Watching the returns in runoff primaries. (That's right, today was the day. Were you among the 98 97 percent of registered voters who forgot?)

Here's a link to the State Board of Elections' returns.

[Update x 2: At 9:17 pm, with 87 percent of precincts in, on the Republican side John Tedesco is solidly ahead, Tony Gurley is far behind and Kenn Gardner looks like he's lost too. John Brooks is at 54% and looks to the the Democratic nominee for labor commissioner. Results here.

[With three GOP runoffs for congressional seats out west, the Wake candidates needed to pile up a big margin at home to have a chance. Tedesco did, leading in Wake by more than 12,000 votes. He ran even in Mecklenburg. Gardner's margin in Wake was less than half as much. Gurley is trailing in Wake and got killed in M'berg.

[By the way, Mike Causey won easily in the GOP primary for Insurance Commissioner, defeating former House Speaker Richard Morgan.

[Turnout in the only statewide Democratic runoff, for Labor Commissioner, was pitiful. Oddly, the apparent winner John Brooks lost Wake, his home county, and he also lost Durham, Orange and Medklenburg. But he won over Marlowe Foster, who is black, is almost all of the rural counties. Whoever wins, he'll be a weak challenger to incumbent Republican Cherie Berry.]

[Update: At 9 pm, two-thirds of the precincts are in, and on the GOP side, it looks like Tedesco will win. Gurley is losing badly. Gardner's behind and slipping, looks like he'll lose too. Brooks is pulling away from Foster on the Democratic side.]

Earlier:

In the early going With 59 percent of precincts reporting, the trio of Wake County Republicans are heading in different directions:

* John Tedesco is ahead in the race for DPI Superintendent, though not decisively.

* Tony Gurley is getting clobbered in the primary for Lieutenant Governor. (Come to think of it, there are four Wake Republicans running. Gurley, a county commissioner, is losing to Raleigh architect Dan Forest, whose political claim to fame is that former Congresswoman Sue Myrick, darling of Mecklenburg County, is his mom.)

* It's close in the primary for Secretary of State, but former Wake Commissioner Kenn Gardner is trailing Eddie Goodwin.

In the only statewide Democratic runoff, former Labor Commissioner John Brooks, a Raleigh resident, is ahead in his latest effort to win back the job he had and lost 20 years ago. He leads lobbyist Marlowe Foster.

These are primaries, remember. None of these folks, if they're nominated, will be a lock to win. I'd say Forest is the only one who'd be favored, in fact.