Observations: Guilford County elections
The Republican primary races for Guilford County commissioner may be closer than most people first thought.
Here's a stab at a possible reason:
Of the folks that I've talked to at a couple of precincts today, the majority chose to vote in the Democratic primary. That means that in the District 5 Republican primary, where incumbent Billy Yow faces former Pleasant Garden Mayor Rick Wallace and barely-there candidate Lisa Andrews, voters who could otherwise help tip a wider margin in that race are not selecting Republican ballots. Those voters are instead shooting for the presidential Democratic nominee.
This is important because the winner in the District 5 primary will likely be the winner overall, unless the loser seeks a runoff (which can be declared only after all ballots are counted). There are no Democratic candidates for District 5.
The same theory could go for the At Large county commissioner primary. Two winners in that field of five Republicans will face Democratic incumbents Paul Gibson and John Parks in November.
That's the pull of a presidential primary for you, which can take credit for another effect. I interviewed a woman in her 40s today who voted for her first time. At another precinct I spoke with 40-ish woman voting the second time ever.
Then again, the argument could be made that any newcomers to the election probably are only interested in the national political scene, not local politics.
Whaaa? Who wouldn't find this stuff interesting?
