Democrat Ty Harrell of Raleigh, who tried to paint Republican incumbent Russell Capps as an extremist, was leading the six-term incumbent Tuesday night by nearly 800 votes in one of two tight state House races in the Triangle.

Capps was not conceding Tuesday night but seemed at peace with a potential loss.

"I'm old enough to retire," he said. "If I lose, the good Lord probably has something else for me to do."

All that remain to be counted are provisional ballots, and that's not expected to happen until next week.

In another close race, Democrat Greer Beaty of Cary trailed Republican incumbent Nelson Dollar by about 400 votes, with only provisional ballots uncounted, in a district that has been in GOP hands for 14 years.

Beaty had not conceded, and said Tuesday night she would wait for a count of the provisional ballots.

Other incumbents in the Triangle were cruising to victory.

Rep. Joe Hackney of Orange County, the House Democratic leader, defeated Republican Alvin Reed of Sanford, in unofficial returns. In other contested races, incumbents were all leading.

Harrell painted Capps as an education opponent for voting against budgets that provided increases in school spending and his views on social issues. Capps once suggested the Columbine school shootings were caused by teaching evolution.

Political committees connected to state employees and a national service employees union, and the Conservation Council of North Carolina also chimed in.

The workers' committees sent mail to voters with Capps' photo on a box of cereal called "Whacko."

In the last few days, Capps focused on Harrell's history of paying vehicle and real estate taxes late.

Voters at Morrisville Elementary School tended to be less interested in legislative races than they were in the Wake County school bond referendum.

For Dee Faison, a legal assistant, voters guides published by a local conservative group and the N.C. Family Policy Council came in handy.

"I consider myself a Christian," said Faison, 22. "I voted according to my beliefs," including the desire to make sure that marriage is defined as a union between a man and woman, and keeping contraceptives out of schools.

Ray Riordan, a Wake County employment counselor, said he is inclined to vote for Democrats and voted for Harrell.

Riordan had not heard of Capps' ads about Harrell's late tax payments and said the issue would not have changed his vote even if he had known.

In other contested races, Republican Rep. Paul "Skip" Stam, an Apex lawyer, defeated Democrat Ed Ridpath of Fuquay-Varina.

Freshman Democrat Linda Coleman of Knightdale, a retired state employee, defeated Republican John W. Blackwell.

First-term Democrat Grier Martin, a Raleigh attorney, defeated Republican J.H. Ross.

N.C. House of Representatives

District 34

* Grier Martin (D)*59% (13,339)

J.H. Ross (R)41% (9,265)

100% of precincts reporting

District 36

Greer Beaty (D)49% (11,799)

Nelson Dollar (R)*51% (12,182)

100% of precincts reporting

District 37

Ed Ridpath (D)43% (11,364)

Paul Stam (R)*57% (15,185)

100% of precincts reporting

District 39

Linda Coleman (D)*59% (11,442)

John W. Blackwell (R)41% (8,103)

100% of precincts reporting

District 41

Ty Harrell (D)52% (12,826)

J. Russell Capps (R)*48% (12,027)

100% of precincts reporting

District 54

Joe Hackney (D)*70% (15,638)

Alvin Reed (R)30% (6,733)

100% of precincts reporting

*Denotes incumbent