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Democrat Challenger In 13th District Not Conceding Just Yet

Voter turnout was low in North Carolina's primary election on June 7, 2016. This was the second primary this year. KERI BROWN/WFDD

The 13th Congressional District race was a close one for the Democratic candidates. Former Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis of High Point appears to have won the contest. Only around 100 votes separate him from Greensboro developer John Isner.

Isner isn't ready to concede just yet.  

Tuesday's primary results aren't official until all of the votes are validated. County election officials are in the process of counting absentee and provisional ballots, which should be counted by next Tuesday. This may or may not change the vote tallies.

Democratic candidate Bob Isner says he's not asking for a recount at this point.

“I'm behind by around 100 votes and there would have to be a truly significant change in the vote count to even warrant a recount,” says Isner. “I don't think that's going to happen, but it's still too close not to keep that option open.”

Isner adds, “I've called Bruce Davis and congratulated him as the presumptive winner and told him what I was doing and he said I don't blame you, I would do the same thing, so we're OK there. It's just letting the process play out.”

Overall, 22 candidates vied for their party's primary win in the newly redrawn 13th district. The official winning Democrat will face Republican Ted Budd, a gun shop owner from Davie County, in the general election.

Voters headed back to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots in Congressional primaries, contests for state Supreme Court Justices, and a handful of local races. But because it was the second primary this year, turnout was lighter than traditional primaries.

Elections officials say statewide, voter turnout was at nearly 7.7 percent, with more than 500,000 ballots cast.

Usually, this voting day is reserved for run-off elections. Another primary had to be held because a court ruling found the former congressional districts racially gerrymandered.

The new lines could not be drawn in time for the March 15 primary.

 

*You can follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

 

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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