Races for N.C. execs are being contested

Officials say 3 offices are up for grabs; Cobb catapults into lead

SHARIF DURHAMS

Raleigh Bureau

 

RALEIGH - A seemingly smooth election night for N.C. races turned into a contentious day after Wednesday, with state elections officials and the state Democratic Party questioning whether three executive offices are too close to call.

The final tallies could determine whether Democratic Gov. Mike Easley will have to manage an administration peppered with several Republicans for the first time in a century. Those final numbers might not come for at least a week.

"I don't know if it's going to be over any time soon," said N.C. Board of Elections Executive Director Gary Bartlett. "In a nutshell, we have a close race ... a hotly contested race."

Results in the race for N.C. commissioner of agriculture flipped from Tuesday to Wednesday. Democrat Britt Cobb trailed Republican Steve Troxler Tuesday night. Wednesday's d numbers gave Cobb a lead of about 1,500 votes, far less than 1 percent of votes cast.

A lead for Republican Bill Fletcher over Democrat June Atkinson in the superintendent of public instruction race has narrowed to about 3,200 votes, another minuscule margin. In the race for N.C. auditor, incumbent Democrat Ralph Campbell was trailing Republican Les Merritt, but narrowed his deficit to about 41,000 votes, a gap of slightly more than 1 percent of the vote.

And about 75,000 provisional ballots haven't been counted.

Elections board officials were busy tallying corrections Wednesday to results in Guilford, Yadkin and Chowan counties, Bartlett said. Local elections boards also have to count provisional ballots, those cast by voters whose eligibility couldn't be confirmed on Election Day.

Bartlett also said he is investigating the potential loss of 4,500 votes in Carteret County, where officials apparently exceeded the limit on machines during early voting. He said he was unsure Wednesday whether those ballots could be retrieved.

The three races might not be cleared up before next Tuesday, when local poll workers officially canvass the votes, Bartlett said.

The N.C. Democratic Party, fighting to maintain its dominance of the state's 10 top elected executive offices, said the final results could stop apparent Republican gains.

The tight races confirm that N.C. Republicans, despite their infighting and their inability to keep control of the legislature, are making gains in statewide races. Before 2000, the GOP hadn't won a seat on the Council of State in a century. If the contested races fall their way, Republicans could have four of the 10 seats.

The biggest statewide race the GOP lost, the gubernatorial contest, was lost to Easley. He campaigned as a stronger fiscal conservative than Republican counterpart Patrick Ballantine.

Easley will still have advantages. He has a Democratic House and Senate to work with next year, thanks in part to legislative districts drafted largely by Democrats.

Democrats appear to have picked up five N.C. House seats for a 63-57 majority. Democrats also picked up one or two seats in the N.C. Senate.