The political scene moved from the county to the state level Friday when the first week of the campaign filing period ended.

Dr. James Taylor, a Southern Pines physician, paid his filing fee to challenge veteran Congressman Howard Coble for the 6th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The two will face off in the Republican primary election on May 4.

Taylor filed with the State Board of Elections in Raleigh Friday, as did Coble two days earlier. Click here for the latest candidate filings.

Candidates for statewide and congressional offices must file with the state elections office, while county and legislative candidates may file in their home counties.

Eli Schilling, who is helping Taylor with his campaign, said Friday that the Southern Pines Republican was meeting with other candidates and with the press after filing.

Taylor is part of the Alliance for Bonded Term limits movement and has committed to a tenure of no more than six years in Congress if elected. The alliance is based in Pinehurst.

Members of the U.S. House serve two-year terms.

As of early afternoon Friday, no new candidates had filed with the Moore County Board of Elections in Carthage.

Earlier last week, all incumbents for county offices and the state legislature had filed, and the only challengers were two newcomers seeking election to the nonpartisan Board of Education.

Those included state Rep. Jamie Boles, state Sen. Harris Blake, County Commissioners Cindy Morgan, Larry Caddell and Jimmy Melton, Sheriff Lane Carter, Clerk of Court Susan Hicks and Register of Deeds Judy Martin.

In the school board races, incumbents Sue Black, Dale Frye and Pam Thompson and challengers Ed Dennison and Karen Wicker filed for the three open at-large seats. Incumbent Charles Lambert filed for re-election to the District 3 seat.

All of the terms run for four years.

With the exception of the nonpartisan school board, all of the incumbents in Moore County are Republicans.

So far, the Moore County Democratic Party has not produced any candidates, but the Democrats still have plenty of time. The filing period does not end until noon on Feb. 26.

However, the 6th District congressional race is eclipsed by Republican and Democratic primaries for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Richard Burr, who is expected to seek re-election.

Two Republicans have filed and three of four announced Democratic candidates have filed, as has a Libertarian candidate, Michael Beitler, of Oak Ridge.

Filing earlier in the week were Democrats Marcus W. Williams, of Lumberton, and Ken Lewis, of Chapel Hill. Republican Edward James Burks, a member of the Asheboro City Council, and Cal Cunningham, a Democrat and former state senator, filed on Thursday, as did Republican Bradford "Brad" Wesley Jones, of Lake Toxaway.

Secretary of State Elaine Marshall is the other announced Democratic candidate for Senate and has been campaigning across North Carolina.

State House Speaker Joe Hackney, a Chapel Hill Democrat whose District 54 includes one and a half precincts in Moore County, filed for re-election Thursday.

One Republican, Cathy Sanford Wright, of Chapel Hill, filed late Tuesday for the District 54 seat.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at (910) 693-2479 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.