Primarily Yours

Tuesday in North Carolina will be crucial for many Democratic candidates and Republicans too. Many races are crowded with people hoping to be their party's standard-bearer this fall, and by Wednesday morning we should know whether the two parties have decided to shoot themselves in the foot or opted for candidates who can actually win a general election.

Here are some of the races in North Carolina I'll be watching:

US Congress

CD2, where three Dems are vying to take on incumbent Republican George Holding. Will it be Ken Romley or perennial candidate Linda Coleman for the Dems? Or long-shot Wendy Ella May, who got the endorsement of The Independent Weekly. (Holding has his own weak primary opponent.)

CD5 -- Which accomplished and determined woman will win? DD Adams or Jenny Marshall, to take on Virginia Foxx, who has only token primary opposition.

CD9 -- Dan McCready is likely to bury loose cannon Christian Cano on the Democratic ballot, while prognosticators are now saying that incumbent Republican Robert Pittenger is going to beat preacherman Mark Harris. Whoever wins on the R side will likely face a very well funded Dan McCready on the D side.

CD11 -- Rising conservative power-broker and incumbent Republican Mark Meadows has token opposition, but there are three interesting men running on the D side.

CD13 -- Kathy Manning will brush aside D challenger Adam Coker to take on Tedd Budd this fall. Budd is now considered one of the most vulnerable Republican first-termers in Congress, and Manning is very good at fundraising.

NC Senate

SD1 -- An open seat considered competitive for the Dem, D. Cole Phelps, who has no primary. Meanwhile, the Republican primary between an establishment R and a Tea Party insurgent may debilitate the troops. NandO profiled the race today. 

SD16 -- D primary between two admirable candidates, in a district strongly Democratic. Whoever wins the primary should have a good shot at winning the seat.

SD19 -- D primary in a district that ought to be competitive for a D (with a flawed Republican incumbent). The two Ds worry me.

SD25 -- Strong D woman (Helen Probst Mills) with no primary, waiting to see which R she'll face this fall, the incumbent Republican or his arch-conservative challenger. Both Rs have issues.

SD34 -- Will Republican Bob Rucho regain a seat or lose to a moderate woman?

SD38 -- Will incumbent Dem Joel Ford lose to Mujtaba Mohammed?

SD39 -- Will incumbent Republican Dan Bishop lose to a moderate woman, Beth Monaghan?

SD45 -- Will first-termer Deanna Ballard prevail over three-term veteran Shirley Randleman? This race profiled today in the NandO.

NC House

HD1 -- Dem Ron Wesson, a strong contender in a competitive district, awaits the outcome of the primary on the R side, which was profiled in today's NandO.

HD3 -- Primaries on both sides, but the one everyone's watching involves crazy Republican incumbent Michael Speciale and challenger Eric Queen, profiled in today's NandO.

HD6 -- A strong Dem woman, Tess Judge, waiting to see which R she'll be running against this fall, either toxic incumbent Beverly Boswell or her male opponent. This race profiled today in the NandO.

HD11 -- Besmirched Dem incumbent Duane Hall, fighting for his life.

HD35 -- Primaries on both sides. Terence Everitt is probably favored on the D side, as is the Republican incumbent Chris Malone on the opposite side. This should be a very competitive district this fall.

HD83 -- Primaries on both sides in this "safe" Republican district, but it's incumbent Republican Larry Pittman's opponent who might bear some watching.

HD99 -- Another Democratic incumbent, Rodney Moore, could get knocked off by a challenger in a safe Dem district.