North Carolina: County Commissioner Challenges Coble
Guilford County Commissioner Billy Yow (R) filed for Congress earlier this week against 14-term North Carolina Rep. Howard Coble (R).
Yow, who lost to Coble by a whopping 48 points in the 2010 GOP primary, said Coble had “been here a li’l too long.”
“The Howard today is not what he was 20 years ago,” said Yow, who is serving his third term on the county commission and owns a well-drilling company and a small cattle farm.
Yow’s main concern is with Washington, D.C., and what long-term politicians there have done racking up budget deficits and debt.
“This isn’t no rocket science!” Yow said. “If you don’t have it, you can’t spend it.”
In an interview this afternoon, Coble was chipper and sharp. He said he had no ill feeling towards Yow and that “competition, I think, makes all of us better.”
“I never take contested races casually,” he said. “You take that attitude, you end up getting your butt kicked, so I’m never casual about it.”
Coble emphasized his constituent services and his accessibility. The 6th district was redrawn and includes a chunk of new territory, but that should not prove to be much of a hurdle to Coble.
And despite Yow’s feeling that a Washington that has gone astray needs new blood, Coble is almost certain to win the seat.
Roll Call rates the race Safe Republican.
Below is a map of the new 6th district:
