Rush Limbaugh has been encouraging his Republican listeners to vote for Hillary Clinton in their state's primaries. The race for the Republican nomination for governor will keep that from happening in North Carolina.
Our state has a "modified closed primary" which means that voters registered to a party must vote in that party's primary. Unaffiliated voters may choose which party's primary in which to vote. Like other states with closed primaries, Republicans would have to switch their party registrations in order to vote for Hillary Clinton in North Carolina, presumably to later switch back before the general election. North Carolina Republicans won't find that idea appealing because of what they would have to give up--a chance to nominate a candidate for governor with a good chance of winning.
There are four candidates running for the nomination, each has appeal, although it appears as if it will come down to Fred Smith or Pat McCrory. With the Democratic incumbent governor Mike Easley not running for re-election, this will be the best chance in years for Republicans to have a shot at the governorship. North Carolina Republicans are not going to ignore a serious good chance to nominate their best gubernatorial candidate in order to participate in pointless tomfoolery.
There's one more reason why the governor's race will keep Republicans in their primary. It seems possible, if not likely, that none of the Republican candidates will get above the requisite 40% to win the nomination in the first go-round. That would mean a runoff election and in North Carolina, if you vote in one party's primary, you cannot vote in another party's runoff election. North Carolina Republicans just have too much at stake to waste their vote at a time when it really will matter.
there are too many important things in republican race to even think about switching parties. It did dawn on me when Rush was first doing the operation chaos but looking at what needs to be voted on like Mc Crory for Governor and also Proctor and Sawyer for at large candidates in Guilford County just voting on those 2 races is better than switching parties.
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