Durham forum to draw rival statehouse candidates

DURHAM -- Two General Assembly candidates, Democrat Paul Luebke and Libertarian Sean Haugh, face off at 6 tonight at the Southwest Branch Library, 3605 Shannon Road. The public is invited.

Haugh and Luebke are rivals for the House District 30 seat, which represents a wedge of Durham County extending from Walltown west to the Orange County line and from Little River Road south to U.S. 15-501.

Luebke is seeking his 10th consecutive term in the state house, while Haugh ran unsuccessfully against him in 2004. Haugh, political director for Durham Libertarians, has also run for state senate, U.S. Senate and state insurance commissioner.

The forum is the first in a series sponsored by the Triangle Green Party. Others, also at 6 p.m., are:

* Sept. 23, Stanford L. Warren Library, 1201 Fayetteville St.: House District 29 candidates Larry Hall (D) and Justin Lallinger (L); and state Senate District 20 candidates Kenneth Chandler (R), Floyd McKissick (D) and David Rollins (L).

* Oct. 7, Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St., gubernatorial candidate Mike Munger (L) speaking on "Independent Political Action."

Though Durham County Republicans fielded candidates for Durham mayor and city council in 2007, they have been absent from most local contests this year. Besides Chandler, Chapel Hill Republican Roger Gerber is the only GOP candidate in the field. He faces incumbent Democrat Bob Atwater in state Senate District 29, representing southwest Durham County as well as portions of Orange and Chatham.