With 84 percent of precincts reporting unofficial results, Democrat Janet Cowell led Republican Bill Daughtridge in the race for treasurer, capturing 53 percent of the vote to nearly 47 percent for her opponent.

With Richard Moore leaving office in January after eight years and a failed bid to win the Democratic nomination for governor, the winner will have to quickly deal with the loss of at least $6 billion in the state’s public pension funds, hit hard by falling prices on the stock market.

Cowell, of Raleigh, earned a master’s degree from the Wharton School of Business. She is currently a business consultant and a state senator. Cowell said she would consult with investment professionals who manage large pension funds.

Daughtridge, who is from Rocky Mount, has been in the state House since 2002. He earned a master’s degree in business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Daughtridge focused his campaign on his intent to form a long-term infrastructure plan for the state.

The Cowell-Daughtridge race was one the lesser-known contests in the Council of State, which essentially serves as the governor’s cabinet.

A Democrat also led in the race to replace Jim Long as insurance commissioner. Long is stepping down after 24 years.

Wayne Goodwin had 51 percent of the vote, Republican John Odom had 44 percent and Libertarian Mark McMains just under 4 percent.

The winner will confront the issue of preserving the plan North Carolina created to insure coastal property.

Democrat Beth Wood has beaten incumbent Republican Leslie Merritt in the North Carolina state auditor’s race.

With 94 percent of the precincts reporting late Tuesday, Wood had nearly 54 percent of the vote, to 46 percent for Merritt. Wood is a certified public accountant and worked in the auditor’s office for 10 years.

The state auditor oversees how state government and nonprofit groups operate and spend public money.

Two-term incumbent Republican Cherie Berry was locked in a tight re-election bid for labor commissioner with Democrat Mary Fant Donnan, a program officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation in Winston-Salem.

With 84 percent of precincts reporting, Berry held less than 51 percent of the vote, with Donnan at 49 percent.

The commissioner is responsible for protecting the health and safety of the state’s more than 4 million workers. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican and Guilford County farmer, had 52 percent of the vote in the race against Democrat James Ronald “Ronnie” Ansley.

Troxler has concentrated on food safety since becoming head cheerleader for the state’s $70 billion agribusiness industry in 2005. Ansley said he would focus on developing the state’s biofuels industry using woody plants instead of corn and soybeans. Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall had the largest lead in all the Council of State races in her re-election bid, holding nearly 57 percent of the vote in a race with Republican real estate lawyer and broker Jack Sawyer. The job includes enforcing ethics rules, overseeing legislative lobbyists, investigating securities fraud and cracking down on copyright infringement.

In the race for superintendent of public instruction, Democratic incumbent June Atkinson led Republican Richard Morgan, a former House co-speaker from Moore County. Atkinson had 53 percent of the vote, compared to nearly 47 percent for Morgan. Atkinson’s office has virtually no power or management duties, but Atkinson has seen her role as discussing ways to improve education.