Wednesday, Mar. 4, 2020 -- A round up of opinion, commentary and analysis on: Super Tuesday wins and losses; explaining the delegate system; N.C. has its first case of coronavirus; state lab now able to test for COVID-19; former WRAL-TV and CNN veteran Bobbie Battista - a life; and more.
PRIMARY RESULTS
2020 N.C. Primary results (WRAL-TV) -- Find full results of all the 2020 Super Tuesday primary elections here.
CAMPAIGN 2020-PRESIDENT
Joe Biden Wins North Carolina Democratic Primary (WFAE-FM reports) -- There were essentially two elections in North Carolina. One was from early voting – before Biden’s surprisingly large win Saturday in South Carolina, and before former candidates Pete Buttigieg, Amy Klobuchar and Beto O’Rourke endorsed him.
Why is 15% important to Democrats? We explain the delegate system. (PolitiFAct/WRAL-TV) -- As election results roll in from Super Tuesday -- the mammoth primary day when votes are cast in 14 states, one U.S. territory, and Democrats overseas -- expect to hear one particular number come up again and again: 15%. Here's why it's important.
CAMPAIGN 2020-GOVERNOR
Cooper, Forest make quick work of primaries (WRAL-TV reports) -- Gov. Roy Cooper and Lt. Gov. Dan Forest outdistanced their opponents by huge margins setting the stage for a November clash between N.C.'s top two elected officials.
Cunningham wins Senate primary; Forest earns GOP gov's nod (AP reports) -- N.C. primary voters chose a Democratic former state legislator and Iraq War veteran to challenge Republican Sen. Thom Tillis this fall and the GOP lieutenant governor to try to unseat Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.
CAMPAIGN 2020-CONGRESS
Former US Senate nominee Ross wins N.C. congressional primary (AP reports) -- A Raleigh attorney and former state House member won a N.C. congressional primary making her the likely favorite to reach Capitol Hill nearly four years after an unsuccessful U.S. Senate run.
Manning wins N.C. primary for 6th Congressional District (AP reports) -- Kathy Manning won Tuesday’s Democratic primary in a Triad-area N.C. congressional district that has tilted left after recent redistricting.
Runoff likely for GOP primary for western N.C. House seat (AP reports) -- A Republican primary runoff is looking likely this spring for the western N.C. U.S. House seat being vacated by GOP Rep. Mark Meadows.
JOEL BURGESS: 11th District: GOP runoff, Davis tops Democrats (Asheville Citizen-Times reports) -- The rowdy March 3 race to replace one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House, is closing in on its finish, but the contest might not be over. With most precincts reporting in North Carolina's new 11th District, Democrat Moe Davis had amassed a sizable lead over his next closest primary opponent, Gina Collias. Davis had 47% of the vote to Collias' 23%. Five Democrats were in the race. Davis declared victory at 10:24 p.m., sending out a statement thanking voters and referencing the district's redrawing. That happened after court challenges over how Republican mapmakers shaped it to their advantage.
U.S. Reps. Price, McHenry, Adams with N.C. primaries (AP reports) -- Three N.C. members of Congress with challengers from their own party this year all won primaries.
CAMPAIGN 2020-COUNCIL OF STATE
Political newcomer Robinson wins GOP Lt. Gov.'s nomination (AP reports) -- A former factory worker and day care operator whose gun rights speech before a N.C. city council vaulted him to prominence among conservatives won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor in a crowded field.
Council of State (The Insider) --Aside from lieutenant governor, here are the contested primaries in the Council of State races and who was leading by late Tuesday:
ATTORNEY GENERAL: Three Republicans competed in the primary for attorney general: Christine Mumma, Jim O'Neill and Sam Hayes. O'Neill was ahead with 46% of the vote, with nearly all precincts reporting. The winner will face incumbent Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein in the general election.
SECRETARY OF STATE: Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall is unopposed in the primary. Republican and Durham businessman E.C. Sykes had a strong lead much of the night and captured 42% of the vote with most precincts reporting. Gaston County Commissioner Chad Brown followed with nearly 39% and Michael LaPaglia, who ran four years ago, was in third.
N.C. TREASURER: Results showed three Democrats -- Dimple Ajmera, Ronnie Chatterji and Matt Leatherman -- locked in a close race. One will run against incumbent Republican Treasurer Dale Folwell in the general election. With 95% of precincts reporting, Chatterji had 35% and Ajmera had 34% of the vote, followed by Leatherman with 30%. At the GOP headquarters watch party, Folwell talked about how he represents all North Carolinians. "There's no Democrat, Republican money in the Treasurer's Office," Folwell said. "It's all green. As keepers of the public purse, everyday we have the opportunity to go in and be fair and just."
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION: Incumbent Republican state Superintendent Mark Johnson is running for lieutenant governor, so the office is open, and both parties have primaries. Democrats running are Keith A. Sutton, James Barrett, Constance (Lav) Johnson, Michael Maher and Jen Mangrum. With most precincts reporting, Mangrum held a lead with nearly 33% of the vote, followed by Sutton with 26%. Johnson had 21% as of late Tuesday. Barrett and Maher trailed. Catherine Truitt had a stronger lead in the Republican primary, with 56% of the vote over Craig Horn, who had 43% as of late Tuesday.
LABOR COMMISSIONER: Incumbent Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry isn't running again. Republicans hoping to replace her are state Rep. Josh Dobson of McDowell County; UNC Board of Governors member Pearl Burris Floyd; and Chuck Stanley, a Columbus County construction company manager. Late Tuesday, Dobson led with 40%, followed by Stanley with 38% and Floyd with 21%. The winner will run against Democrat Jessica Holmes, who is unopposed in the primary and is a Wake County Commissioner.
