North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance Mike Causey from Guilford County easily won his Republican primary race against Ronald Pierce on Tuesday, March 3.
Causey had 64.6 percent of the vote and Pierce, who ran because he has a longstanding grievance against the state Department of Insurance, finished with 35.4 percent.
Causey will face former NC Commissioner of Insurance Wayne Goodwin in November. Causey defeated Goodwin in 2016 to win the seat, so 2020 will be a rematch, but this time Causey is the incumbent and Goodwin is the challenger.
Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill won the Republican primary for attorney general with 46.5 percent, defeating Sam Hayes with 31.1 percent and Christine Mumma with 22.3 percent.
O’Neill ran for attorney general in 2016 and lost in the Republican primary to Buck Newton, who lost in the general election to Democrat Josh Stein.
Stein didn’t face a primary opponent so O’Neill will face Stein in the November election.
For the first time in 20 years North Carolina will have a new commissioner of labor because Cherie Berry, a Republican, is not running for reelection.
Josh Dobson won the Republican primary for commissioner of labor with 40.3 percent of the vote, defeating Chuck Stanley with 37.8 percent and Pearl Burris Floyd with 21.8 percent.
Dobson will face Democrat Jessica Holmes, who didn’t have a primary, in November.
The NC superintendent of public instruction is an open seat because current Superintendent Mark Johnson ran for lieutenant governor. Catherine Truitt won the Republican primary with 56.7 percent over Craig Horn with 43.3 percent.
Jen Mangrum won the Democratic primary with 33.1 percent and will face Truitt in November.
Mangrum defeated Keith Sutton with 26.6 percent, Constance (Lav) Johnson with 21.1 percent, James Barrett with 10.7 percent and Michael Maher with 8.3 percent.
