NC Post-Election Update

House Republicans lost four incumbents on Tuesday: Rep. Tom Moffitt of Buncombe County lost to Democrat Brian Turner, Rep. Tom Murry of Wake County lost to Democrat Gale Adcock, Rep. Nathan Ramsey of Buncombe County lost to John Ager, and Rep. Mike Stone of Lee County lost to Brad Salmon.

 

While Republicans did lose those four seats in the House, they did pick up one seat that was vacated by retiring Democrat Rep. Winkie Wilkins. Republican Larry Yarborough of Roxboro defeated Democrat Ray Jeffers last night.

 

Overall, the House Republicans have a net gain of three seats after the election, and will hold a 74-46 veto-proof advantage during the 2015-16 session.

 

 

Overall, Senate Republicans gained one seat and did not lose any. Democrat one-term incumbent Sen. Gene McLaurin of Richmond County lost by three percent to Republican business man Tom McInnis. Senate Republicans will join the House Republicans in enjoying a veto-proof supermajority, with them now holding 34 of the 50 Senate seats.

 

 

Republicans came out with 10 of North Carolina’s 13 congressional seats. The state’s 7th District flipped Tuesday to Republican control, with former NC Senator David Rouzer winning the seat for the GOP after the retirement of Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre.

 

District 1: Democratic U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield of Wilson won re-election to his sixth term, defeating Republican Arthur Rich of Garland.

 

District 2: Republican U.S. Rep. Renee Ellmers of Dunn won re-election to a third term, defeating former reality-show star Democrat Clay Aiken.

 

District 3: Republican U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. of Farmville won re-election to an 11^th term, defeating Democrat Marshall Adame of Jacksonville.

District 4: Democratic U.S. Rep. David Price of Chapel Hill won re-election to a 14th term, beating Republican Paul Wright of Mount Olive.

 

District 5: Republican U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx of Banner Elk won a sixth term, beating Democrat Josh Brannon of Vilas.

 

District 6: Republican Mark Walker of Greensboro defeated Democrat Laura Fjeld of Hillsborough. Walker is succeeding Republican U.S. Rep. Howard Coble, who will retire at the end of 2014. Rep. Coble has held the seat since 1985.

 

District 7: Former Republican N.C. Senator David Rouzer of McGee’s Crossroads defeated Democrat Jonathan Barfield Jr., a New Hanover County commissioner from Wilmington. Rouzer will be succeeding Democrat Mike McIntyre, who did not run for re-election and will retire at the end of this year. Libertarian candidate John Wesley Casteen Jr. of Wilmington was also on the ballot.

 

District 8: Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson of Concord won re-election to a second term, defeating Democrat Antonio Blue of Dobbins Heights.

 

District 9: Republican U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger of Charlotte ran unopposed, winning a second term.

 

District 10: Republican U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry of Hickory won re-election to a sixth, defeating Democrat Tate MacQueen of Asheville.

District 11: Republican U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows of Highlands won a second term, beating Democrat Tom Hill of Zirconia.

District 12: Democrat N.C. House Rep. Alma Adams of Greensboro won election to the seat left vacant when former U.S. Rep. Mel Watt became director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. She defeated Republican Vincent Coakley, a former newscaster from Charlotte. Adams won both the general election and a special election to complete the remainder of Watt’s unexpired term.

 

District 13: Republican U.S. Rep. George Holding of Raleigh won a second term, defeating Democrat Brenda Cleary of Cary.

 

North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis of Cornelius defeated one-term Democrat U.S. Senator Kay Hagan of Greensboro on Tuesday night. Speaker Tillis ended up with approximately 49 percent of the vote, beating Sen. Hagan by two percent. Libertarian Sean Haugh of Durham captured almost four percent of the vote.  

 

Tillis won in the west, except for Asheville, and in the state’s southeastern counties and on the Outer Banks. Hagan found more success in urban counties.  Hagan had been considered vulnerable from early on but had consistently kept a small lead in polls and Democrats had thought she might help them retain their Senate majority.

 

The battle between Speaker Tillis and Sen. Hagan was hard fought. The Center of Responsive Politics estimates that at least $111 million was poured into this race, between the two candidates. $30 million of the $111 million came from the candidates’ campaigns and the rest has been reported by independent expenditure groups.

 

Four of the seven Supreme Court seats were up this year. Although technically the seats are non-partisan, Republican-endorsed judges will retain the majority.

 

Chief Justice Mark Martin of Apex and District Superior Court Judge Ola Lewis of Southport, both Republicans, vied for the chief justice seat of the Supreme Court. Judge Martin came out with 72 percent of the vote, handily beating Judge Lewis.

 

Democrat Sam Ervin IV of Morganton beat Republican Bob Hunter of Raleigh.

 

Supreme Court Associate Justice Robin Hudson of Raleigh defeated Republican Superior Court Judge Eric Levinson of Charlotte.

 

As of today, the final Supreme Court seat is too close to call. Associate Justice Cheri Beasley is leading Mike Robinson of Winston-Salem by 3,034 votes, statewide. State law allows a candidate to request a recount in a statewide race when the difference between the two candidates is less than or equal to 0.5 percent of the votes cast, or 10,000 votes, whichever is less.

Special Superior Court Judge Lucy Inman, a Democrat, of Raleigh defeated Republican District Court Judge Bill Southern of King. The seat is currently held by Robert C. Hunter, who did not run for re-election.

 

Democrat Incumbent Judge Mark Davis defeated District Court Judge Paul Holcombe, a Republican, of Clayton. Judge Davis was appointed to the appellate court in 2013; this will be his first full term.

 

Former Chief Judge John Martin retired early from his seat in August, making it too late for a primary election, but too early for a gubernatorial appointment. With the awkward timing, 19 candidates filed for the seat. Republican John Tyson won the seat, with 23.87 percent of the vote.

 

Appellate Judge Donna Stroud ran unopposed this year.