 Incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (Democratic) defeated attorney Jack Sawyer (Republican) on November 4, 2008.Incumbent Auditor Les Merritt (Republican) was defeated by Beth Wood, Former Director of Training for the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor on November 4, 2008.Wood had previously defeated Fred Aikens, a retired state employee and retired colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard, in the Democratic primary.