• Debate day! Eleven Republican presidential contenders will face off at 8 p.m. at the Reagan Presidential Library in California. CNN will air the debate, and the network offers a list of things to watch.
• The Charlotte Observer’s Jim Morrill notes that 2016 features the rare trifecta in North Carolina: a presidential contest, an election for governor, and a race for the U.S. Senate.
• Suzanne Pittenger, the wife of embattled U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-9th District, has notified investors that she wants to find a new administrator to run the real estate business her husband transferred to her before he entered Congress.
• U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-3rd District, has cosponsored legislation seeking the impeachment of Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy. The bill says McCarthy committed perjury when testifying before Congress about water policy.
• The prospect of a March 15 statewide primary has prompted candidates to announce their plans earlier than usual. Among the announcements:
- Wake County District Court Judge Vincent Rozier will challenge Judge Richard Dietz for the state Court of Appeals.
- Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill has become the second Republican to seek the open seat for state attorney general. State Sen. Buck Newton, R-Wilson, announced his plans earlier this summer. State Sen. Josh Stein, D-Wake, and Fayetteville attorney Tim Dunn, are the two Democrats in the race so far.
- Former Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker, a Democrat, will run against incumbent Republican Cherie Berry for state labor commissioner.
- Democrat Andy Milliard, a financial planner, will face off against U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-10th District.
