Ernie Watson

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Ernie Watson

Republican Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

May 17, 2022

Military

Service / branch

U.S. Air Force

Years of service

1998 - 2018

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

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Campaign Instagram

Ernie Watson (Republican Party) ran for election to the North Carolina State Senate to represent District 12. He lost in the Republican primary on May 17, 2022.

Watson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

BIography

Ernie Watson served in the U.S. Air Force from 1998 to 2018. He pursued undergraduate education at Maryland Baptist University.

Elections

2022

See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2022

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 12

Incumbent Jim Burgin defeated Richard Chapman in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 12 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Burgin (R)	63.4	36,304
	Submit photo	Richard Chapman (D)	36.6	20,914

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 57,218
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Richard Chapman advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12

Incumbent Jim Burgin defeated David Buboltz and Ernie Watson in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12 on May 17, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jim Burgin	52.8	6,511
		David Buboltz	36.5	4,495
		Ernie Watson	10.7	1,314

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,320
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Ernie Watson completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Watson's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Ernie Watson is a 20 year Air Force veteran and small business owner running for NC Senate in district 12.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• NC Senate District 12 deserves a better quality of life through conservative values
• NC Senate District 12 needs a leader focused on positive economic growth that revitalizes small business and brings in new manufacturing growth
• NC Senate District 12 needs representation in Raleigh that will create and push legislation that represents the people of our district.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Our district can become a beacon of economic prosperity for North Carolina with fresh leadership that focuses on policy that puts our people first. We must address the prosperity and security of our district while ensuring that our voices are heard within the state at large as well. The backbone of District 12 is their small businesses and economic potential, which is why he will do everything in his power to promote free enterprise systems that support these businesses. This support will include creating policy once elected to help reinvigorate old businesses and establish new business that benefits the district.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I possess the ability to find the right people to help solve the problem as well as the ability to listen.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

The core responsibilities of a North Carolina Senator are to represent the needs and will of the people, collect as much information as possible on issues that need work within the district and the state, and create and vote on legislation that gets results.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The best relationship between the governor and the state legislature is for the governor to listen to those who are elected by the people.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

North Carolina's greatest challenges over the next decade will be managing growth metrics and the real-world costs associated with that growth, strengthening our state economy to become more independent from foreign goods and services, and providing an ever-increasing quality of life for North Carolinians.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

I believe that while that kind of experience is helpful we must also remember that the people hire their representatives. If elected I will work very hard to learn how to navigate the government to benefit my district the most.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

It is very beneficial to build positive relationships with other legislators. That includes the Senate and the House. Those relationships will help with the flow of knowledge, experience, and achieving the best outcomes for my district.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2022 Elections

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Government

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Candidate

North Carolina State Senate District 12

Website

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the North Carolina State Senate

Leadership

Minority Leader:Sydney Batch

Senators

District 1

Robert Hanig (R)

District 2

Norman Sanderson (R)

District 3

Bob Brinson (R)

District 4

Eldon Newton (R)

District 5

Kandie Smith (D)

District 6

Michael Lazzara (R)

District 7

Michael Lee (R)

District 8

William Rabon (R)

District 9

Brent Jackson (R)

District 10

Benton Sawrey (R)

District 11

Lisa Barnes (R)

District 12

Jim Burgin (R)

District 13

Lisa Grafstein (D)

District 14

Dan Blue (D)

District 15

Jay Chaudhuri (D)

District 16

Gale Adcock (D)

District 17

Sydney Batch (D)

District 18

Terence Everitt (D)

District 19

Val Applewhite (D)

District 20

Natalie Murdock (D)

District 21

Tom McInnis (R)

District 22

Sophia Chitlik (D)

District 23

Graig Meyer (D)

District 24

Danny Britt (R)

District 25

Amy Galey (R)

District 26

Phil Berger (R)

District 27

Michael Garrett (D)

District 28

Gladys Robinson (D)

District 29

Dave Craven (R)

District 30

Steven Jarvis (R)

District 31

Dana Jones (R)

District 32

Paul Lowe (D)

District 33

Carl Ford (R)

District 34

Chris Measmer (R)

District 35

Todd Johnson (R)

District 36

Eddie Settle (R)

District 37

Vickie Sawyer (R)

District 38

Mujtaba Mohammed (D)

District 39

DeAndrea Salvador (D)

District 40

Joyce Waddell (D)

District 41

Caleb Theodros (D)

District 42

Woodson Bradley (D)

District 43

Brad Overcash (R)

District 44

Ted Alexander (R)

District 45

Mark Hollo (R)

District 46

Warren Daniel (R)

District 47

Ralph Hise (R)

District 48

Timothy Moffitt (R)

District 49

Julie Mayfield (D)

District 50

Kevin Corbin (R)

Republican Party (30)

Democratic Party (20)