,” said Marc Hetherington, the Raymond Dawson Distinguished Bicentennial Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “And for governor, actually, Democrats almost always win the statewide election.”
Attorney General Josh Stein is hoping that trend continues this year. He prevailed in the Democratic primary.
“My vision for North Carolina is forward looking and inclusive,” Stein said in his victory speech on Tuesday night. “It would harness the talents of all of our people so that we can build a North Carolina that is safer and stronger.
He will take on Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who has made headlines over the years for controversial comments about women, homosexuality and statements perceived as antisemitic.
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In an interview with News 3 during a campaign stop in Elizabeth City last month, Robinson said that’s not the whole story.
“Most of the things people have said about have been taken way out of context,” he said. "We discount that highly. Our main focus right now is focusing on those things, telling the truth about those things, continuing to be who we are and focusing on the substantive issues that we will believe will help North Carolina attain those next great heights."
Both parties will also be watching the U.S. House District 1 seat in eastern North Carolina.
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Republican Laurie Buckhout of Edenton, a retired Army colonel, will take on U.S. Rep. Don Davis, the Democratic incumbent, in the fall. It’s expected to be the only competitive congressional race in the state in November, and is rated as a toss-up by nonpartisan rating agencies.
Primary season isn’t quite over in North Carolina: there are a few races where a candidate didn’t get more than 30% of the vote. That includes the Republican primaries for a congressional race near Raleigh and the statewide offices of lieutenant governor and state auditor.
That means voters may be heading back to polling places on May 14, if runoffs are requested by the candidates who finished second.
