Donnan leads in labor primary

Mary Fant Donnan, a former research director at the Labor Department, placed first with 28 percent of the vote.

The remaining three candidates -- former Labor Commissioner John Brooks, Raleigh labor attorney Robin Anderson and Middlesex resident Ty Richardson -- are knotted at 24 percent.

Brooks has a narrow 1,729-vote lead over Anderson, however an unknown number of absentee and provisional ballots remained to be counted.

Local boards of election across the state will meet Tuesday, one week after the primary, to certify the result.

Gary Bartlett, executive director of the state Board of Elections, said it is unlikely that there are enough ballots outstanding to allow any of the three to outpace their rivals by more than 1 percent of the vote.

"They're crowded, that's for sure," Bartlett said.

Under state law, a candidate who loses by a margin of less than 1 percent can request a recount by noon Thursday, May 15. A statewide recount could take several days, Bartlett said.