In North Carolina, primary voters choosing candidates to succeed term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina primary voters were choosing potential successors to term-limited Gov. Roy Cooper on Tuesday, with the Democratic attorney general and the Republican lieutenant governor among those seeking to advance to what is expected to be an expensive and competitive fall campaign.

Five Democrats and three Republicans were competing for their parties’ gubernatorial nominations in the nation’s ninth-largest state, which is also a likely presidential battleground this year.

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, State Treasurer Dale Folwell and trial attorney Bill Graham are seeking the GOP nomination. The Democratic field includes Attorney General Josh Stein — who received Cooper’s endorsement — former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Morgan and three others candidates who’ve spent very little.

Robinson, who would be the state’s first Black governor, formally received Donald Trump’s endorsement over the weekend at a rally. Trump called him “Martin Luther King on steroids,” comparing his speaking abilities to those of the late civil rights leader. But Robinson’s harsh comments on LGBTQ+ rights and other issues are seen as a liability by Democrats and some Republican opponents.

North Carolina is poised to be one of the most competitive states this fall as President Joe Biden and Trump appear headed toward a likely rematch. The governor’s race could have implications for the presidential contest if Democrats can tap into controversies surrounding Trump and Robinson to portray the Republicans as out of step with the state’s urban areas and with unaffiliated voters, who are now the state’s largest voting group.

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