The most discussed local political race has been the contest between Frank Mitchell and Julia Howard in the 79th House District Republican primary. The district covers parts of Statesville, eastern and northeastern Iredell County, and all of Davie County. Howard edged Mitchell by 455 votes in the 2004 primary.

Mitchell served in the N.C. House from 1992 until 2004, when his district was eliminated. During those years he consistently voted against tax and spending increases and was a strong supporter of the Second Amendment. He had a near-perfect attendance record.

Julia Howard was first elected in 1988. In 2003 she was one of only five Republicans who voted to elect Jim Black and Richard Morgan Co-Speakers of the House. The vote effectively handed control of the chamber to the Democrats (see article p.3). Howard has since continued to ally herself with Morgan and Black.

This year’s contest has been notable due to Howard’s attempts to keep Mitchell off the ballot, and to her negative campaign advertisements.

Mitchell owns a house in the 79th District, at which he is registered to vote. He has long owned another house and business that is a little over a mile away, but lies outside the district.

Howard challenged Mitchell’s right to run, alleging that the house at which he is registered to vote is not his primary residence. She hired a private detective who used a telephoto lens to take pictures of Mitchell and his family inside their house. At a hearing before the local elections board, Howard’s two out-of-town lawyers grilled Mitchell about every detail of his domestic routine, even asking whether he kept a toothbrush at one house and where he laundered his clothes.

After a daylong hearing, the Iredell County Board of Elections unanimously voted to uphold Mitchell’s residence in the district. Howard appealed to the state. Howard has been airing radio ads that accuse Mitchell of being a liberal who voted for multiple tax increases. Those who know Mitchell know that is about absurd as accusing Ted Kennedy of being a Republican. A check of his voting record shows that Mitchell was a conservative on tax and spending issues.

The “tax increases” Howard refers to are such things as inflationary fee increases that virtually every member of the legislature, including Howard, voted for.

It is not uncommon for political candidates to play hardball, even in primary elections. But Howard’s ads, and her use of a private detective to spy on a potential opponent and his family, have gone beyond the bounds of what most would consider to be acceptable political tactics.

Mitchell is facing an uphill battle. Howard’s incumbency assures her a huge financial advantage. In just the last six months of 2005 she raised $134,403. About two-thirds of the district’s voters live in her home county.