Wilmington attorney Thom Goolsby has defeated attorney Michael Lee for the GOP nomination for Senate District 9. With 40 of 43 precincts reporting, Goolsby leads 60-40. He’ll take on Democrat Jim Leutze, the former chancellor of UNC-Wilmington (and a renowned history professor at UNC-Chapel Hill).
The contenders are vying for the seat of retiring Sen. Julia Boseman, who surrendered her seat to run for a District Court judgeship. Boseman received campaign contributions from Rusty Carter, who pleaded guilty Tuesday to misdemeanor campaign fundraising offenses. The State Board of Elections concluded that Carter also made illegal contributions to Gov. Bev Perdue and Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight. Boseman finished third.