Second Primary set for Tuesday

Published 10:17 am Monday, July 16, 2012

North Carolina’s voters will finalize decisions about who will be on November’s ballot Tuesday.

During a special runoff, Democrats and Republicans have the opportunity to make choices about who will represent their party in the November General Election. The Democratic ballot will have only one race while Republican voters will make decisions on four races.

On the Democratic side, voters will choose the candidate to challenge incumbent Republican Commissioner of Labor Cherie Berry. Former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks claimed 289,356 votes in the Democratic primary held in May, but fell short of the required percentage to avoid a runoff.

Second place finisher Marlowe Foster, who had 256,964 votes, requested the runoff.  Foster has worked for two Fortune 500 companies.

Republicans will have to choose a nominee for Lt. Governor, Commissioner of Insurance, Secretary of  State and Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In the race for Lt. Governor, Dan Forest finished as the top vote-getter back in May on the Republican ticket with 253,656 votes or roughly 33 percent. Tony Gurley was the second place finisher with 190,980 votes and requested the second primary. Gurley narrowly edged third-place finisher Dale Folwell who had 186,564 votes.

Forest is a former partner with Little Diversified Architectural Consulting while Gurley is a Wake County Commissioner.

In the May race for the Republican nomination for Insurance Commissioner, former state representative Richard Morgan garnered 258,938 votes to edge out retired insurance executive and lobbyist Mike Causey with 245,430 votes. Causey called for a second primary.

The winner will face incumbent Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin in November.

The Republican race during the May Primary for Secretary of State was a wide open process with four candidates. Ed Goodwin, a Chowan County Commissioner, led the race with 246,641 votes with Wake County Commissioner Kenn Gardner second with 204,630 votes. Gardner called for the second primary.

The winner will face incumbent Democrat Elaine Marshall in November.

The final race on the Republican ballot will be for Superintendent of Public Instruction. Five Republicans sought the party’s nomination for that office with Wake County Board of Education member John Tedesco leading the way with 195,352 votes.

He was challenged to a second primary by Richard Alexander, a former educator, who received 167,354 votes. The winner will face incumbent Democrat June Atkinson in November.

Polls statewide will open Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.