RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Seven of the eight North Carolina congressional incumbents with primary challengers largely cruised to victory Tuesday, with only Republican Rep. Robert Pittenger losing to his top primary challenger in a rematch from two years ago.
The Rev. Mark Harris narrowly defeated Pittenger in the 9th District GOP primary, according to complete, unofficial results - a reversal of their 2016 primary that Pittenger won by only 134 votes.
Clarence Goins Jr. finished a distant third in a race that focused on which candidate was best aligned with President Donald Trump and traditional Republican principles, as well as who had the strongest Christian conservative credentials. Harris will take on Dan McCready, who handily defeated 2016 party nominee Christian Cano in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. McCready is a well-funded Iraq War veteran and solar power company founder. Libertarian Jeff Scott also will be a candidate.
In another campaign where allegiance to Trump was a hot topic, 12-term Rep. Walter Jones of the coastal 3rd District defeated 2016 primary rival Phil Law and Craven County Commissioner Scott Dacey, unofficial results showed. With no Democrat running, Jones is a near shoe-in to win in the fall. Jones, 75, said this would be his last re-election bid.
Dacey accused Jones, a deficit hawk opposed to the war in Iraq, of failing to support the president by voting against Trump’s tax overhaul and dismantling of the Affordable Care Act. Jones, who like his father before him has served the region in Congress for a quarter-century, said he stands on principle against expanding the national debt.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows and Rep. Patrick McHenry, the chief deputy whip, also won their respective GOP primaries, according to unofficial results.
Meadows, who will take on Tuesday’s Democratic primary winner Phillip Price and Libertarian candidate Clifton Ingram Jr., represents the mountainous 11th District. McHenry, who represents the 10th District stretching from Gastonia to Asheville, won his race over five Republican challengers. He’ll face Democratic David Wilson Brown in the fall.
Other GOP winners were Rep. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk in the 5th District in northwestern North Carolina and Rep. George Holding of Raleigh in the 2nd District, which covers portions of Raleigh and surrounding suburbs, stretching to the northeast and southwest.
Foxx defeated two other Republicans and will take on Winston-Salem city council member DD Adams, the Democratic primary winner.
Holding defeated Allen Chesser in the GOP primary and will take on Democratic primary winner Linda Coleman, a former state legislator and two-time candidate for lieutenant governor, according to unofficial results. Coleman beat Ken Romley of Raleigh and Wendy Ella May of Micro. Libertarian Jeff Matemu is also running in November.
Two Democratic incumbents seeking nominations Tuesday also won.
Rep. David Price, who has represented the Triangle-area 4th District for nearly 30 years, beat two Democratic primary rivals and will face Republican Steve Von Loor of Durham and Libertarian Barbara Howe of Oxford, who won in a rare primary for the party Tuesday.
Rep. Alma Adams won the 12th District Democratic primary over three challengers in the district covering most of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. Her Republican rival in November will be Paul Wright, who won a three-candidate GOP primary.
In other races, according to unofficial results:
- Democrat Ryan Watts of Burlington defeated Gerald Wong of Greensboro for the nomination to challenge GOP Rep. Mark Walker in the central 6th District. Walker is chairman of the Republican Study Committee caucus.
- Carolina Beach physician Kyle Horton beat Goldsboro businessman Grayson Parker in the Democratic primary to challenge 7th District Republican Rep. David Rouzer, already the GOP nominee.
- In the 8th District, former Moore County elected official Frank McNeill defeated Harrisburg businessman Scott Huffman and Marc Tiegel of Concord for the Democratic nomination and will take on GOP Rep. Richard Hudson.
- Greensboro businesswoman Kathy Manning defeated Adam Coker in the Democratic primary and will challenge first-term GOP Rep. Ted Budd in the 13th District. Libertarian Tom Bailey also will be in the fall election.
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