Bowles, Dole cruise to victory in Senate primaries

The U.S. Senate primaries and Durham County elections held few surprises Tuesday night, with the Senate race's front-runners boasting decisive victories and mostly incumbents winning the Democratic nominations for the five county commissioner seats.

Elizabeth Dole, Woman's College '58, won the Republican nomination for the Senate with more than 80 percent of the vote. Erskine Bowles defeated Dan Blue, Law '73, for the Democratic nomination with a plurality of just under 50 percent. Former Durham City Council member Mary Jacobs was the only challenger to capture the Democratic nomination for a seat on the Durham County Board of Commissioners, along with all four incumbents running for reelection.

"This is certainly a great victory for Mrs. Dole," said Mary Brown Brewer, a campaign spokesperson. "It speaks to the strong grassroots campaign she has run across the state."

Dole will go on to face Bowles, who was the Democratic primary front-runner, in November.

The highly contested nature of the primary might hinder the Democratic party's chances in the general election, said Jeff Gnecco, Law '03, who has been working on the Bowles campaign as co-chair of the Durham County Political Committee.

But he said he felt that Democrats would pull together, and praised Bowles for running a positive campaign. "He promised on the first day of his campaign that he wouldn't say a single bad thing about the other candidates, and he hasn't," Gnecco said.

Mayor Bill Bell, a Democrat, also said he expected to see a unified party as the race moves to its final stage. "All candidates have pledged to support the winner. [There's] nothing to be gained by going separate ways," he said. "I think nationally, North Carolina is going to get a lot of attention."

In Durham County's elections, four of the five current County Commissioners--Joe Bowser, Philip Cousin, Becky Heron and Ellen Reckhow--won in the Democratic primary and will move on to the general election in November with Jacobs. No Republicans ran in the primary, so the results will most likely be mirrored in the general election, although five Libertarian candidates are also running.

Bowser said the biggest issue facing the county will be dealing with the state's budget cuts.

"Finances will be at the top of the list with what the state has been doing to us," Bowser said. He cited economic development as another issue, saying the county should focus on developing the inner city while cutting back on development on the city's outskirts. "I think that area [near the Streets at Southpoint mall] has been maxed out."

Heron agreed with Bowser that budget cuts will be the focus of attention for the county, with $9 million in taxes withheld by the state. She also said the commissioners need to examine mental health reform now that the state has been shifting the responsibility for patients in state hospitals back to the counties.

"This was one of the toughest elections that I've been through," Heron said. Candidates had a limited amount of time to organize their campaigns once the revised date of the primaries was finally announced after a four-month delay.

Reckhow admitted to being a "nervous wreck" on election day, but she appeared relaxed watching the election returns.

"That represents an affirmation of the current board's policies," she said. She cited steady improvements of the school system, decreased crime rates and the highest rate of economic growth in the state as evidence of the board's success.

Milo Pyne of the Durham People's Alliance, a liberal citizens' political group, said he was reasonably happy with the results, although he was concerned that Jacobs favored development on the city's outskirts too much.

"We're glad the other four incumbents returned," Pyne said, adding that he thinks their slow-growth approach to development will balance Jacobs' view.

The Durham Public School Board of Education held its general elections with races in three different districts. Jacqueline Wagstaff won in District One, Regina George-Bowden in District Two and Gail Heath in District Three. Steve Martin ran uncontested in District Four.

"Right now it's a challenge for us to be able to sit down in one room," Wagstaff said, noting that bringing racial harmony to the school board will be important. She also spoke of the social ills that plague Durham, such as bad housing, poor health insurance and a high crime rate, saying they create an environment that is not conducive to success in school. "We've got to figure out how to keep our kids in school rather than on the streets."

Tom Miller, also with the People's Alliance, said he thought "new blood" on the school board would bring about positive changes and more open discourse.

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