[Adding a bit to what I wrote earlier, it’s worth noting that the Wake Republicans split their endorsement in District A — or rather, they endorsed both of the Republican candidates, Brian Tinga and Gale Wilkins. Not so in the mayor’s race, where Redmond is endorsed and Williams isn’t.]
I’ve heard more than one Republican refer to the Redmond-Williams contest as an unofficial primary (the elections are officially nonpartisan), with the goal of getting the GOP front-runner into a runoff with McFarlane.
If any candidate wins 50 percent of the votes in October, it’s over and she — or he — wins.
But if none do, the top two finishers move on to a November runoff. For purposes of getting to a runoff, it may help the Republicans to have a pair of candidates out rounding up votes. But it usually doesn’t work that way: Two candidates from the same party make it hard to either to reach critical mass in terms of fundraising, volunteer help and general enthusiasm, leaving the door open for a single candidate from the other party to take off and win.
Not sure which will be true in the case of Redmond & Williams.
***
Here’s the statement from the Wake GOP:
Wake County Republican Party Presents Its Slate of Endorsed Candidates for 2011 Elections
WakeGOP Unified as 2011 Municipal Elections Approach
The Wake County Republican Party has made its official endorsement of candidates in the scheduled October 11 and November 8, 2011 elections. The action came last night, when the Executive Committee voted to endorse the candidates listed below.
“The Wake County Republican Party is pleased to present these well qualified candidates on our endorsed slate. The process of recruiting and endorsing took over a year, with hard work from a strong recruitment committee. I am pleased with the final endorsements by the Wake County GOP Executive Board. The Party is unified around this slate and we are looking forward to helping them achieve victory in the upcoming municipal elections this fall!” – Wake County Republican Party Chair Susan Bryant.
Wake County Republican Party Endorsed Candidates for 2011
Wake County School Board Candidates
School Board District 3: Heather Losurdo
School Board District 4: Venita Peyton
School Board District 5: Cynthia Matson
School Board District 6: Donna Williams
School Board District 8: Ron Margiotta
Apex Municipal Candidates
Apex Mayor: Keith Weatherly
Apex Council: Darren Eustance
Apex Council: Scott Lassiter
Cary Municipal Candidates
Cary Mayor: Michelle Muir
Cary Town Council At-Large: Zeke Bridges
Cary Town Council District B: Don Frantz
Cary Town Council District D: Don Hyatt
Fuquay-Varina Candidates
Fuquay-Varina Town Commissioner: Sean Hearn
Fuquay-Varina Town Commissioner: Charlie Adcock
Garner Candidates
Garner Town Council: Becky Matthews
Holly Springs Candidates
Holly Springs Town Council: Cheri Lee
Knightdale Candidates
Knightdale Town Council: Dustin Tripp
Knightdale Town Council: Doug Taylor
Morrisville Candidates
Morrisville Town Council At-Large: Mark Stohlman
Morrisville Town Council District 1: Michael Schlink
Morrisville Town Council District 3: Gary Martin
Morrisville Town Council At-Large: Tara Mylenski
Raleigh Candidates
Raleigh Mayor: Billie Redmond
Raleigh City Council At-Large: Paul Fitts
Raleigh City Council District A: Brian Tinga
Raleigh City Council District A: Gale Wilkins
Raleigh City Council District B: John Odom
Raleigh City Council District C: Paul Terrell
Rolesville Candidates
Rolesville Mayor: C. Frank Eagles
Rolesville Board of Commissioners: Gil Hartis
Rolesville Board of Commissioners: Shannon Whitley
Wake Forest Candidates
Wake Forest Board of Commissioners: Zachary Donahue
Wake Forest Board of Commissioners: M. Greg Harrington
Wake Forest Board of Commissioners: Anne Hines
Wendell Candidates
Wendell Board of Commissioners: Tillie Turlington
