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Democratic challengers Larry Kissell apparently upended incumbent Republican Robin Hayes on Tuesday in the hotly contested N.C. 8th Congressional district race.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m., the Associated Press projected Kissell as the winner over Hayes.
Meanwhile, the AP projected GOP incumbent Sue Myrick as the winner over Democrat Harry Taylor in the race for the 9th District seat.
Two other incumbents seemed headed to victory -- Republican Patrick McHenry in the 10th District, and Democrat Mel Watt in District 12. Democratic challenger Daniel Johnson conceded defeat in the 10th District, and the Associated Press projected Watt as the District 12 winner.
The race between Hayes, 63, and Kissell, 57, was among the most closely watched in the country, as national Democratic leaders saw it as a strong opportunity to take a House seat from the GOP.
With returns from seven of 10 counties (and partial returns from the other counties), Kissell had 54.57 percent of the vote, to 45.43 percent for Hayes.
Kissell, from the Montgomery County town of Biscoe, lost to Hayes, of Concord, by just 330 votes two years ago.
Kissell said Hayes' votes on trade policy sent jobs overseas and contributed to the deteriorating manufacturing base in the district.
"I will support a moratorium on all free trade deals until our district gets back the thousands of jobs it has lost due to the deciding votes cast by Robin Hayes," Kissell said.
Hayes, meanwhile, hit Kissell for failing to pay workers' compensation for campaign employees.
"Mr. Kissell has built a record of saying one thing and doing another -- with no issue more clear than his record denying basic benefits to his workers like unemployment and workers' compensation for years, so he could save himself money," Hayes said.
The two disagreed on drilling for oil off the N.C. coast. Hayes supports the idea; Kissell doesn't.
"Gaining energy independence is an important goal for our nation, and it also directly affects our national security," Hayes said. "As part of a compromise bill I sponsored with Democrats and Republicans, there was a 25-mile limit (offshore, for drilling). I could potentially support a closer distance with appropriate protections."
Kissell said a number of existing wells in the Gulf of Mexico are capped.
"Before oil companies are allowed to drill off the N.C. coast and risk destabilizing our tourism economy, they must first show a desire to maximize production where they already hold leases or own wells," he said.
Hayes is a Duke University graduate who was elected to the N.C. House in 1992 and to Congress in 1998, replacing the late Bill Hefner, a Democrat who represented the 8th District for several decades.
Kissell is a Wake Forest University graduate who was a school teacher and textile worker.
Part of the district takes in east Charlotte, where Emily Ferrell voted for Kissell at Albemarle Road Elementary. "I like what he had to say and I liked that he was a teacher -- I'm a teacher," said Ferrell, 24.
At Windsor Park Elementary, voters were divided. Doanman Nguyen voted for Hayes as part of a straight-Republican ticket.
"With my family, they go for Republicans, so I did, too," he said.
Mark Belk, 35, a truck driver from east Charlotte, said he picked Kissell despite voting for other Republican candidates, including presidential candidate John McCain. "I feel like since Hayes has been up there (in Washington), with the way things are going for Republicans ... he's had his chance," Belk said. "I'm not saying he did something wrong, but I felt it was time for something different."
In the other races:
District 9 ... Myrick had 61.3 percent of the vote, to 37.2 percent for Taylor. After the AP projected Myrick as winner, she issued a statement, saying, “I’m very grateful to the people for giving me another term. It was a tough race. We had no idea what was going to happen, it was all based on turnout … and it depended on whether my voters came out.”
District 10 ... With four of 10 counties reporting, McHenry was polling 56.7 percent, to Johnson's 43.3 percent. Johnson issued a concession statement shortly before 9:30 p.m. "I spoke to Congressman McHenry and congratulated him," Johnson said. "Creecy and I want to thank our incredible supporters and volunteers, many of whom had never been involved in politics before this race. We will continue working to give a voice to the people of Western North Carolina."
District 12 ... The Associated Press projected Watt as the winner, shortly before 9:30 p.m. Watt, the incumbent, had 71.8 percent of the vote in early returns, to 28.2 percent for Republican challenger Ty Cobb Jr. “I’m delighted, looking forward to serving in a new change environment,” Watt said. “We’ve got challenges. Money is going to be a real issue. I think there’s a strong appetite not to continue to get further and further and further in debt and into deficit spending.”
