Tuesday’s Run-off Results

Following their respective second place finishes in primary elections, Baptist pastor Mark Walker and Alabama think tank founder Gary Palmer won major upset victories in their respective North Carolina and Alabama Republican congressional run-off elections. Alabama Mr. Palmer defeated state Rep. Paul DeMarco by a whopping 64-36 percent margin. Palmer had finished 13 points behind DeMarco in the June 3 Republican primary, but with all but one of the defeated candidates endorsing him, the second place primary finisher easily overtook DeMarco. Mr. Palmer now becomes the prohibitive favorite to defeat Democrat Avery Vise in what is one of the safest Republican congressional districts in the country. North Carolina Congressman Howard Coble (R) is retiring after 15 terms in the House Pastor Mark Walker easily defeated Rockingham County District Attorney Phil Berger Jr. Tuesday night in the Republican run-off election. On May 20, Berger paced the field with 34 percent of the vote. Walker was a surprise second place finisher, garnering 25 percent, which was strong enough to eliminate seven other candidates. Berger is the son of Phil Berger Sr., the state Senate President. Controversy arose in the run-off campaign when Walker filed ethics and Federal Election Commission complaints against the Berger operation, and Phil Sr., specifically. Phil Berger Sr. is a former officer of the Republican State Leadership Committee, and made alarge contribution to the Berger-aligned Super PAC. Though Rep. Coble and the local Republican establishment were clearly behind Berger, Mr. Walker was able to coast to a 60-40 percent win. With the 6th District voting heavily Republican, Mark Walker should cruise to victory in the general election against former University of North Carolina administrator Laura Fjeld (D). For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.