Privately, Republican leaders in Johnston would likely concede that last week’s N.C. Senate primary was a test of the party’s strength.

In short, party leaders had told Neena Reeves not to run; they had already chosen their candidate, David Rouzer, a young man with Johnston County roots who had been an aide to U.S. Sens. Jesse Helms and Elizabeth Dole.

But Mrs. Reeves entered the race anyway, and that presented a problem. She had personal wealth and had supposedly said she was willing to spend up to $500,000 to win the Senate seat. That was certainly more than Rouzer supporters in Johnston could raise for TV ads and mailings on his behalf. The fear, then, was that money might trump party, and the Republican Party in Johnston has long prized loyalty and discipline.

Johnston Registrar of Deeds Craig Olive is a good example of loyalty. For years, Mr. Olive worked diligently on behalf of GOP candidates in Johnston and elsewhere, donning their bumper stickers, putting up their signs across the county, raising money and making phone calls to get out the vote. By the time Mr. Olive wanted to run for registrar of deeds, he had paid his dues, and the party supported his candidacy. (And by all accounts, Mr. Olive has run an efficient, innovative records office.)

But at the same time it rewards loyalty, the party expects and enforces discipline. A couple of years back, James Gerrell, a Republican, wanted to run for clerk of court. The party told him no; it had no bone to pick with longtime clerk Will Crocker, a Democrat. The party told Mr. Gerrell to wait four years; it was widely believed that Mr. Crocker would not seek re-election in 2010. In the meantime, the candidate-in-waiting could pay his party dues by working on behalf of other candidates. But Mr. Gerrell ran anyway, the party withheld its support, and Mr. Crocker won.

The risk on May 6 was that a lot of money could derail that loyalty and discipline, throwing the party into disarray.

That didn’t happen. Mr. Rouzer trounced Mrs. Reeves, almost 70 percent to 30 percent. She did herself no favors by throwing mud at Mr. Rouzer. Still, the party’s base — the folks who vote in primaries — closed ranks around Mr. Rouzer when asked to do so.

That’s good news for a party that has enjoyed unparalleled success for more than a decade now, and it bodes well for Mr. Rouzer in November.