In close primary race, trailing North Carolina legislator files election protests

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A veteran North Carolina legislator filed protests Friday in his primary election in which he slightly trails, alleging that ballot distribution and counting mistakes along with unlawful voting-site campaigning cast doubt on the results.

Democratic Rep. Michael Wray, who joined the state House in 2005, filed the protests with elections boards in Halifax, Northampton and Warren counties, which are northeast of Raleigh and compose the 27th House District.

As of Friday afternoon, Rodney Pierce, a Halifax County teacher, led Wray by 35 votes from close to 12,000 ballots cast in last week’s primary. The winner faces no Republican opposition in the fall.

Wray has been criticized by outside groups and other Democrats for aligning himself at times with leaders in the Republican-controlled House, where he’s been made one of the senior chairmen of the powerful finance committee.

Pierce called on Wray to concede, saying he “seems to want to change the rules more than a week after the contest ended, just because he lost.” And several groups favoring Pierce’s election put out news releases calling the accusations “bogus” and “dirty tricks.”

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