Wilkes Couny incumbent Sen. John Garwood faces some tough news in early returns in his GOP primary.
With about 2,500 votes cast (the percentage of precincts is unclear), Garwood trails challenger David Blust by a margin of 51 percent to 49 percent.
Garwood made state headlines last summer when he missed the vote that created a state lottery. Garwood was recovering from illness, but he drew criticism when he refused to invoke a Senate rule that would have canceled out a pro-lottery vote.
