Judge, soil and water commissioner win Raleigh, Durham legislative primaries
Find all the North Carolina election results as they come in.
A former judge and a soil and water board member won primaries Tuesday in races that are expected to determine the Triangle’s newest state legislators. Their primaries are among several that will pick the likely winner of an open legislative seat, as the districts lean heavily in that party’s favor.
Natalie Murdock, a Durham County soil and water conservation district supervisor, will likely be headed to the Senate well before the November general election. With results nearly complete, she had 46% of the vote, while musician and activist Pierce Freelon had 37% and attorney Gray Ellis had 17%.
Longtime Democratic Sen. Floyd McKissick’s appointment to the N.C. Utilities Commission opened up the seat he’d held since 2007.
Veteran House legislator Mickey Michaux was appointed to the seat, but he plans to step down after the primary, and local Democratic Party leaders have indicated they’ll appoint the primary winner to serve during this spring’s short legislative session.
In Raleigh, where incumbent Rep. Yvonne Holley, D-Wake, is giving up her seat to run for lieutenant governor, Democratic voters in parts of Raleigh picked former Wake County commissioner and former Superior Court Judge Abe Jones over Quanta Monique Edwards, a real-estate broker and affordable housing advocate. Jones won with 57% of the vote, while Edwards got 42%.
The district includes much of Southeast Raleigh and stretches north along Capital Boulevard and Louisburg Road. Holley, along with the influential Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association, endorsed Jones to take over the seat. He ran unsuccessfully for Court of Appeals in 2014 and 2016. Edwards was backed by Raleigh City Councilman David Cox, Emily’s List and N.C. Rep. Raymond Smith, D-Wayne.
Outside the Triangle:
Senate District 6: Jacksonville City Councilman Michael Lazzara defeated Onslow County school board member Bob Williams in the Republican primary for the conservative district covering Onslow and Jones counties. The winner has a strong shot at replacing Senate Majority Leader Harry Brown, R-Onslow, who isn’t seeking another term in the conservative district representing Jones and Onslow counties. Lazzara is a Marine Corps veteran who owns a sign business and restaurant; he’s currently serving as Jacksonville’s mayor pro tem and is a past president of the N.C. League of Municipalities who chairs the Jacksonville Tourism Development Authority.
House District 3: The upcoming retirement of conservative firebrand Rep. Michael Speciale, R-Craven, has led to a four-candidate Republican primary in the New Bern area. Longtime Craven County Commissioner Steve Tyson won with 53% of votes over Havelock City Commissioner Jim Kohr and two others. Tyson is an Army veteran, general contractor and real-estate broker. Kohr was in second place with 21%. Marine Corps judge advocate Guy Smith and Eric Queen trailed.
Senate District 49: With Sen. Terry Van Duyn, D-Buncombe, running for lieutenant governor, Asheville will get a new senator. Asheville City Councilwoman Julie Mayfield won the Democratic primary with about two-thirds of the vote. She leads the environmental nonprofit MountainTrue and boasts endorsements from Van Duyn, the Sierra Club and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer. The other candidates — Travis Smith, a software consultant and environmental activist, and attorney Ben Scales — trailed by thousands of votes.
Senate District 42: As Sen. Andy Wells, R-Catawba, aims for the lieutenant governor’s office, former Rep. Mark Hollo and Hickory businessman and N.C. Wildlife Commission member Dean Proctor were in a close Republican primary for his seat. Proctor won with 52% of the vote.
House District 72: Former elementary school principal Amber Baker defeated United Health Centers CEO Lashun Huntley with 59% of the vote for the seat being vacated by Rep. Derwin Montgomery, D-Forsyth, who is seeking a seat in Congress.
House District 80: With Rep. Steve Jarvis, R-Davidson, vacating his House seat to primary Sen. Eddie Gallimore, R-Davidson, former Davidson County Rep. Sam Watford defeated fellow former Rep. Roger Younts to get his old seat back, with 44%. Watford lost an attempt to move up to the Senate in 2018, and Younts was appointed to a partial House term in 2013 and 2014. Haley Sink also ran in this year’s primary.
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This story was originally published March 3, 2020 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Judge, soil and water commissioner win Raleigh, Durham legislative primaries."