NORTH CAROLINA, USA — March 5 is Super Tuesday and North Carolina is one of several states holding its primary elections. Aside from the U.S. presidential primary election, there are some other important primary races in the state, including primary election races for the North Carolina governor and the state attorney general.
The primary election comes on the heels of changes to several state voting laws. The Republican-led legislature pushed through the new laws despite vetoes from Governor Roy Cooper. Supporters say the restrictions make voting more secure while voting rights groups say they disenfranchise voters.
Those changes include upping the deadline for when mail-in ballots can be received and counted. Previously, there was a three-day grace period for mail-in ballots as long as they were postmarked by election day.
Now, if a mail-in ballot is not received by 7:30 PM on election day, it won't count.
The director of Mecklenburg County's Board of Elections, Michael Dickerson, told WCNC Charlotte his office collaborated with the post office to ensure all mail-in ballots were received by the deadline.
"[They] literally did what they call a sweep," Dickerson said. "All the post offices here in town, and brought them all to one location so we could get everything in."
While redistricting has made the U.S. House races less competitive, there is plenty of competition amongst several Republican-leaning districts.
Here is a list of some important races and results to watch in Tuesday's primary.
U.S presidential primary results
The presidential primary election is top of mind and top of the ballot on Tuesday. President Joe Biden is the sole candidate on the Democratic primary ticket, and Nikki Haley is hanging on after her first primary win in Washington D.C. on Sunday. Haley has lost all her other primaries so far to challenger and former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Democratic presidential primary
In December, the North Carolina Democratic Party decided President Joe Biden would not have a challenger in the primary election. Voters can still choose to write in a candidate.
Republican presidential primary results
Former President Donald Trump is facing former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who just won her first primary election in the District of Columbia. This was the first time a woman won any Republican presidential primary in United States history.
Voters in North Carolina Tuesday voted on express a preference for whether Trump or Haley should win that state's delegates for the nomination.
Where do the candidates stand nationally?
Overall, Haley severely trails Trump in the delegate count for the nomination as the Republican candidate for U.S. president. A candidate needs 1,215 for the Republican party's nomination.
North Carolina governor
There is national attention on who will take over as North Carolina's new governor in November. Since Governor Roy Cooper is term-limited, eyes are on Josh Stein, the Democratic front-runner and current NC attorney general, and Republican Mark Robinson, the current lieutenant governor. Unlike other states, the candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on separate tickets. This means the elected officials can ultimately be from different political parities.
North Carolina Attorney General Results
Republican Dan Bishop is the sole candidate on the Republican primary ticket for attorney general.
Three democrats are battling it out on the Democratic side: Santana Deberry, Tim Dunn and Jeff Jackson. Jackson decided to run for attorney general after redistricting forced him out of his current seat in the U.S. Congress.
U.S. House Republican primaries to watch
Democratic Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners-at-Large
In a surprising turn, longtime Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioner-at-Large Patricia Cotham appears to be failing in her reelection bid by fourth place in Tuesday's Democratic primary. The top three votes appear to go to Leigh Altman, Arthur Griffin, Jr. and Yvette Townsend-Ingram.