Congressman George Holding is all but guaranteed a third term in the U.S. House of Represenatives after defeating Renee Ellmers on Tuesday in North Carolina's second primary.
Holding, the sitting U.S. Representative from the 13th Congressional District, carried a majority of the vote and defeated Ellmers by a wide margin on Tuesday.
This rare contest came together after federal judges struck down two of the state's Congressional maps earlier this year. That left Holding closer and more comfortable running for the 2nd. Ellmers currently holds that seat, though the new 2nd has considerably different boundaries. Of the 435 Congressional seats, this race was the only match-up of sitting incumbents.
It was a primary race centered on conservatism and Holding received the backing of the Koch Brothers and some of the nation's most conservative organizations. He painted Ellmers as an unreliable conservative, who too often sided with the establishment. She first won a seat in Washington six years ago thanks in part to Tea Party money.
Holding will be the favorite when he faces Democrat John McNeil in the November general election.
Copyright 2016 North Carolina Public Radio
