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City elections in Raleigh, North Carolina (2019)

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2022
2017
2019 Raleigh elections
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Election dates
Filing deadline: July 19, 2019
General election: October 8, 2019
Runoff election: November 5, 2019
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor and city council
Total seats up: 8 (click here for mayoral elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

All eight seats on Raleigh, North Carolina's city council, including the mayor's seat, were up for nonpartisan election on October 8, 2019. Six incumbents were running for re-election, while two seats, including the mayor's, were open.

Raleigh uses a council-manager form of government. Under this system, an elected city council acts as the city's legislative body. The mayor is a member of the city council and is responsible for presiding over council meetings and representing the city at formal events. Unlike in a mayor-council government, the mayor does not act as the city's chief executive; instead, the city council appoints a city manager who acts as the chief executive and oversees the city's day-to-day operations.

Raleigh's city council has eight members; five are elected from districts while the remaining three, including the mayor, are elected by the entire city (this is also referred to as election at-large). During the council's first meeting following the election, it is responsible for appointing Raleigh's city treasurer, city clerk, and city attorney. All city councilors, including the mayor, are elected to two-year terms in nonpartisan elections.[1]

Six incumbent city councilors, including both at-large councilors and the District B-E councilors, ran for re-election in 2019. While both the 2015 and 2017 elections resulted in at least one district councilor losing re-election, no at-large city councilor had been defeated in a re-election bid since 2001.[2] Each district councilor faced at least one challenger. Three candidates ran for the only open district seat, representing North Raleigh.

If no candidate received a majority of the vote, the top two finishers could advance to runoff elections at the second-place candidate's request.[3] During the 2019 election cycle, runoffs were scheduled for November 5. The at-large council seats were elected together, meaning that every candidate appeared on the same ballot and voters could vote for up to two candidates. In order to avoid a runoff for an at-large seat, a candidate needed to receive 25% of the vote. If just one candidate received 25%, the second- and third-place finisher could advance to a runoff for the remaining seat, while if no candidate received 25%, the top four finishers could advance to a runoff.

One at-large seat and the District D seat could have advanced to runoff general elections. At-large incumbent Russ Stephenson and District D incumbent Kay Crowder chose not to seek runoff races, meaning Jonathan Melton and Saige Martin were declared the winners of the races.[4]

Click here to learn more about the city's mayoral election.

Elections

Click on the tabs below to show more information about those topics.

Candidates and results

Raleigh City Council general election candidates

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Candidates
at-large (2 seats)

Russ Stephenson (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngNicole Stewart (i)
James Bledsoe 
Green check mark transparent.pngJonathan Melton  Candidate Connection
Portia Wilson Rochelle 
Carlie Allison Spencer 
District A

Joshua Bradley 
Green check mark transparent.pngPatrick Buffkin 
Sam Hershey 
District B

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Cox (i)
Brian Fitzsimmons 
District C

Green check mark transparent.pngCorey Branch (i)
Shelia Alamin-Khashoggi 
Wanda Hunter 
Ricky Scott 
District D

Kay Crowder (i)
Brittany Bryan 
Green check mark transparent.pngSaige Martin 
April Parker 
District E

Stef Mendell (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Knight 

Endorsements

Stef Mendell was endorsed by Equality NC.[5]

Do you know of an official or organization that endorsed a candidate in this race? Let Ballotpedia know by email at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Past elections

2017

See also: Municipal elections in Raleigh, North Carolina (2017)

City council

At-large

Russ Stephenson received a majority of the vote and was re-elected. While Nicole Stewart did not receive a majority, Stacy Miller declined to ask for a runoff.[6][7]

Raleigh City Council, At-large Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Russ Stephenson Incumbent 28.26% 26,680
Green check mark transparent.png Nicole Stewart 23.00% 21,714
Stacy Miller 16.55% 15,623
Shelia Alamin-Khashoggi 11.46% 10,822
Zainab Baloch 11.02% 10,406
Robert Ward 7.52% 7,104
Rob Axtell 1.99% 1,878
Write-in votes 0.2% 193
Total Votes 94,420
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017

District A

Incumbent Richard Thompson defeated Alex Moore in the Raleigh City Council District A municipal election.[8]

Raleigh City Council, District A Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Richard Thompson Incumbent 66.80% 8,255
Alex Moore 32.64% 4,034
Write-in votes 0.56% 69
Total Votes 12,358
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017

District B

Incumbent David Cox defeated John Odom in the Raleigh City Council District B municipal election.[9]

Raleigh City Council, District B Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png David Cox Incumbent 68.08% 5,239
John Odom 31.58% 2,430
Write-in votes 0.34% 26
Total Votes 7,695
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017

District C

Incumbent Corey Demont Branch defeated Crash Gregg, Olen Watson, James Bledsoe, and Jeff Stewart in the Raleigh City Council District C municipal election.[10]

Raleigh City Council, District C Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Corey Demont Branch Incumbent 87.05% 8,708
Crash Gregg 3.69% 369
Olen Watson 3.59% 359
James Bledsoe 3.24% 324
Jeff Stewart 2.13% 213
Write-in votes 0.31% 31
Total Votes 10,004
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017

District D

Incumbent Kay Crowder defeated B.J. Plott in the Raleigh City Council District D municipal election.[11]

