Paul Coble and George Holding are waging a fierce battle for the Republican nod in the 13th Congressional District. The District extends from North Raleigh through the rural counties north of the Triangle. It was re-drawn by the State Legislature and went from a safe Democratic seat to one that is likely to become Republican. The two men leading the race for the seat are very similar.
Dave DeWitt: Coble and Holding are so alike, in fact, they even share the exact same three political heroes.
Paul Coble: Well, there’s no question, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Helms, and George Washington.
That’s Paul Coble. He’s a former mayor of Raleigh and the current chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. He believes in smaller government and significant cuts to spending.
Coble is also the nephew of former Senator Jess Helms.
George Holding was also close to Helms. He worked for him. Twice.
George Holding: Yeah, he’s a hero because he stayed true to his principles through thick and thin.
But there are some differences between the two leading candidates for the 13th Congressional District, and most of them involve money. Holding’s fundraising has dwarfed Coble’s, and a SuperPac, The American Foundations Committee, is running TV and radio ads for him.
A third republican candidate, Bill Randall, is also running in the primary. Whoever wins on May 8th is likely to have a significant advantage over the Democratic candidate, given the heavy Republican leanings of the re-drawn 13th district.