NC’s May 17 primary might not be only one this year. What you need to know about runoffs.
North Carolina’s primary on May 17 narrows the field of candidates for this November’s general election. But there’s more to advancing than just being the candidate who gets the most votes.
In order to win a primary race and be guaranteed a spot on the general election ballot, candidates much reach a certain threshold. Here’s what you need to know:
Does the person with the most votes win the primary?
Not necessarily. There’s a threshold in a primary. Candidates must win more than 30% of votes in their race to secure their party’s nomination for the general election. That means 30% of the total vote count plus one.
What if they don’t receive more than 30% of votes?
According to the N.C. State Board of Elections, If no candidate receives more than 30% of the vote, the second-place candidate may request a second primary.
When is the runoff?
North Carolina’s second primary would be July 26.
What NC races might go to a runoff?
In 2022, only the Democratic and Republican parties have primaries. Prominent races with crowded candidate fields include U.S. House districts 4, 11 and 13.
▪ In the 4th Congressional District, the Democratic primary field has eight candidates. There are three frontrunners in that race: state Sen. Valerie Foushee, singer Clay Aiken and Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam.
▪ In the 13th district, there’s another eight-way primary, this time among Republicans. The candidates include former college football player Bo Hines, businessman and military veteran Kent Keirsey and lawyer Kelly Daughtry.
▪ The 11th district also features eight Republican candidates, and here seven of them are challengers to first-term Rep. Madison Cawthorn. Among them is state Sen. Chuck Edwards.
How do you know if there will be a second primary?
The N.C. Board of Elections will post second primary information here: ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at https://campsite.bio/underthedome or wherever you get your podcasts.
