Kissell wins primary; Republicans could compete in runoff election

Representative Larry Kissell easily won the Democratic primary for U.S. House District 8. But it's not clear what Republican will challenge him in November. Tim D'Annunzio came out ahead of Harold Johnson, but not by much. D'Annunzio, a business owner who's known for his "machine gun socials" received 36.8 percent of the vote, while Johnson, a former charlotte TV sportscaster got 33.1 percent. Because they both fell short of getting 40 percent of the vote, it appears they'll compete in a runoff election next month. D'Annunzio and Johnson were both far ahead of the other four Republicans in the race. In the Democratic primary, Kissell defeated newcomer Nancy Shakir by a margin of 63 percent to 37 percent. However, Shakir came out ahead in Mecklenburg County by 46 votes. A former Kissell volunteer, Shacker says she chose to enter the race because Kissell voted against the health care bill.