Brooks files for runoff

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 13 May 2008 18:30:25 -0400

Former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks, who is currently in second place for votes in the Democratic primary for his old job, filed for a runoff Tuesday.

Due to a huge number of provisional ballots cast on May 5, however, some North Carolina counties have yet to certify their primary results, including Wake, Michael Biesecker reports.

That means just who finished second to primary winner Mary Fant Donnan of Winston-Salem, who garnered about 27.5 percent of the vote, is still in doubt.

Currently, the count stands with Brooks at 24.4 percent, Ty Richardson at 24.2 percent and Robin Anderson at 23.9 percent.

As the count stood Tuesday, 2,584 votes separated Brooks and Richardson.

If Richardson or Anderson fail to overtake Brooks to finish second, state law allows for a recount if the margin is one percent of the vote. That could add another week of uncertainty to the process.

If needed, a runoff will be held June 24, with the winner facing GOP incumbent Cherie Berry in November.

"If I have the opportunity to call for a runoff I certainly will," said Brooks, who served as labor commissioner from 1977 to 1993. "As voters learn more about the race they'll see I have the experience to do the job and unseat the incumbent."

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Brooks files for runoff