• Money time! Candidates must update their campaign reports before Sunday, but we have some news about a number of incumbents and challengers. For example:
The race for governor between GOP incumbent Pat McCrory and Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper will be costly. McCrory has $4.1 million cash on hand and Cooper has more: $4.9 million. Both presumed front-runners must survive the March 15 primary.
State Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake, who’s running to succeed Cooper, raised roughly half a million dollars in the second half of last year and has $1.49 million on hand. He will face the winner of the GOP primary between state Sen. Buck Newton of Nash County and Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill.
Holly Jones of Buncombe County, who’s running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, had about $200,000 on hand. Rivals Linda Coleman, Ron Newton, and Robert Wilson had not reported. Nor has GOP incumbent Dan Forest.
In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Deborah Ross raised nearly $600,000. Incumbent Republican Richard Burr had $4.7 million on hand at the end of September. (Burr and GOP rival Dr. Greg Brannon hadn’t filed their 2015 end-of-year reports at press time.)
• In a move surprising few, U.S. Rep. David Price, D-4th District, endorsed Hillary Clinton for president.
