Several incumbents trail challengers in primary elections for NC legislature

Four incumbents in the North Carolina General Assembly in Tuesday’s primary election trailed their challengers in unofficial results.

In two close GOP primaries, Republican Rep. George Cleveland of Onslow County trailed Wyatt Gable and said he would not ask for a recount, while Rep. Kevin Crutchfield lost to challenger Brian Echevarria.

Three Democrats who voted at times with the Republican majority in the legislature were also locked in tight races. One, Rep. Cecil Brockman, appeared to have narrowly won, but another, Sen. Mike Woodard of Durham, was defeated. In the third race, Rep. Michael Wray appears to have lost by less than 1%, opening the door to a recount.

The results of Tuesday’s primary will set the stage for the general election and help determine the makeup of the state legislature in 2025.

The legislature currently has a GOP supermajority, meaning Republicans control the two chambers and can largely pass legislation without fear of facing a successful veto from the governor, who is a Democrat.

In the House, Republicans hold 72 seats, while Democrats hold 48. In the Senate, Republicans hold 30 seats and Democrats hold 20. All seats are up for reelection in November.

In October, the legislature adopted new legislative district boundaries, which are likely — but not certain — to preserve the Republican veto-proof supermajorities in both chambers.

Here’s a look at some of the contested races and the election results:

Vicki Harry vs. Scott Lassiter

There were six contested primaries in the Triangle, half in the Senate and half in the House.

In Wake County, Scott Lassiter defeated Vicki Harry for the newly drawn Senate District 13 in a race between Republicans that heated up in the days leading up to the primary.

Harry was a Wake Christian Academy teacher for seven years as well as a small business owner.

Lassiter is an assistant principal in Wake County Public Schools, a former Apex Town Council member and current vice chair of the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District. Last week, he faced a rebuke from the National Rifle Association for orange flyers with the NRA’s logo and font that his campaign had mailed out. The similarity appeared to imply he had the group’s endorsement, the NRA said.

A few days before that, Lassiter and Harry disputed the facts behind Harry campaign flyers that referenced Lassiter’s 2012 driving while impaired conviction and claimed that he threatened the career of his former wife and abused her. The flyers pulled quotes from media reports detailing a lawsuit Lassiter filed against state House Speaker Tim Moore over Moore’s extramarital affair with Lassiter’s then-wife. Moore is running for Congress in a redrawn Charlotte-area district.

Mike Woodard vs. Sophia Chitlik

In Durham’s Democratic primary for Senate District 22, Sophia Chitlik defeated Woodard, the longtime incumbent, with 58% of votes.

Late last year, Chitlik, an investor and company executive for women-run startups related to pregnancy and birth, received the endorsement of the influential Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People.

Woodard had previously received this endorsement. Committee PAC Chair Cassandra Stokes told The News & Observer that members were impressed by Chitlik’s background and were dissatisfied with Woodard’s voting record, particularly his votes to override the governor’s veto, as previously reported by The N&O.

Woodard voted with the GOP to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto three times last year, for relatively noncontroversial bills about sales tax and changes to the Consumer Finance Act, as previously reported by The N&O. Woodard has previously told The N&O that in a GOP-controlled legislature, minority party members need to work with the majority.

In other contested races in the Triangle:

• Longtime Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue won in the Democratic primary for Senate District 14.

• Democrat Monika Johnson-Hostler won the Democratic primary for House District 33.
  
  

• Mike Schietzelt won the Republican primary for House District 35. This seat is currently held by Democratic Incumbent Rep. Terence Everitt, who announced he was retiring last year. But Everitt soon changed course to run in Wake County’s Senate District 18 after its incumbent Sen. Mary Wills Bode, a Democrat, announced she would not seek reelection. Everitt faced no Democratic primary.
  
  

• In Johnston County, Rep. Larry Strickland won the Republican primary for House District 28.
  
  

Democrats who voted with Republicans face challengers

Wray of Northampton County and Brockman of Guilford County have faced sharp criticism from the Young Democrats of North Carolina for their support of the state budget, anti-rioting legislation and more bills backed by Republicans.

In the race for House District 27, Wray faced Rodney Pierce, a social studies teacher who is also the plaintiff in a federal lawsuit challenging a new Republican-drawn electoral map.

With all precincts reported, Pierce appeared to have won with 50.18% of votes to Wray’s 49.82%. This is a difference of 0.36%, which is within the 1% threshold for a mandatory recount for a non-statewide ballot item.

In the race for House District 60, Brockman faced off against James Adams, former president of the High Point NAACP.

With all precincts in his district reported, Brockman had 50.69% of votes. Adams had 49.31%. This was a difference of 83 votes, but it was not within the 1% threshold.

Election night results for these races are unofficial. In the days following the election, absentee and provisional ballots are counted, audits are conducted and any necessary recounts are conducted.

Both Pierce and Adams have been endorsed by the YDNC. A conservative group, the Carolina Leadership Coalition, has also gotten involved, mailing out flyers to voters in support of Brockman and Wray.

Rep. Shelly Willingham of Edgecombe County and Rep. Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County, who both voted in favor of the GOP budget, both defeated challengers.

Noteworthy Republican primaries: Neo-Nazi ties and casinos

Rep. Reece Pyrtle, a retired law enforcement officer, won the Republican primary for House District 65, the Associated Press projected. Pyrtle was challenged by Joseph Gibson III, a podcaster with past felony convictions and ties to a neo-Nazi organization

Rockingham County’s Pyrtle won with 80% of votes.

Some Republicans in positions of leadership tried to stop Gibson from running, but the State Board of Elections allowed Gibson to remain on the ballot.

In another contentious Republican primary, Rep. Allen Chesser of Nash County defeated Yvonne McLeod in House District 25.

McLeod, who previously lost to Chesser, is a vocal critic of a Republican proposal to legalize more casinos that failed to pass last year, which included building a casino in Rocky Mount, WUNC reported.

Chesser spoke in favor of casinos last year. He told WUNC last week that should the proposal come up again, he would like to see a local referendum vote on the issue.

In the Republican primary for House District 14, Cleveland came in second to Wyatt Gable, a junior in Business Management at East Carolina University and a political newcomer. Cleveland has served in the House for 10 terms.

Cleveland had 49.02% of votes to Gable’s 50.98% with all precincts in his district counted. Just 95 votes separated the candidates, but that difference was more than the 1% threshold.

Cleveland, a retiree who served as a U.S. Marine, told The N&O on Wednesday that he would not be requesting a recount. He said he did not have any comment to share on the result and was “just pondering what happened and what I did wrong.”

In another upset, Echevarria defeated Crutchfield in the Republican primary for House District 82.

Echevarria got 50.94% of votes, while Crutchfield got 49.06%. This seat was previously held by Rep. Kristin Baker from Cabarrus County, who announced her retirement last year.

Echevarria lost in 2022 against Democratic Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams in the general election for House District 73.

Tricia Cotham’s challengers

Rep. Tricia Cotham announced in April of last year that she was changing parties from Democrat to Republican, shaking up North Carolina politics.

Months after her switch, Cotham announced she would seek reelection as a Republican in House District 105, a new GOP-leaning Charlotte-area district.

The Democratic primary for the district in Mecklenburg County drew a lot of competition. Nicole Sidman defeated Terry Lansdell and Yolanda Holmes.

Cotham currently represents House District 112, a Democratic-leaning district. Democratic candidate Jordan Lopez is running for this district. He faced no other contender.

For local contests, the county boards of elections will certify results on March 15. For other races, the state’s board of election will certify final results on March 26.