Cancer survivor Hugh Holliman, the state House majority leader, shepherded through the General Assembly a statewide smoking ban at most bars and restaurants, but in his own district there’s discontent about issues like deficient bridges.

The Interstate 85 bridge over the Yadkin River is structurally deficient, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation recently closed the southbound Wil-Cox bridge that carries U.S. Highways 29 and 70 over the Yadkin River.

The Republican primary for House District 81 pits social worker Rayne Brown, who challenged Holliman unsuccessfully in 2008, against Fred McClure, a Davidson County commissioner. The winner will face Holliman, a Democrat.

“We’re sitting with this bridge,” Brown said of the I-85 span. “We’re sitting here with horrible roads.”

McClure said the I-85 bridge hadn’t been well-maintained.

“They had done just the minimal repair that was necessary over the years,” McClure said.

Construction on a new I-85 bridge could begin this summer. It’s unclear when the Wil-Cox bridge would be repaired or reopened. The Wil-Cox bridge, a historic bridge which opened in 1924, is expected to become a pedestrian bridge when a new I-85 bridge is completed.

District 81 — which includes parts of Lexington, Thomasville, Southmont, Tyro, and Boone in Davidson County — is 44 percent Democrat and 36 percent Republican. About 20 percent of the district’s registered voters are unaffiliated.

County Republican Chair Lance Barrett said the district is known as the Jaybird McCrary district after the former sheriff who was elected state representative after Democrats redrew the district lines.

“It’s a Democrat-safe district until two years ago, when Rayne ran and did very well,” Barrett said. “She surprised people at how well she ran.”

Brown, who got 47 percent of the vote in the 2008 race, had about $3,500 in her campaign account at the end of last year, according to campaign finance records.

McClure had raised more than $10,000 at the end of 2009 and loaned his campaign $15,000, according to campaign finance records. Holliman has more than $11,000.

Democrats are trying hard to keep Holliman in office. Gov. Bev Perdue visited Lexington in April, appearing with Holliman at The Fancy Pastry Shop.

McClure has been running on his experience while Brown has been campaigning door-to-door.

“We’ve been in snow and sleet,” Brown said.

McClure, a Vietnam veteran, first was elected county commissioner in 1994 and ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate in 1996. He also runs an insurance business.

“What’s going to be the shortest learning curve?” McClure asked. “I have a history of winning in this county. My name has been on the ballot since 1994.”

Brown said her practical experience as a social worker will serve her well.

“I see it all,” she said. “I know what programs work. I know what programs are a waste.”

She said she doesn’t intend to become a career politician. “I’m going to term limit myself,” she said. “I won’t be worth a penny more when I get back than I am right now.”

Both Brown and McClure criticized the smoking ban that Holliman championed. “This was feel-good legislation that deprives us of our liberty,” Brown said.

McClure, whose first wife died of lung cancer in 2003, said the ban is an intrusion into private enterprise.

“It’s really not a health issue at all,” McClure said. “It’s a property rights issue.”
Brown smokes. McClure would not say if he is a smoker.

Other issues in the primary include jobs and concern about forced annexations.
Unemployment in Davidson County in February was 14.3 percent, higher than the statewide average of 11.8 percent.

Thomasville Furniture Industries closed its last manufacturing plant, the one in Thomasville that gave the company its name, about four years ago, moving jobs overseas.

“The issues in Davidson County are jobs, just the way they are in most of the other counties,” McClure said. “We lost our furniture and textile jobs some time ago, so we’ve been dealing with it for some time.”

High Point, which is in Guilford County, has been annexing Davidson County land and building denser housing developments and than would be allowed under Davidson County zoning. Davidson County recently bought land in the area for a new high school and middle school.

“We’ve got annexation tearing this district apart,” Brown said.

In the district, the contest for state representative is being overshadowed by the race for Davidson County sheriff, which features felon Gerald Hege trying to regain his office. Hege, known for painting the jail pink, pleaded guilty to obstructing justice and wouldn’t be able to carry a gun if elected.

“The focus is all on the sheriff’s race,” Barrett said.

Sarah Okeson is a contributor to Carolina Journal.