None of the candidates recruited by a pro-public schools group were able to successfully unseat a Republican incumbent in the primary Tuesday night.
The group, known as Educators on the Ballot, was formed by Patricia Saylor, a retired Durham and Chapel Hill-Carrboro public school teacher and a registered Democrat. One issue united each of the six candidates who were seeking the GOP nomination for the state House: Pouring more state funding into traditional public schools.
Critics contended that the goal behind Educators on the Ballot is to disrupt GOP primaries with left-leaning candidates. The candidates frequently expressed viewpoints at odds with traditional Republican positions. One of them, for example, told The Assembly that the state’s voucher program, the Opportunity Scholarship Program, is “a crock of s—.”
“None of these candidates were registered Republicans before August 8,” noted Dr. Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation.
The results of the six races, according to the unofficial vote count, include:
- House District 32: Pamela Ayscue lost to former Rep. Frank Sossamon 87% to 11%. The incumbent Democrat, Bryan Cohn, didn’t seek re-election. Sossamon will now face off against Democrat Curtis McRae in the fall. The district covers parts of Granville and Vance counties, north of the Triangle. Sossamon represented the district from 2023 to 2025, winning the seat twice. HD 32 is “Lean Democratic” district at D+2 on the Civitas Partisan Index.
- House District 35: Michele Joyner-Dinwiddie lost to incumbent Rep. Mike Schietzelt 91% to 9%. Schietzelt will now face Democrat Evonne Hopkins, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the fall. The district covers northeastern Wake County. Schietzelt is in his first term. Joyner-Dinwiddie recently switched her voter registration to run in the primary. HD 35 is “Toss Up” on the Civitas Partisan Index.
- House District 81: Pam Zanni lost to incumbent Rep. Larry Potts 83% to 17%. Potts will now face Democrat Dylan Tucker, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the fall. The district covers Davidson County. HD 81 is “Safe Republican” at R+12 on the Civitas Partisan Index.
- House District 89: Lisa Deaton Koperski is running against incumbent Rep. Mitchell Setzer 86% to 14%. Setzer will now face Democrat Robert Thompson, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the fall. The district covers Catawba and Iredell counties. Setzer has served 14 terms in the House and is the House Speaker Pro Tem, and he is one of the longest serving members in that chamber. HD 89 is “Safe Republican” at R+23 on the Civitas Partisan Index.
- House District 105: Kelly VanHorn lost to incumbent Rep. Tricia Cotham 85% to 15%. Cotham will now face Democrat Ken McCool, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the fall. The district southeastern Mecklenburg County. HD 105 is “Toss Up” on the Civitas Partisan Index. Educators on the Ballot specifically targeted Cotham due to her party switch in 2023 that gave Republicans a supermajority in the House.
- House District 117: Chris Wilson lost to incumbent Rep. Jennifer Balkcom 76% to 24%. Balkcom will now face Democrat Lynne Russo, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the fall. The district covers Henderson County. HD 117 is “Likely Republican” at R+6 on the Civitas Partisan Index.
Some of the candidates initially recruited by Educators on the Ballot in 2025 appear to have dropped out, including a primary challenger for House deputy minority whip Howard Penny, Jr., of Harnett County, Rep. Allen Chesser of Nash County, and Rep. Phil Shepherd of Onslow County.
“There are several districts with no Republicans running. Educators on the Ballot could have run candidates in those districts, but that would have put them in the awkward situation of supporting candidates against Democrats in November,” said Jackson.
“I fully expect the group to back Democrats in November. These Republican primary candidates are sacrificial lambs to give Educators on the Ballot the veneer of being bipartisan,” he added.