Across North Carolina, all eyes were on the results of the General Assembly elections. Democrats made significant gains across the state and broke Republican veto-proof supermajority in the House and the Senate. Before the elections, Republicans held a supermajority with 75 out of 120 House seats and 34 out of 50 Senate seats. Barring any potential recounts and the tallying of absentee ballots, Democrats will hold 54 House seats while Republicans will hold 66 House seats. In the Senate, Democrats will hold 21 seats while Republicans will hold 29 seats.
In the House, Democrats were able to upset key Republican incumbents in several highly contested seats. For instance, Republicans lost three key seats in Wake County. Rep. Nelson Dollar. the chief budget writer in the House lost his re-election to newcomer Julie von Haefen. Rep. Chris Malone lost to Terence Everitt, and recently-appointed John Adcock lost in a tightly contested race to Sydney Batch. Meaning there will be no Republican representing Wake County, the second largest county in North Carolina, in the House.
Rep. Bill Brawley (R-Mecklenburg) holds a narrow 52 vote lead in a hotly contested election against former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt’s daughter, Rachel Hunt. Candidate Hunt became the first Mecklenburg County candidate to raise over $1 million for a state House seat. Most observers expect Hunt to call for a recount.
Republicans also faced key defeats in rural mountain districts. Rep. Jonathan Jordan (R-Ashe) and Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain) both lost their races. House Democrats Rep. Bobbie Richardson, (D-Franklin), and Rep. George Graham, (D-Lenoir) both unexpectedly lost their re-election bids to Republicans Lisa Stone Barnes and Chris Humphrey, respectively.
In the Senate, Senators Tamara Barringer (R- Wake), Jeff Tarte (R- Mecklenburg), Michael Lee (R-New Hanover), Trudy Wade (R- Guilford), and Wesley Meredith (R- Cumberland) all faced narrow defeat. Those races could possibly be subject to a recount. Senator John Alexander (R-Wake) and Senator Dan Bishop (R-Mecklenburg) both managed to fend off their opponents to win re-election bids in seats that Democrats had high hopes of flipping.
Although Democrats hoped to gain more seats, they faced an uphill battle against established Republican incumbents in both urban and rural parts of the state. The results of this election will now challenge both parties to work with each other and the Governor.
Voters also passed four of the six Constitutional Amendments that were placed on the ballot this Election Day. During the November 27 session, the General Assembly will craft the language for these amendments.
Voters turned down the other two Constitutional Amendments, with over 60% voting against:
We will have more detail on what these races mean for the upcoming legislative session in our next NCGA Week In Review.
Constitutional Amendments
Chart Source: ABC 11
N.C. House Races
Chart Source: ABC 11
N.C. Senate Races
Chart Source: ABC 11
N.C. Judicial Races
Chart Source: ABC 11
