Dalton vs. Pittenger in Nov.

Republican race is no contest; state senator battled hard to win Democratic nod

State Sens. Walter Dalton and Robert Pittenger will face off for lieutenant governor in November, according to unofficial election returns.

Pittenger, a Charlotte Republican, cruised to a win in the Republican primary, while Dalton appeared to be the only Democrat to get more than 40 percent of the vote, avoiding a runoff.

With 92 percent of the precincts reporting, Dalton had 45 percent of the vote, while Hampton Dellinger had 34 percent. Pat Smathers and Dan Besse lagged far behind with 14 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

The Democratic primary was a heated battle with charges and countercharges as Dalton and Dellinger worked to make it a two-person race.

"We all ran hard," Dalton said. "We all wanted it, and I respect those people. I'm just glad that we came out on top."

The Republican contest drew little attention, largely because Pittenger was the only one of the four candidates with a sizable campaign war chest. He had 59 percent of the vote with most of the returns in, while Jim Snyder had 19 percent, Tim Cook had 12 percent and Greg Dority, 10 percent.

Dalton, 58, is a six-term state senator from Rutherfordton. Dellinger, 41, is a former legal counsel to Gov. Mike Easley. Besse, 53, is a Winston-Salem City Council member. Smathers, 54, is mayor of Canton.

Campaign finance reports showed that Dalton heavily outspent his opponents. His most recent report shows $936,000 in spending, compared with $449,000 for Dellinger, $113,000 for Smathers and $34,000 for Besse.

On the Republican side, Pittenger, 59, a real estate investor and three-term state senator from Charlotte, far outdistanced his opponents in spending. His report showed $1.7 million on advertising and other costs, compared to $21,500 for Snyder, 62, a Lexington attorney, and $7,100 for Dority, 49, a security company owner from Washington.

Cook, 39, a Guilford County chemist, said he would not spend more than $3,000, so he did not have to file campaign spending reports.