Election review: Three primary runoffs in Alabama and North Carolina
July 16, 2014
By Ballotpedia's Congressional team
Two states held primary runoff elections yesterday: Alabama and North Carolina. Between the two states, there were only a total of three races that required runoff elections.
In Alabama's 6th Congressional District, Gary Palmer soundly defeated Paul DeMarco to secure the Republican nomination for the open seat left by the retirement of Rep. Spencer Bachus.[1] This was a reversal of the June 3 primary result, in which DeMarco received 32.7 percent of the vote compared to Palmer's 19.7 percent.[2]
North Carolina's 5th Congressional District held a runoff between Josh Brannon and Gardenia Henley for the Democratic nomination. Brannon defeated Henley, consistent with his higher percentage of the vote in the initial primary election. Brannon will face a difficult battle against incumbent Virginia Foxx in the general election.
The race for the Republican nomination in North Carolina's 6th Congressional District had a much higher voter turnout than the 5th District's runoff. North Carolina's 6th District leans Republican, so the winner of this race is likely to win in the general election. Although Mark Walker received less votes than Phil Berger, Jr. in the initial primary election, he defeated Berger in the runoff by a 20 percent margin of victory.
Full results for all House runoff races are shown below.
U.S. House
Alabama runoff
There are seven seats up for grabs in the Alabama's 2014 congressional elections. The Republican Party currently holds six of the seven seats.
| Members of the U.S. House from Alabama -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 1 | 1 | |
| Republican Party | 6 | 6 | |
| Total | 7 | 7 | |
District 6
Gary Palmer defeated Paul DeMarco in the Republican primary runoff election in a reversal of the primary election, in which DeMarco received substantially more votes than Palmer. He will face Avery Vise (D) and Aimee Love (L) in the general election on November 4, 2014.[1] Palmer is expected to win election in November in what some have referred to as "the reddest district in the county."[3]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gary Palmer |
63.5% | 47,491 | ||
| Paul DeMarco | 36.5% | 27,295 | ||
| Total Votes | 74,786 | |||
| Source: Results from Politico as of 100% reporting Note: Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available. |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paul DeMarco |
32.7% | 30,894 | ||
| Gary Palmer |
19.7% | 18,655 | ||
| Scott Beason | 15.3% | 14,451 | ||
| Chad Mathis | 15.3% | 14,420 | ||
| Will Brooke | 13.9% | 13,130 | ||
| Tom Vigneulle | 2.5% | 2,397 | ||
| Robert Shattuck | 0.6% | 587 | ||
| Total Votes | 94,534 | |||
| Source: Alabama Secretary of State |
||||
North Carolina runoff
There are 13 seats up for grabs in the North Carolina's 2014 congressional elections. The Republican Party currently holds nine of the 13 seats.
| Members of the U.S. House from North Carolina -- Partisan Breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | As of November 2014 | After the 2014 Election | |
| Democratic Party | 4 | 3 | |
| Republican Party | 9 | 10 | |
| Total | 13 | 13 | |
District 5
Josh Brannon defeated Gardenia Henley in the Democratic runoff primary.[4] Brannon will challenge Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx in the November general election.[5] Foxx is expected to win the general election, as she has a financial advantage in a Republican-leaning district and has been in office since 2005.[6] The Cook Political Report also rates Foxx's seat as "Solid Republican."[7]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Josh Brannon |
65.6% | 2,726 | ||
| Gardenia Henley | 34.4% | 1,427 | ||
| Total Votes | 4,153 | |||
| Source: 99% reporting, Results via Associated Press Note: Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available. |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Josh Brannon |
33.1% | 8,010 | ||
| Gardenia Henley |
26.5% | 6,417 | ||
| Michael Holleman | 23.2% | 5,618 | ||
| Will Stinson | 17.3% | 4,189 | ||
| Total Votes | 24,234 | |||
| Source: Results via the North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
District 6
With incumbent Howard Coble (R) not seeking re-election in 2014, the May 6 Republican primary was a crowded race between nine candidates. Mark Walker defeated Phil Berger, Jr. in the resulting Republican runoff primary.[4] Berger had received the highest percentage of votes in the initial primary election, but Walker gained about 7,700 votes between the primary and the runoff, leaving him the winner by a 20 percent margin of victory. Walker will face Democratic candidate Laura Fjeld in the November 4 general election.[5] Although Fjeld has a financial advantage, The Cook Political Report rates North Carolina's 6th District as "Solid Republican" in 2014.[7]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Mark Walker |
60.1% | 18,849 | ||
| Phil Berger, Jr. | 39.9% | 12,527 | ||
| Total Votes | 31,376 | |||
| Source: 99% reporting, Results via Associated Press Note: Vote totals above are unofficial and will be updated once official totals are made available. |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Phil Berger, Jr. |
34.3% | 15,127 | ||
| Mark Walker |
25.2% | 11,123 | ||
| Bruce VonCannon | 11.5% | 5,055 | ||
| Zack Matheny | 11.4% | 5,043 | ||
| Jeff Phillips | 7.9% | 3,494 | ||
| Don Webb | 4.3% | 1,899 | ||
| Mike Causey | 3.2% | 1,427 | ||
| Kenn Kopf | 1.2% | 510 | ||
| Charlie Sutherland | 1% | 458 | ||
| Total Votes | 44,136 | |||
| Source: Results via the North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
See also
- List of U.S. Congress incumbents not running for re-election in 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections in Alabama, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2014
External links
- Alabama Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Alabama - Republican Primary Runoff Candidates
- North Carolina State Board of Elections
- North Carolina - Primary Runoff Candidates
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Politico, "Alabama House Primary Runoff Results by District," July 15, 2014
- ↑ Alabama Secretary of State, "Republican Primary results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ National Review Online, " Update on ‘the Reddest District in the Country’," May 23, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Associated Press, "North Carolina Runoff Primary Results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Associated Press, "North Carolina Primary Results," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "FOXX, Virginia Ann, (1943 - )," accessed July 15, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Cook Political Report, "2014 House Race Ratings for June 26, 2014," accessed July 15, 2014
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