STATE AUDITOR: Democratic incumbent Auditor Beth Wood defeated primary challenger Luis Toledo by capturing 78% of the vote, with most precincts reporting. In the Republican primary, Anthony Wayne (Tony) Street led with 56% and Tim Hoegemeyer had 43%.
INSURANCE COMMISSIONER: Republican incumbent Mike Causey was challenged by Ronald Pierce. With most precincts reporting, Causey had 64% of the vote. He will face former commissioner and Democrat Wayne Goodwin in the general election.
AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER: Three Democrats -- Jenna Wadsworth, Donovan Watson and Walter Smith -- competed in the primary. The winner faces longtime incumbent Republican Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. Wadsworth led late Tuesday with 53% of the vote, followed by Smith with 31% and Watson with 15%.
CAMPAIGN 2020-LEGISLATURE
Legislative Match-Ups (The Insider reports) -- Tuesday's primary set the final match-ups for competitive legislative districts that will be hotly contested in November's general election.
Decisive Primaries (The Insider reports) -- 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.
CAMPAIGN 2020-OTHER
Incumbent Judge Easily Wins Contentious Race (WFAE-FM reports) -- A district court race in Mecklenburg County that received an unusual amount of media attention turned into an easy victory for the incumbent. It all started in early February when WBTV reported former family, now juvenile district court judge Aretha Blake essentially wasn’t doing her job. The TV station reported Blake had taken years to enter orders in dozens of cases leaving families hanging in the balance.
Voting problems reported in N.C., but nothing 'major' (Durham Herald-Sun reports) -- Super Tuesday voters in several N.C. counties reported problems at polling places, according to a nonpartisan group that runs an election hotline in the state, but only two problems required the State Board of Elections to step in. At 6:45 p.m., the board met by telephone and agreed to extend voting at the Miller Park Community Center in Forsyth County until 8:10 p.m. because the precinct had run out of Democratic ballots for about 40 minutes during the day. Tim Tsujii, the county's elections director, said an unspecified number of voters left the polling place rather than wait for ballots. "We're not certain as to how many people," Tsujii told the state board.
Health care top issue in N.C. (AP reports) -- Voters in N.C.’s Democratic primary ranked health care as the most important issue facing the country, well above climate change, the economy, race relations, foreign policy and many other social issues.
Quarter-cent sales tax increase gets OK from voters (Winston-Salem Journal reports) -- Forsyth County voters said “yes” on Tuesday to a quarter-cent sales tax increase that will boost supplemental pay for teachers in the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school system.
POLICY & POLITICS
Jury begins deliberations in Lindberg bribery trial (Charlotte Observer reports) -- It's now up to a jury to decide the fate of Durham billionaire Greg Lindberg and two of his associates. During closing arguments in Lindberg's federal bribery trial, jurors on Tuesday heard a prosecutor argue that hours of secretly recorded conversations show "the enthusiasm by these men to buy an insurance commissioner." And they heard from defense lawyers who contended that Lindberg and his co-defendants were innocent victims of a politician who used his power to " try to entrap and ensnare them." The jurors began their deliberations Tuesday afternoon.
As cities expand police gang units, experts say to look at root causes of violence (WUNC-FM reports) -- Lieutenant Genavous Minor strolled through police headquarters in Durham, N.C., on a recent day, joking around with colleagues. Minor has lived in Durham his whole life and has been on the force for 25 years. Now, he oversees the gang unit, the group specifically charged with solving and preventing crimes in which validated gang members are offenders or victims. “When you get to gang violence, no one sees that coming,” he said. “It’s random and it’s an act of terror.”
Light unto darkness (Greensboro News & Record) -- Racial lynchings in America weren’t merely broad strokes of savage violence that involved the hanging, burning and mutilation of African Americans by lawless mobs. They also were a popular pastime. More than a few were festive affairs, with whole families in attendance, some packing picnic lunches.
EDUCATION
House Speaker Tim Moore to make high profile trip to Greenville as ECU chancellor search continues (NC Policy Watch reports) -- Last month word came out concerning the ECU Chancellor search that N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) was pursuing the job. Though Moore’s office said he was running for re-election, they did not respond to follow-up questions about whether that would preclude him also seeking the ECU job. Later this month, the Greenville-Pitt County Chamber of Commerce is welcoming Moore as the featured speaker for its March Power Luncheon.
UNC Wilmington cancels study in Europe due to coronavirus (AP reports) -- UNC-W is canceling its spring break study program in Europe over concerns about the coronavirus. Associate Vice Chancellor Michael Wilhelm said the school made the decision after consulting with health officials and colleagues in higher education.
HEALTH
Person in N.C. tests positive for coronavirus (AP reports) -- A person in N.C. has tested positive for the fast-spreading coronavirus, the governor said Tuesday, making the state at least the 15th to report a case of the virus.
Charlotte Diocese alters practices over coronavirus fears (AP reports) -- The leader of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte has announced a temporary halt to some traditional practices at Mass over concerns about the coronavirus.
BILL HAND: Coronavirus: It’s coming, but don’t panic (New Bern Sun Journal reports) -- When it comes to arrival of the Coronavirus in Eastern N.C., it could get really bad but officials are urging everyone not to panic. As to its arrival in the Tar Heel state – it was a question of when, not if.
ENVIRONMENT & ENERGY
Outer Banks surfer wins legal battle over path to the ocean (AP reports) -- A surfer has won a legal battle to gain access to an 8-foot-wide path that cuts through private property to the ocean on N.C.'s Outer Banks.
Updated Red Wolf Recovery Plan Delayed (Coastal Review reports) -- Although a federal judge ruled in 2018 that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was not abiding by its legal requirement to properly protect red wolves, there’s still no updated recovery plan.
...AND MORE
