Recount likely in U.S. House District 9 race; Adams wins in District 12

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Several North Carolina congressional incumbents and a sitting Supreme Court justice won their primary elections Tuesday and advanced to November's general election.

But Rep. Renee Ellmers lost her head-to-head matchup to Rep. George Holding in the 2nd District, and another sitting member of Congress was narrowly ahead over two Republican rivals in a race that could require a recount.

Here's a look at primary races across the state:

DISTRICT 12

U.S. Rep. Alma Adams has turned back Democratic challengers after her longtime Greensboro home was left out of North Carolina's redrawn 12th District that she represents.

Final, unofficial results Tuesday show Adams winning the Democratic primary that featured seven candidates. Adams had more than 40 percent of the vote, with former state Sen. Malcolm Graham second and current Rep. Tricia Cotham third.

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Adams was first elected in 2014 and worked to retain her current seat when court-ordered redistricting in February shifted the district's boundaries far away from where she lived to cover most of Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County. The previous lines had covered both parts of Greensboro and Charlotte.

Since the redraw, Adams had changed her voter registration to Mecklenburg and leased a condo there.

Adams will be favored to win in November over Tuesday's Republican winner Leon Threatt. The district is heavily Democratic.

DISTRICT 9

U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger may have survived a primary challenge from a Charlotte pastor and a former local elected official.

Complete, unofficial results Tuesday show Pittenger with a lead in the 9th District Republican primary of less than 150 votes over the Rev. Mark Harris, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charlotte. Former Union County Commissioner Todd Johnson was about 1,200 votes back.

Harris has called for a recount as there are less than 135 votes separating the top two candidates.

Channel 9 caught up with Pittenger before polls closed Tuesday night and asked about Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

Pittenger said they have an agenda in the House and if Trump can get behind it, they’ll support him.

Harris spoke with candidate Johnson shortly before addressing supporters and exchanged thanks for running spirited and respectful campaigns, according to a news release.

“I could not be more grateful for your support financially, with volunteer time, and with your prayers. I have been completely humbled and touched by the outpouring of support," Harris said.

The winner will take on Democrat Christian Cano in November.

SUPREME COURT

Supreme Court Justice Bob Edmunds and a Wake County Superior Court judge have advanced to the general election for a seat on North Carolina's highest court.

Unofficial and nearly complete results show Edmunds and Michael Morgan finishing one-two in Tuesday's officially nonpartisan primary for the bench. Trailing were Sabra Faires of Cary and Daniel Robertson of Advance.

Edmunds. who is from Greensboro, has served on the Supreme Court since 2001. The state Republican Party sent mailers and automated recorded calls featuring Gov. Pat McCrory urging people to vote for Edmunds. Morgan was backed by the state Democratic Party.

Last year, there seemed to be no need for a primary because the General Assembly passed a law allowing Edmunds to run by himself this coming November in an up-or-down referendum. But Faires and others sued, calling the "retention election" idea unconstitutional, and a three-judge panel agreed.

DISTRICT 2

Republican U.S. Rep. George Holding won the year's only congressional primary between incumbents, ousting Rep. Renee Ellmers on Tuesday from a redrawn district that includes much of the territory that elected him before.

The final weeks of the race became a feud on the airwaves over conservative credentials, with heavy spending by the two candidates and more than $1 million from outside groups attacking Ellmers.

Holding won by a wide margin over Ellmers and doctor Greg Brannon. It was the first time two sitting members of Congress have run against each other since 2012.

Holding said he was excited by the result and happy that voters took note of his efforts to do the right thing in Washington.

"This primary gave me the opportunity to learn that people do notice," he told reporters.

Holding is expected to have a strong chance of winning the Republican-leaning district in November, when he'll face Democratic nominee John McNeil of Raleigh. Holding, a former federal prosecutor, was first elected in 2012.

The race between Holding and Ellmers was set up by court-ordered redistricting in February that moved Ellmers' 2nd District to the north and east, absorbing much of Holding's old 13th.

OTHER DISTRICTS

Tenth District Rep. Patrick McHenry of Denver, the chief deputy whip in the House, pushed back three challengers Tuesday in his Republican primary, receiving nearly 80 percent of the votes cast. McHenry faces Democratic nominee Andy Millard of Tryon in November.

First-term Rep. Mark Walker in the 6th District defeated Chris Hardin of Browns Summit in the Republican primary. Waiting for him in the general election is Democrat Pete Glidewell.

The 2nd District Democratic nominee will be Raleigh attorney John McNeil, who with most precincts reporting had a 2-to-1 lead over his closest competitor in the five-candidate race. McNeill will take on incumbent Republican George Holding, who defeated fellow Rep. Renee Ellmers and Greg Brannon earlier Tuesday.

Sue Googe of Cary won the Republican 4th District primary over Teiji Kimball and will take on veteran Democratic Rep. David Price of Chapel Hill.

In the 5th District, GOP Rep. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk won her primary Tuesday over Pattie Curran of Kernersville and in November will be challenged by Democrat Josh Brannon, another Tuesday winner.

Nearly complete, unofficial results showed Foxx with more than 70 percent of the vote. She's been in Congress since 2005 and is one of a handful of elected leaders in the House Republican Caucus.

Eighth District Rep. Richard Hudson of Concord beat Tim D'Annunzio of Raeford in the GOP primary and will take on Democrat Thomas Mills in the fall. Hudson led D'Annunzio by a nearly 2-to-1 margin.

Among other Democrats, Ernest Reeves of Greenville was the 3rd District winner, defeating David Allan Hurst. Reeves will take on longtime Republican Rep. Walter Jones Jr.

LOW TURNOUT

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the State Board of Elections showed that more than 505,000 people had cast ballots, or 7.7 percent of the nearly 6.6 million registered voters. More absentee and provisional ballots will be added to the total over the next several days.

Although this is a presidential election year, the initial turnout rate is lower than midterm primary elections in recent history.

Cox Media Group