Conservative state Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds prevailed in a primary election he didn’t think he’d have to contest, and incumbent Rep. Renee Ellmers of the 2nd Congressional District was trounced by 13th District U.S. Rep. George Holding in an election made necessary by several court decisions.
The congressional primary was mandated after a three-judge federal court panel ruled in February the districts drawn in 2011 by the General Assembly violated the federal Voting Rights Act. Lawmakers drew new maps in a special legislative session, and last Thursday, the court upheld the districts.
Ellmers may not be the only incumbent member of Congress to lose a primary challenge. Embattled two-term 9th District GOP Rep. Robert Pittenger, who has weathered ethics complaints challenging whether he fully divested interest in his family’s business after being elected to Congress, had a lead of roughly 140 votes (or 0.5 percent) over Charlotte-area pastor Mark Harris in a three-way race. Union County insurance agent Todd Johnson trailed the field. If Pittenger finishes less than 1 percent ahead of Harris in the final tally, Harris can request a recount.
Meanwhile, Holding’s slot on the 13th District’s Republican ballot in November was won by businessman Ted Budd, who prevailed in a 17-way primary, aided by the support of a political action committee operated by the limited-government group Club for Growth. Budd, who owns a shooting range and a firearms store, received about 20 percent of the vote, besting a handful of General Assembly members, including Sen. Andrew Brock and Reps. Julia Howard, John Blust, and Harry Warren.
In the 12th District, which runs along Interstate 85 from Charlotte to Greensboro and was shifted entirely into Mecklenburg County, incumbent Rep. Alma Adams, who until recently lived in Guilford County, easily won a seven-way Democratic primary.
The Supreme Court primary became necessary when a state court ruled unconstitutional a 2015 law changing judicial elections to referendums. Under that law, incumbent judges seeking new terms on the state Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court would have faced up-or-down votes to retain their seats. The court ruled that the 2015 law violated the state constitution’s definition of an election as a contest between two or more candidates, setting the stage for a primary.
Edmunds, the only registered Republican on the ballot, will face Superior Court Judge Mike Morgan in the November general election. Unaffiliated attorney Sabra Faires, who filed the lawsuit that resulted in the reversal of the retention-election law, finished third, with Democratic attorney Daniel Robertson a distant fourth.
The winners
There were no primaries in the 1st or 7th Congressional Districts, and in several districts, candidates for one party ran unopposed. These candidates won primaries on Tuesday and will appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot:
N.C. Supreme Court (top two advance):
Bob Edmunds (I); Mike Morgan
U.S. House of Representatives
- 2nd District
Republican George Holding (13th District incumbent); Democrat John McNeil
- 3rd District
Republican Walter Jones (I); Democrat Ernest Reeves
- 4th District
Republican Sue Googe
- 5th District
Republican Virginia Foxx (I); Democrat Josh Brannon
- 6th District
Republican Mark Walker (I)
- 8th District
Republican Richard Hudson (i)
- 9th District
Republican Robert Pittenger (I) led Mark Harris by 0.5 percent before provisional ballots had been counted and results certified
- 10th District
Republican Patrick McHenry (I)
- 11th District
Democrat Rick Bryson led Tom Hill by 0.5 percent before provisional ballots had been counted and results verified
- 12th District
Democrat Alma Adams (I); Republican Leon Threatt
- 13th District
Republican Ted Budd; Democrat Bruce David led Bob Isner by 0.6 percent before provisional ballots had been counted and results verified
*Editor’s note: This story was modified after publication to note that Rep. Robert Pittenger is seeking a third term in Congress.