Picking a Candidate in a Primary

This primary season is already shaping up to be one of the most interesting in recent memory, and the filing period is only one week old. Voters will have more choices to make between members of the same party than in many past election cycles.  Since many districts are "safe" for one party or the other, the primary is the real race, but sizing up the differences between candidates of the same party can be difficult.


How does one choose?  For me, consistency drives the decision.

Consistency is not the same thing as being doctrinaire.  Doctrinaire means an inflexible adherence to a political philosophy.  I actually look for politicians who are consistent without being doctrinaire. A candidate can be consistent without being doctrinaire, but in my opinion that same candidate can't be consistent in a political sense and support items that are fundamentally at odds with their stated political philosophy.

The primary will be fun to watch as it unfolds over the next few months.  Who knows what the ballot will look like by the time the filing period closes.  The most interesting local races to wach here in the Lake Norman area the newly drawn districts for NC Senate 41 and the NC-9 Congressional District which now has Davidson and Mooresville included.

Here are links to the candidate lists from the Mecklenburg and State Boards of Elections:

Mecklenburg BOE Candidate Listing

State BOE Candidate Listing