The North Carolina primaries went without any surprises.
The NC Connect Bond passed with 65 percent of the voters’ support. This means Western Carolina University will receive $110 million for a new science building along with many other projects included in the bond.
“This is a big day in our institution’s history and a big day in the history of our state,” said the Dean of the college of Arts and Sciences, Richard Starnes, in an e-mail message to the WCU community. “I would like to offer my deep and sincere thanks to the faculty of the Departments of Biology and Chemistry and Physics for their strong support over the last two years. Tonight, the voters gave us – and WCU — their vote of confidence. Tonight does not mark the end, but, in Winston Churchill’s words, it does mark “the end of the beginning.”
Chancellor David Belcher provided this video message on WCU’s social media after the positive vote on the bond referendum.
Donald Trump took North Carolina for the Republican nomination for President. He received 40 percent of the vote followed by Ted Cruz with 36 percent and John Kasich with 12 percent. In delegates count, that results with Trump getting 29 delegates, Cruz got 27 and nine for Kasich.
On the Democratic side, Hilary Clinton won the state with 54 percent of the vote compared to Bernie Sanders’ 40 percent. Clinton received 59 delegates and Sanders 45.
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory won the Republican nomination for Governor and will go on to face NC Attorney General Roy Cooper in the general election. McCrory received 81 percent of the Republican vote followed by Clyde Brawley with a distant 10 percent. Roy Cooper received 68 percent of the vote on the Democratic side.
Democrat Josh Stein and Republican Buck Newton will be the candidates for the NC Attorney General for the general election in November. Josh Stein got 54 percent of the vote compared to his opponent Marcus Williams’ 45 percent. Buck Newton got 55 percent of the vote compared to Jim O’Neill’s 44 percent.
U.S. senator Richard Burr (R) won the party nomination with 61 percent of the republican votes in the primary. This will his third run for the office this coming November. On the Democrat’s side, Deborah Ross won the nomination with 62 percent.
Democrat Elizabeth Cooper from Whittier won the election for District 1 of the Jackson County school board. She was the only candidate running. She received 98 percent of the vote.
The other race for school board in Jackson County was too close to call. Residents will have to wait a week to find out the winner. Becky Bryson Hester (D), Wesley Jamieson (D) and Carol Risel Dehart (R) are all currently polling around 33 percent.
Congressional races are postponed because of the federal court decision that prompted the state lawmakers to move the primaries for U.S. House races from March 15 to June 7. North Carolinian’s will vote for a N.C. Supreme Court seat on the June 7 primary, because a state court invalidated a change to court election procedures that the General Assembly approved last year.
Related links:
Asheville Citizen-Times: Full unofficial results for NC primary elections
