24 primaries to watch in 2024

In two months, North Carolina will hold its primary elections. From congressional to Council of State, these are the races you should be watching.

In North Carolina’s 6th Congressional District, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, lobbyist Addison McDowell and businessman Bo Hines (left to right) are among the leading contenders.

There are 198 races I’m tracking this year: 120 NC House, 50 NC Senate, 14 U.S. House, 10 Council of State and four statewide judicial contests.

Of those, 26 outcomes have already been decided before a single vote is cast. That’s because 24 legislative Democrats and two legislative Republicans are running without any primary or general election opponents.

This leaves us with 172 races to watch, of which less than half have contested primaries and even less are highly competitive.

With the March 5 primary two months away, I wanted to share the top 24 races worth watching, as I expect they could be competitive or say something about the direction both parties are heading:

#1: Republican 13th Congressional District

There’s 14 Republicans vying for the Triangle-area seat of retiring U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel.