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GOP Race For NC-13 Heated

North Carolina’s 13th congressional district is up for grabs this election season. Incumbent democrat Brad Miller was re-districted out of the 13th by Republicans in the State Legislature. The district now leans Republican and that has created a contentious battle in advance of the primary.

Dave DeWitt: On paper, George Holding and Paul Coble have a lot in common. They are both well-connected conservative Republicans. But there is a kind of paper where they are quite different and it’s the one that may matter most: money. Holding has a lot of it; Coble does not. And that’s allowing Holding and a SuperPac that supports him to fill the airwaves with ads.

HOLDING AD: The numbers to remember, Paul Coble has run for office 9 times. Supported increasing the county debt 93 percent. Paul Coble, 9, 9, nein.

Coble also has ads, even if they aren’t on the air nearly as much. They try to connect Holding to traditionally liberal supporters.

COBLE AD: So who’s driving George Holding’s dirty SuperPac? Read the papers. It’s trial lawyers. Trial lawyers fought against tort reform. The same trial lawyers who stood on the side of gay marriage.

Both Coble and Holding are for smaller government and cutting entitlement programs. They also believe marriage should be restricted to a man and a woman, and they are both pro-life. They agree, in fact, on almost every substantive issue, as does the third Republican on the ballot, Bill Randall.
Whoever wins will have a substantial advantage over any Democratic candidate. The primary is May 8th.

Dave DeWitt is WUNC's Supervising Editor for Politics and Education. As an editor, reporter, and producer he's covered politics, environment, education, sports, and a wide range of other topics.
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