RALEIGH (AP) — North Carolina’s 2014 campaign season officially began Monday as candidates swarmed election offices in Raleigh and all 100 counties to officially file for races from U.S. Senate to school board and judicial and legislative seats in between.
Dozens of candidates, along with campaign aides and supporters, arrived at the State Board of Elections office at midday to fill out candidacy sheets, pay filing fees and speak their names into an audio recorder as their identifier for disabled voters.
The filing period, which ends at noon Feb. 28, gives candidates a clean slate and injection of optimism heading into some grueling months of fundraising and campaigning.
The primary is May 6, with runoffs on July 15, or on June 24 if the only runoffs involve nominations for state office. The general election in Nov. 4.
“It’s important to be here when it opens up,” said Donald Buie, an attorney running for District Court judge in Forsyth County. Buie arrived more than two hours before the candidacy period opened and was the first candidate called to the front of the state elections boardroom to file. Buie lost two years ago in a similar race in Guilford County.
“Last time was more of a learning experience,” Buie added. “I learned a lot of things last time, but I think I have a good chance this time.”
More than 70 people had signed up to become official candidates in Raleigh by 1:30 p.m.
It was also time to celebrate an important milestone for people who have already been running for months. Republican U.S. Senate candidate Mark Harris addressed about a dozen supporters who came with him after speaking with media outlets. Similar scenes played out at local election offices in all 100 counties for General Assembly seats and local races.
“This is an incredible day,” Harris told his group. “You’ve been a part of it from day one.”
Another U.S. Senate candidate for the GOP, Ted Alexander, said he came on the first day in part because of uncertain winter weather later in the week. Arriving early on the first day also gave the former Shelby mayor, a relative newcomer to the Senate race, some publicity.
“We’re just going to work as hard as we can for the coming several months to keep getting the word out,” Alexander said.
Those who didn’t get there before noon to sign up waited awhile to turn in their paperwork to a board worker. That left Democratic U.S. Rep. David Price, seeking his 14th term in office, anxious about missing an afternoon flight to Washington.
Two Democratic candidates for Mel Watt’s vacant congressional seat filed for both the special election to serve out his term and for the next two-year term starting in January 2015. They were state Sen. Malcolm Graham of Charlotte and state Rep. Alma Adams of Greensboro.
Five candidates — three Republicans and two Democrats— signed up Monday to run for the 6th Congressional District seat now held by Rep. Howard Coble, who won’t seek re-election after 30 years in office. Democrat Jonathan Barfield Jr. of Wilmington field for the 7th District, where Rep. Mike McIntyre is also retiring after 2014.
Other candidates who filed Monday in Raleigh include Court of Appeals Judges Mark Davis and Donna Stroud, who are both seeking eight-year terms, and appeals Judge Robert Hunter of Morehead City, who is running for the state Supreme Court. Special Superior Court Judge Lucy Inman also filed to run for the Court of Appeals.
Three of the 15 Court of Appeals seats and four of the seven Supreme Court positions are up for re-election in November in the officially nonpartisan races. The Supreme Court seats include the one held by Chief Justice Sarah Parker. She cannot seek re-election because she will meet the mandatory retirement age of 72 in August. Current Associate Justice Mark Martin plans to run for chief justice.