News-Record.com

Congratulations to Guilford County Elections Supervisor George Gilbert, his staff and all the precinct workers for a fine job today. Everything went smoothly, and final results were posted shortly after 10.

Congratulations to the winners. There weren't any local suprises, except that I expected Julia Hejazi to beat Doug Henderson in the DA's race. This was not a day for challengers to oust incumbents in Guilford County, however.

I have no idea what Durham County Democrats -- OK, 45 percent of them -- were thinking in backing their DA, Mike Nifong. His plurality was enough to carry the day for the prosecutor who has badly mishandled the Duke rape case. I don't know whether the crime occurred as the accuser says it did, but I'm dead certain Reade Seligmann, one of the two lacrosse players charged so far, isn't going to be convicted for it.

What's most damning of Nifong's many mistakes -- even worse than the stacked photo lineup used to identify the suspects -- was his refusal to look at evidence of Seligmann's innocence. What kind of officer of the court refuses to look at evidence of a suspect's innocence (as reported by the News & Observer)?

Durham Democrats have just elected a man who is going to embarrass their county. Durham Republicans should be kicking themselves for not putting up a candidate. By November, when his case has fallen apart, Nifong won't have any public support.