Incumbent Jennifer Robinson squeaked by challenger Lori Bush by 247 votes in District A, but it may not be enough to thwart a runoff. According to unofficial results from the Wake County Board of Elections, with all 11 precincts reporting, Robinson received 49.47 percent of the vote, compared with 42.54 for Bush.
Under election rules, the second-place finisher can ask for a runoff if the first-place finisher doesn’t receive 50 percent plus 1 of the vote.
According to the Bush campaign, the candidate and her advisers are considering asking for a runoff.
A runoff election would be held Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Robinson, a Republican, won her 1,763 votes by clinching eight of the district’s 11 precincts and tying with Bush in two. Bush, a Democrat, won one precinct and received 1,516 votes.
Cynthia Sinkez received 5.1 percent of the vote with 184 votes; Terry Thorne got 2.7 percent, or 98 votes. Their combined 282 votes could make the difference in a Bush-Robinson runoff.
Robinson could not be immediately reached for comment.
In District C, Jack Smith won by nearly a 2-1 margin with 65 percent of the vote over Catherine Evangelista.
In the at-large race, Julie Robison ran unopposed, garnering nearly 79 percent of the vote after her challenger, Philip Scarsella, dropped out of the race.
Check back Wednesday for news on the possible runoff. The Indy will endorse in runoff elections in the Oct. 14 issue.
— By Lisa Sorg
