The 2018 midterms kick off in earnest on Tuesday, with voters heading to the polls for key primaries in Ohio, West Virginia, Indiana, and North Carolina.
North Carolina primaries 2018: Democrats eye suburban districts in a deeply gerrymandered state
The primaries will decide candidates for crucial House, Senate, and governor’s races — and in North Carolina, Democrats are hoping to make headway in the suburbs.
Former state lawmaker Linda Coleman and tech entrepreneur Ken Romley face off in a competitive Democratic primary to challenge incumbent Rep. George Holding in the Second District. Meanwhile, Democrat Dan McCready hopes to become the next Conor Lamb in the Ninth District. The suburban district outside Charlotte is heavily gerrymandered, but Democrats believe the Marine Corps veteran and solar energy entrepreneur has a chance to steal the seat from incumbent Rep. Robert Pittenger — who faces his own tough primary challenge.
In the 13th District, Kathy Manning, a philanthropist, former immigration lawyer, and major Democratic donor, is running on jobs and affordable health care. In 2018, that might be enough to mount a real challenge to Republican incumbent Ted Budd.
All of this is taking place in one of the most gerrymandered states in the country. About half of North Carolina voters are Democrats, but Republicans control 10 of the state’s 13 congressional districts. Republicans’ incredibly lopsided advantage could help determine control of the House in 2018, and it’s polarizing the state’s politics.
Rep. Robert Pittenger has lost his House seat to primary challenger Mark Harris
Rep. Robert Pittenger has lost his House seat to Mark Harris. Michael Probst/APPrimary challengers claimed their first victory against establishment Republicans on Tuesday night in North Carolina, where incumbent Rep. Robert Pittenger lost the nomination to successful challenger Mark Harris.
Harris, a conservative former senior pastor of Charlotte’s First Baptist Church and former president of the North Carolina Baptist Convention, won the contentious Republican primary in North Carolina’s Ninth District, in what was a rematch of a close 2016 race.
Read Article >North Carolina’s extreme gerrymandering could save the House Republican majority
Javier Zarracina/VoxGREENSBORO, North Carolina — North Carolina A&T State University may look like any other college campus, but there’s an invisible line splitting it down the middle, carving it into two different congressional districts.
North Carolina A&T is the largest historically black public college in the country. Each day, students walking from the library to the main dining hall regularly cross from the Sixth Congressional District to the 13th District. Students who move from a dorm on the north side of campus to one on the south side have to reregister to vote in a new district, and then reregister again if they move back.
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