The Birmingham-area AL-06 will host a hotly contested Republican runoff.
On Tuesday, voters in Alabama and North Carolina go back to the polls to decide their parties’ nominees in several runoffs. Below is our guide for what to watch: We'll be liveblogging the results at
Daily Kos Elections starting at 7:30 PM ET, when polls close in North Carolina. Polls close in Alabama a half-hour later.
• NC-06 (R): Rockingham County District Attorney Phil Berger Jr. has been the frontrunner for this Greensboro-area seat since longtime Rep. Howard Coble announced his retirement. Berger, who has Coble's endorsement, faces minister Mark Walker on Tuesday. Berger ran ahead of Walker 34-25 in the primary and has decisively outspent him in the runoff. Walker spent weeks clarifying his stance on immigration, which probably did him no favors here.
The race has gotten very negative: Walker is accusing Berger's powerful father, state Senate Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Sr., of trying to buy the election. Walker is the underdog but in a low turnout race he may be able to pull off a surprise. Walker may be able to rely on religious voters to show up, as well as more anti-establishment Republicans who may not trust Berger. Romney won 58 percent here and the Republican nominee will be the clear favorite in November.
Head over the fold for a look at Alabama's races, including the return of a familiar face.
• AL-06 (R): State Rep. Paul DeMarco was long viewed as the man to beat in the race to succeed Rep. Spencer Bachus in this dark red district. DeMarco outpolled conservative activist and think tank head Gary Palmer 33-20 in the first round of the primary, and started the runoff with more money and name recognition. However, Palmer has won the support of almost all of his former primary opponents and has benefited from outside spending from the Club for Growth. The group has spent $255,000 hitting DeMarco's record, and it seems to be making a real difference.
The only publicly released runoff poll gives Palmer a hefty 60-29 lead. This is expected to be a low turnout race, and even the pollster cautions that there are enough uncertainties here to put the outcome in doubt. This is one of the most Republican seats in the country and the winner should have no problem holding it in November.
• AL Auditor (R): He's back! Dale Peterson, who ran one of the most memorable campaign ads ever in 2010, is trying his luck again at higher office. While Peterson hasn't put out anything as memorable this time around, he still can grab attention: Just days before the runoff, Peterson plead not guilty to shoplifting charges.
Peterson faces Jim Zeigler on Tuesday. Zeigler has a long history of losing close elections, earning him the nickname "Mr. 49 percent." Zeigler ran ahead of Peterson in the primary 47 to 25 and on Tuesday he'll either break his losing streak or suffer his most embarrassing loss ever. Still, no matter how the runoff turns out, we'll always know who really gives a rip about Alabama.