We’re tracking the results of two contests today. The first is in Durham, NC where the mayor’s office is open after Mayor Steve Schewel announced he won’t seek reelection for a third term. Seven names will appear on the ballot, six are still running after Charlitta Burruss dropped out of the race. Of the six remaining, City Councilmember Javier Caballero and former district and superior court judge Elaine O’Neal have garnered the most attention and endorsements. Both are publically known to be Democrats, although the race is technically nonpartisan. Today’s top two candidates will move on to the general election on November 2nd. We will have election results after polls close at 7:30 p.m. (EDT)
Then we head north to Providence, RI, where the seat in State Senate District 3 is vacant after Gayle Goldin accepted a job in the Biden administration as a senior advisor in the US Department of Labor Women’s Bureau. Rhode Island State Senate District 3 lies in the northeast corner of the city of Providence, one of eight state senate districts in the city. Five candidates are running in a Democratic primary for their party’s nomination for the vacant seat. Among them are Hilary Friedman, former president of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Organization for Women; Bret Jacob, a staffer in Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s office; Geena Pham, a public school teacher; Ray Rickman, a former state representative; and Sam Zurier, a former Providence City Councilmember. All have received a variety of endorsements and have had relative success fundraising for a state senate special election. The winner will move on to face Republican Alex Cannon in the November 2nd general election. There is no Republican primary since he was the only one to file. It will be the first time since 2010 that a Republican has run in the 3rd District. We will have election results once polls close at 8 p.m. (EDT)