(The Center Square) – Reps. Carla Cunningham, a Democrat, and Keith Kidwell, a Republican, lead the list of incumbents facing primary challenges in the quest to retain their seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
Republicans are one seat short this two-year session of not needing a Democrat to vote with them to assure three-fifths majority regardless of how many of the 120 are present for veto overrides. Cunningham five times helped the eight overrides of first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein last summer.
Kidwell has drawn some internal party ire tied to agricultural legislation, and tactics in the chamber. The topics involved include shrimp trawling and a farm bill with relation to chemical companies; in the past, he stayed steadfast in opposition to Medicaid expansion.
The House is majority Republican 71-49, having been no closer than 65-55 (2018 election result) since the historic 2010 midterms. The majority party is expected to retain status.
Republicans have 28 primaries and Democrats 16.
Absentee voting by mail began with ballots mailed out Jan. 12. The 51-day window proceeded with early in-person voting starting this past Thursday and wraps up with the Election Day primary on March 3.
More than 6,000 filed during the three weeks ending Friday for local, state or national level races.
Registered voters in the state this cycle will choose a U.S. senator, all 14 U.S. House representatives, one state Supreme Court judge and three appellate justices. All 170 seats in the General Assembly – 50 in the Senate, 120 in the House of Representatives – are also on the ballot. There are no statewide referenda.
Only presidential cycle years have longer ballots for the more than 7.7 million voters in the nation’s ninth largest state.
In District 106, Cunningham is challenged for an eighth term by Vermanno Bowman and Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler – all from Charlotte. Cunningham champions her work on health care solutions; prioritization of mental health and substance use services; and enhancing support for vulnerable populations.
The top of Bowman’s list seeks Medicare for all, investments in education, affordable housing, solutions for changes in climate, and raising the state’s minimum wage. Sadler’s platform is anchored in improved wages; home affordability; health care as a right; and public school education.
In District 79, Chocowinity’s Kidwell is challenged for a fifth term by Darren Armstrong of Belhaven. Kidwell says he’s offering leadership for freedom, and campaigns on having instrumental roles through litigation in corralling the reach to churches, gyms, restaurants and hair salons by former Gov. Roy Cooper during the COVID-19 era.
Armstrong has campaigned on industry support; constitutional rights, in particular the Second Amendment; community safety; educational reform; and fiscal advocacy. He’s gained the endorsement of six-term Agriculture Secretary Steve Troxler.
In the other Republican primaries, District 1 has John Spruill of Roper and incumbent Rep. Edward Goodwin of Edenton; District 4, incumbent Rep. Jimmy Dixon of Mt. Olive and Marcella Barbour of Wallace; District 6, incumbent Rep. Joe Pike of Sanford and Bill Morris of Dunn; District 16, incumbent Rep. Carson Smith of Hampstead and Joshua Patti of Holly Ridge; District 17, Nia Moore of Leland and incumbent Rep. Frank Iler of Calabash.
Also, in District 22, Jerol Kivett of Salemburg and Wellie Jackson of Clinton; District 26, incumbent Rep. Donna McDowell White of Clayton and Margie Beth Riedel of Clayton; District 28, Eric Bowles Sr. of Benson and incumbent Rep. Larry Strickland of Pine Level; District 32, Pamela Ayscue of Henderson and former Rep. Rev. Frank Sossamon of Oxford; District 35, incumbent Rep. Mike Schietzelt of Wake Forest and Michele Joyner-Dinwiddie of Wake Forest.
Also, in District 43, incumbent Rep. Diane Wheatley of Linden and Clarence Goins Jr. of Eastover; District 48, Ralph Carter of Laurinburg and Kirk Lowery of Red Springs; District 51, Sherry Lynn Womack of Sanford and Charles Taylor of Sanford; District 55, Clancy Baucom of Marshville, John Powell of Monroe and Richard Miller of Monroe; District 65, Seth Woodall of Eden, incumbent Rep. Reece Pyrtle of Stoneville and Joseph Gibson III of Reidsville.
Also, in District 78, Mark Dutton of Foxfire Village and incumbent Rep. Neal Jackson of Robbins; District 80, Joseph Byrne of Thomasville and incumbent Rep. Sam Watford of Thomasville; District 81, Pamela Zanni of Lexington and incumbent Rep. Larry Potts of Lexington; District 89, incumbent Rep. Mitchell Setzer of Catawba and Lisa Koperski of Maiden; District 90, A.J. Daoud of Pilot Mountain, Paul Barker of Mount Airy and Dan Kiger of State Road.
Also, in District 95, incumbent Rep. Todd Carver of Mooresville and Mike Kubiniec of Mooresville; District 105, incumbent Rep. Tricia Cotham of Charlotte and Kelly VanHorn of Charlotte; District 110, Caroline Eason of Lawndale and incumbent Rep. Kelly Hastings of Cherryville; District 113, incumbent Rep. Jake Johnson of Columbus and Mike Hager of Rutherfordton; District 117, incumbent Rep. Jennifer Balkcom of Hendersonville and Christopher Wilson of Hendersonville.
Also, in District 118, Jimmy Rogers of Clyde and incumbent Rep. Mark Pless of Canton; and District 119, Anna Ferguson of Whittier, incumbent Rep. Mike Clampitt of Bryson City, and Mike Yow of Sylva.
In the other Democratic primaries, District 6 has Joshua Estep of Sanford and Tony Spears of Bunnlevel; District 9, Lenton Brown of Winterville and Claire Kempner of Greenville; District 23, incumbent Rep. Shelly Willingham of Rocky Mount and Patricia Smith of Williamston; District 25, Lorenza Wilkins of Battleboro and Harris Walker of Rocky Mount; District 27, former Rep. Michael Wray of Gaston and incumbent Rep. Rodney Pierce of Roanoke Rapids.
Also, in District 32, Melissa Elliott of Henderson and Curtis McRae of Oxford; District 37, Winn Decker of Fuquay-Varina, Ralph Clements of Fuquay-Varina and Marcus Gadson of Fuquay-Varina; District 38, Collin Fearns of Raleigh and incumbent Rep. Abe Jones of Raleigh; District 43, Janene Ackles of Fayetteville and Ronald Pittman of Fayetteville; District 45, QuDerrick Covington of Hope Mills and Frances Jackson of Fayetteville.
Also, in District 50, Brandall Redd of Reidsville, Renee Price of Hillsborough and Mary Lucas of Hillsborough; District 59, Bradley Hunt II of McLeansville and Elma Hairston of Jamestown; District 60, Bruce Davis of High Point, incumbent Rep. Amanda Cook of High Point, Joe Alston of High Point and Angie Williams-McMichael of High Point; District 67, Jocelyn Torres of Albemarle and Roddrick Howell of Albemarle; and District 99, Tucker Neal of Charlotte, incumbent Rep. Nasif Majeed of Charlotte and Veleria Levy of Charlotte.
District 73 originally had a Democratic primary between Kim DeLaney and Thomas Monks, both of Concord. DeLaney, 46, died unexpectedly Jan. 26. The ballots have both names; the race was not reopened since the death was more than 30 days after filing closed; and Monks will advance to the Nov. 3 general election.