Raleigh City Council, District D Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Kay Crowder Incumbent 89.92% 7,561
B.J. Plott 9.04% 760
Write-in votes 1.05% 88
Total Votes 8,409
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017

District E

Stef Mendell defeated incumbent Bonner Gaylord and Derek Walker in the Raleigh City Council District E municipal election. While Mendell did not receive a majority of the vote, Gaylord declined to ask for a runoff.[12][7]

Raleigh City Council, District E Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Stef Mendell 49.67% 5,492
Bonner Gaylord Incumbent 45.00% 4,976
Derek Walker (North Carolina) 4.74% 524
Write-in votes 0.59% 65
Total Votes 11,057
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017

2015

See also: Raleigh, North Carolina municipal elections, 2015

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: North Carolina elections, 2019

What's on your ballot?
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What was at stake?

Report a story for this election

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Candidate survey

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About the city

See also: Raleigh, North Carolina

Raleigh is a city in Wake County, North Carolina. As of 2010, its population was 403,892.

City government

See also: Council-manager government

The city of Raleigh uses a council-manager system. In this form of municipal government, an elected city council—which includes the mayor and serves as the city's primary legislative body—appoints a chief executive called a city manager to oversee day-to-day municipal operations and implement the council's policy and legislative initiatives.[13]

Demographics

The following table displays demographic data provided by the United States Census Bureau.

Demographic Data for Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh North Carolina
Population 403,892 9,535,483
Land area (sq mi) 145 48,622
Race and ethnicity**
White 58.3% 68.7%
Black/African American 29% 21.4%
Asian 4.6% 2.9%
Native American 0.4% 1.2%
Pacific Islander 0% 0.1%
Other (single race) 4.8% 3.1%
Multiple 2.9% 2.7%
Hispanic/Latino 11.2% 9.4%
Education
High school graduation rate 91.8% 87.8%
College graduation rate 50.9% 31.3%
Income
Median household income $67,266 $54,602
Persons below poverty level 12.6% 14.7%
Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019).
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.


State profile

See also: North Carolina and North Carolina elections, 2019
USA North Carolina location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of May 7, 2019

Presidential voting pattern

  • North Carolina voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Congressional delegation

State executives

  • Democrats held four and Republicans held six of North Carolina's 20 state executive offices. Elections for the other offices are nonpartisan.
  • North Carolina's governor was Democrat Roy Cooper.

State legislature

North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

North Carolina quick stats

More North Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for North Carolina
 North CarolinaU.S.
Total population:10,035,186316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):48,6183,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:69.5%73.6%
Black/African American:21.5%12.6%
Asian:2.5%5.1%
Native American:1.2%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:2.4%3%
Hispanic/Latino:8.8%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:85.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:28.4%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$46,868$53,889
Persons below poverty level:20.5%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Carolina.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Six of 100 North Carolina counties—6 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Bladen County, North Carolina 9.39% 1.97% 2.07%
Gates County, North Carolina 9.07% 4.11% 5.22%
Granville County, North Carolina 2.49% 4.54% 6.58%
Martin County, North Carolina 0.43% 4.65% 4.64%
Richmond County, North Carolina 9.74% 2.95% 1.50%
Robeson County, North Carolina 4.27% 17.41% 13.78%

In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won North Carolina with 49.8 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 46.2 percent. In presidential elections between 1792 and 2016, North Carolina voted Democratic 53.5 percent of the time and Republican 25 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, North Carolina voted Republican all five times with the exception of the 2008 presidential election.[14]

Presidential results by legislative district

The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in North Carolina. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2018 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[15][16]

In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 40 out of 120 state House districts in North Carolina with an average margin of victory of 38.3 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 44 out of 120 state House districts in North Carolina with an average margin of victory of 36.4 points. Clinton won three districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2018 elections.
In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 80 out of 120 state House districts in North Carolina with an average margin of victory of 22.7 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 76 out of 120 state House districts in North Carolina with an average margin of victory of 27.7 points. Trump won five districts controlled by Democrats heading into the 2018 elections.


See also

Raleigh, North Carolina North Carolina Municipal government Other local coverage
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External links

Footnotes

  1. MuniCode, "Raleigh, North Carolina," accessed October 8, 2019
  2. IndyWeek, "Here’s Where (We Think) Things Stand a Month Out From Raleigh’s Elections," September 3, 2019
  3. The News & Observer, "Longtime Raleigh City Council member Bonner Gaylord won’t call for a runoff election," October 12, 2017
  4. Indy Week, "Updated: Raleigh Has Its First Two LGBTQ Council Members. Kay Crowder and Russ Stephenson Will Not Seek Runoffs." October 11, 2019
  5. Ballotpedia's Elections Team, “Email communication with Stef Mendell," August 12, 2019
  6. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017
  7. 7.0 7.1 The News & Observer, "Longtime Raleigh City Council member Bonner Gaylord won’t call for a runoff election," October 12, 2017
  8. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017
  9. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017
  10. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017
  11. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017
  12. North Carolina State Board of Elections, "10/10/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake​," accessed October 10, 2017
  13. City of Raleigh, "City Council," accessed October 22, 2014
  14. 270towin.com, "North Carolina," accessed June 1, 2017
  15. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  16. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017