RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - A veteran House Democrat and a first-term Senate Republican in the North Carolina legislature won’t be returning after this year because they lost their primary races.
First-time candidate Kimberly Hardy defeated six-term Rep. Elmer Floyd in their Democratic primary on Tuesday in Cumberland County. And first-term Sen. Eddie Gallimore lost to current Rep. Steve Jarvis in a Republican primary in a a Senate district that covers Davidson and Montgomery counties.
Floyd, a retired Fayetteville city employee, was one of three House Democrats who voted for the final two-year state budget drawn up by Republicans and that later got vetoed by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. That bill hasn’t been implemented. Hardy, a social work instructor at Fayetteville State University, will compete against Republican Diane Wheatley in November.
Jarvis, who was elected to the House in 2018, will take on Democrat nominee Duskin Lassiter in the fall.
Two other sitting House members - Reps. Lisa Stone Barnes and Kevin Corbin - won GOP primaries for Senate seats that are open due to upcoming retirements. They also face Democratic candidates in November.
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