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Judges: New North Carolina Congress Map Will Be Used In 2020

A panel of North Carolina judges says the U.S. House district map that Republican state legislators drew last month will be used in elections next year.

The three judges decided Monday there wasn't enough time in the election cycle to consider detailed redistricting arguments from the lawmakers and from voters who challenged the latest congressional maps.

The North Carolina primary is March 3, and candidate filing opened Monday. The judges had suspended congressional filings while they reviewed the case, but Judge Paul Ridgeway said from the bench the State Board of Elections can now start receiving filings from U.S. House hopefuls.

GOP Rival To North Carolina Sen. Tillis Won't Run After All

A former investment firm CEO who announced months ago his Republican primary challenge of North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis now says he won't officially enter the race after all.

Garland Tucker's decision on Monday's opening day of state candidate filing appears to clear the GOP field of well-funded rivals to Tillis, who's seeking a second term next year.

Tucker wrote donors that while he had put $1.6 million of his own money into the campaign, he would need to raise $2.5 million more to compete well in the March 3 primary. He says access to “national conservative funding has been effectively cut off” by Trump's endorsement of Tillis in June and the impeachment proceedings.

Cunningham, Manning Enter Races

Democrat Kathy Manning has launched her campaign for the redrawn 6th District of North Carolina. 

Manning previously lost her bid to represent the 13th Congressional District in 2018. The Winston-Salem Journal reports Manning announced on Monday she'll run in a district that now includes all of Guilford County, Winston-Salem, and parts of Kernersville. The North Carolina General Assembly approved the newly formed district in November.

Democrat Cal Cunningham appeared in Lexington to announce his race for US Senate.

Cunningham's entry in the race is not a surprise; he's been campaigning for months. He's a former state senator and a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This is Cunningham's second run for the US Senate. He lost in a runoff to Elaine Marshall in the 2010 Democratic primary.

Winston-Salem Donates $200,000 For Children's Home Land Preservation

The Piedmont Land Conservancy will receive $200,000 from Winston-Salem. Winston-Salem City Council approved the donation that will go toward preserving Children's Home farmland.

The Winston-Salem Journal reports the council voted 6-2 to approve the donation.

The Piedmont Land Conservancy wants to buy development rights on 92 acres of farmland to preserve it as open space.  

R.J. Reynolds Seeks FDA Approval To Claim E-Cig Is Safer

The Food and Drug Administration will review whether R.J. Reynolds can claim that its electronic cigarette poses less risk than tobacco.

The e-cigarette named Vuse is made by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co.

Reynolds submitted Vuse for premarket approval from the FDA in October. Approval requires the FDA to consider a product's risks and benefits, particularly when compared to traditional cigarettes.

Editor's note: A previous version of our story regarding the Piedmont Land Conservancy stated the organization wanted to develop the land. The Conservancy plans to preserve the land as open space. 

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