With the dust settled from Super Tuesday, three GOP primaries will be heading to a second round.
Two statewide races and one congressional race will head to second elections next month to decide the Republican candidate. Second elections can be requested in North Carolina when no candidate reaches 30% of the vote.
What You Need To Know
- Three GOP primary contests heading to a second election
- One Congressional seat and two state offices will be on the ballot
- Republican voters and unaffiliated voters that used a Republican ballot can vote on May 14
Four GOP races were originally slated to hold second elections, including the 6th Congressional District race. But in that race, Mark Walker, who previously represented a different version of the district, declined to ask for a second election.
Instead, Walker, who served in Congress for six years, will be joining Former President Trump’s campaign to work with faith groups and minority communities. That leaves Addison McDowell, the top vote getter and first-time candidate endorsed by Trump, as the presumptive representative for the 6th District. There is no Democrat in the race for the seat, as current representative Democrat Kathy Manning declined to run for reelection, citing redistricting that made the seat much more Republican-favored.
Candidates in the three other races have formally asked for second elections, to be held on May 14.
13th Congressional District
The 13th Congressional District, which stretches around the Triangle, played host to a crowded Republican primary, with 14 candidates running for the seat.
Kelly Daughtry, who has spent her career working as a family law attorney, was the top vote getter, receiving about 27% of the vote, just shy of the 30% threshold needed to advance to the general election.
Daughtry ran for a different version of the 13th District in 2022, coming in third. She is the daughter of Leo Daughtry, a longtime North Carolina politician who currently sits on the UNC Board of Governors.
Brad Knott, who resigned from his position as a federal prosecutor to run in the race, came in second with about 18% of the vote. This is Knott’s first time running for office.
Democrats did not hold a primary for the seat, with incumbent Wiley Nickel declining to run for reelection, citing gerrymandering that made the seat favorable for Republicans. Nickel will instead run for senate in 2026.
The winner of the second election will be heavily favored against Democrat Frank Pierce in November.
North Carolina Lieutenant Governor
The Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor was another crowded race, with 13 candidates vying for the open seat. Incumbent Republican Mark Robinson won the Republican primary for Governor on Super Tuesday.
The second election will be between Hal Weatherman and Jim O’Neill. Weatherman received the most votes, with nearly 20%, followed closely by O’Neill with nearly 16%.
Weatherman previously served as chief of staff to Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest and U.S. Representative Sue Myrick. O’Neill is currently in his third term as Forsyth County District Attorney. He was first appointed to the position in 2009.
The winner of the second election will move on to face Democrat Rachel Hunt in November.
North Carolina State Auditor
State Auditor is the last race that will be heading to a second election. The top two vote getters were Jack Clark and Dave Boliek.
Clark is a registered accountant who has spent his career working as an auditor. Boliek is an attorney and currently sits on the UNC Board of Trustees.
The Republican candidate will run against incumbent Democrat Jessica Holmes. Holmes was appointed by Governor Roy Cooper last December after Beth Wood resigned.
The second elections will take place on May 14. Only registered Republicans and unaffiliated voters who chose the Republican ballot in the primary can vote in them. Voter turnout in the last congressional second primary election in 2020 was just over 12%.
Walter Reinke
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