narrowly defeating Guilford County farmer Tom Gilmore.
Cobb will face Republican Steve Troxler in the Nov. 2 general election. Troxler faced no GOP challenger in the primary.
Cobb is a longtime employee with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He was appointed to the job last June by Gov. Mike Easley after Meg Scott Phipps resigned in the midst of a scandal surrounding campaign contributions and rigged bids for state fair midway contracts.
Gilmore, a state legislator in the 1970s and a lifelong nursery farmer from Guilford County, also served as deputy secretary of human resources under former Gov. Jim Hunt.
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