Democrats Win Down the Ballot

Last Tuesday, North Carolina awarded its 16 electoral college votes to Former President Donald Trump after his 3-point victory in the state over Vice President Kamala Harris. Despite this, North Carolina Democrats were able to pull out wins in several anticipated races. Democratic Governor candidate Josh Stein won the position of Governor by 14 points over his opponent, the current Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, whose campaign was shrouded in controversy. Here are the results from the rest of the North Carolina elections.

Lieutenant Governor

Democrat Rachel Hunt defeated Republican Hal Weatherman by almost 2 points in the Lieutenant Governor race. In North Carolina, this is the only position that has power in both the legislative and executive branches of the state government. The Lieutenant Governor of NC is designated as the president of the state Senate, a member of the state Board of Education, and serves as governor in the event of the governor’s absence.

Attorney General

Democrat Jeff Jackson won the Attorney General race over Republican Dan Bishop by almost a 3-point margin. This position is responsible for representing state agencies in legal matters, advising other state officials and prosecutors, and serving as the head of the North Carolina Department of Justice.

Secretary of State

Elaine Marshall, the Democratic candidate, was elected Secretary of State by a 2-point margin over Republican Chad Brown. Marshall has held this position since 1997. The Secretary of State keeps the official journal of the North Carolina General Assembly, oversees land records, and works to strengthen the economy.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Democratic candidate Maurice ‘Mo’ Green flipped the position when he won by a 2-point margin over Michele Morrow. The superintendent serves as the head of the NC Department of Public Instruction and oversees the public school systems throughout the state. Along with that, they are the secretary of the North Carolina Board of Education and a member of the North Carolina Council of State.

Auditor

Republican Dave Boliek defeated incumbent Jessica Holmes, a Democrat, by a slim 1-point margin to take over the position of state auditor. The position conducts audits and investigations, works to improve government services, identifies wasteful spending, and oversees health, education, and economic programs.

Republican candidates won the positions of Agriculture Commissioner, Insurance Commissioner, Labor Commissioner, and Treasurer. These races were won by 8, 4, 6, and 6-point margins, respectively.

North Carolina State House of Representatives and Senate

Republicans have won the majority in both the state House of Representatives and state Senate, despite more total votes for Democrats. They claim 31 seats in the State Senate and 71 seats in the State House of Representatives. The Democrats, on the other hand, have won 19 seats in the state Senate and 49 in the state House. While the Republicans will keep their supermajority in the Senate, Democrats have broken their supermajority in the House by gaining one seat. This supermajority would have allowed for state Republicans to pass their own legislation, overriding the governor’s vetoes.

United States House of Representatives

Four of North Carolina’s fourteen seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were won by Democrats. Democratic candidate Don Davis was able to win in the 1st District, the only competitive House race in NC. The other ten seats were easily won by the Republican candidates.

Sources:

1) “North Carolina Election Results,” The New York Times

2) “Lieutenant Governor,” NC.gov

3) “NCDOJ Duties & Responsibilities,” ncdoj.gov

4 ) “NC SOS,” sosnc.gov

5) “About DPI,” dpi.nc.gov

6) “NC Auditor,” auditor.nc.gov

7) “Democrats break Republican supermajority in North Carolina General Assembly,” WRAL.com