No contest

Filing is open this month at the NC Board of Elections for US Senate, US House and district attorney and at the Forsyth and Guilford county boards of elections for NC Senate, NC House, sheriff, superior clerk of court, county commission and school board seats. Whether the election engages the interest of Triad voters and airs issues important to constituents has a lot to do with the recruitment of good candidates and having competitive races that give voters a reason to go to the polls.

Most of the districts are drawn to favor one or the other of the two major political parties, so the outcome of many races will be determined during the May 4 primary. Filing remains open through Feb. 26. Democratic state house incumbents Alma Adams, Earl Jones and Earline Parmon face primary challengers, and retirements in NC House District 61 and Guilford County Commission District 2 leave the field open for Republican contenders, but otherwise most Triad races remain pretty uncompetitive.

Incumbents in the following seats representing Triad voters face no primary competition:

1. US House District 5 (represented by Republican Virginia Foxx)
2. US House District 12 (represented by Democrat Mel Watt)
3. US House District 13 (represented by Democrat Brad Miller)
4. NC Senate District 26 (represented by Republican Phil Berger)
5. NC Senate District 27 (represented by Democrat Don Vaughan)
6. NC Senate District 28 (represented by Democrat Katie Dorsett)
7. NC Senate District 31 (represented by Republican Peter S. Brunstetter)
8. NC Senate District 32 (represented by Democrat Linda Garrou)
9. NC Senate District 33 (represented by Republican Stan Bingham)
10. NC House District 57 (represented by Democrat Pricey Harrison)
11. NC House District 59 (represented by Democrat Maggie Jeffus)
12. NC House District 62 (represented by Republican John Blust)
13. NC House District 71 (represented by Democrat Larry Womble)
14. NC House District 73 (represented by Republican Larry R. Brown)
15. NC House District 74 (represented by Republican Dale R. Folwell)
16. NC House District 75 (represented by Republican Bill McGee)
17. Forsyth County District Attorney (office held by Republican Jim O'Neill)
18. Forsyth County Sheriff (office held by Republican Bill Schatzman)
19. Forsyth County Commission, District B (represented by Republican Debra Conrad)
20. Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board, District 2 (four seats) (represented by Jane D. Goins, Jeannie A. Metcalf, Marilyn Parker and Jill Tackaberry)
21. Guilford County District Attorney (office held by Democrat Doug Henderson)
22. Guilford County Sheriff (office held by Republican BJ Barnes)
23. Guilford County Clerk of Superior Court (office held by Democrat David Churchill)
24. Guilford County Commission, District 1 (represented by Democrat Bruce Davis)
25. Guilford County Commission, District 3 (represented by Republican Linda O. Shaw)
26. Guilford County Commission, District 6 (represented by Democrat Kay Cashion)
27. Guilford County Commission, District 9 (represented by Democrat Carolyn Q. Coleman)
28. Guilford County School Board, District 2 (represented by Garth Hebert)
29. Guilford County School Board, District 4 (represented by Alan Duncan)
30. Guilford County School Board, District 6 (represented by Jeff Lee Belton)
31. Guilford County School Board, District 8 (represented by Deena Hayes)