North Carolina’s 13th congressional district is shaping up as one of the most contentious races on the May 8 primary ballot. Two of the candidates, Paul Coble and George Holding, are fighting over who is more conservative.
Dave DeWitt: Paul Coble is no stranger to running for elected office. The one-term mayor of Raleigh and current chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners has run nine times. He says his experience should count.
Paul Coble: I’m the only candidate in the race that has actually cut a government budget, has actually voted against tax increases and has actually cut tax rates.
Coble’s main primary opponent is George Holding. He has never held elected office. He gained notoriety and, he says, experience as the U.S. Attorney who investigated John Edwards.
George Holding: Career politicians know how the system works and they want to work the system. And I don’t want to go to Washington and work the system, I want to go to Washington and bust the system.
Holding and Coble share nearly identical conservative views on smaller government, cutting spending, and balancing the budget. They also have disdain for the Affordable Care Act, or, as they all it, “Obamacare.”
Holding leads Coble in fundraising and is also supported by a SuperPac, The American Foundations Committee. Both have a sizable lead over the third Republican candidate, Bill Randall.
The winner is very likely to replace Democrat Brad Miller, who was re-districted out of the 13th and chose not to seek re-election to Congress.