Two former U.S. Attorney’s won the Republican nomination in bitter races for Congress in Indiana and North Carolina on Tuesday night.
Susan Brooks
Susan Brooks, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, beat out a handful of others to clinch the nomination in the 5th District. The seat is open after Rep. Dan Burton announced his retirement in January. She faced stiff competition from chief opponent David McIntosh, who out-fundraised the former prosecutor during the bitter race. Brooks received endorsements from high-profile figures from her prosecutor days, including from former prosecutor and current New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Brooks won the primary with 30 percent of the vote, edging McIntosh out by one percent.
George E.B. Holding
George Holding, former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, defeated former Raleigh Mayor Paul Coble and Tea Party candidate Bill Randall in the 13th District Republican race Tuesday. Holding received 43.5 percent of the vote, while Coble netted 34.2 percent.
The mud flew in the GOP race, with Holding receiving a push from a powerful super PAC that funded critical television ads in the weeks before Election Day. Coble took issue with the PAC, which was mostly funded by Holding’s relatives and friends, and said he believed it was likely the PAC and the Holding campaign were coordinating efforts, a violation of election rules. Coble also told Main Justice that he believed Coble’s high-profile prosecutions of former Sen. John Edwards and former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley, both Democrats, were politically motivated. Holding has denied both claims.
Both of the districts are Republican dominated, and the two candidates are likely to win in the general election in November, according to local news reports. This would be the first time in Congress for either former U.S. Attorney.
