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Mayoral election in Raleigh, North Carolina (2019)

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2021
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 (canceled)
Election stats
Offices up: Mayor and city council
Total seats up: 8 (click here for other city elections)
Election type: Nonpartisan
Other municipal elections
U.S. municipal elections, 2019

The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, held a general election for mayor on October 8, 2019. The filing deadline for this election was July 19, 2019.

Mary-Ann Baldwin won election in the general election for Mayor of Raleigh.

Because no candidate received a majority of the votes in the general election, a general runoff election scheduled for November 5, 2019, was possible.[1] Charles Francis, the runner-up in the general election, announced on October 11, 2019, that he would not call for the runoff, meaning Baldwin was declared the winner. Francis stated, "After reviewing the results and analyzing a runoff race, I have concluded that the path to a runoff victory to re-connect with my voters and reach other voters concerned about our city would require an additional several hundred thousand dollars—more resources than available for an election just three weeks away. Therefore, though there was no clear mandate in the Mayor’s race for any candidate, I will not call for a runoff."[2]

Elections

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Candidates and results

General election

General election for Mayor of Raleigh

The following candidates ran in the general election for Mayor of Raleigh on October 8, 2019.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Mary-Ann Baldwin
Mary-Ann Baldwin (Nonpartisan)
 
38.2
 
20,861
Image of Charles Francis
Charles Francis (Nonpartisan)
 
31.1
 
17,017
Image of Caroline Sullivan
Caroline Sullivan (Nonpartisan)
 
20.5
 
11,191
Image of Zainab Baloch
Zainab Baloch (Nonpartisan)
 
6.5
 
3,553
Image of Justin Sutton
Justin Sutton (Nonpartisan)
 
2.1
 
1,125
Image of George Knott
George Knott (Nonpartisan) Candidate Connection
 
1.4
 
741
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.3
 
142

Total votes: 54,630
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Endorsements

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)

The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, held municipal elections for mayor and city council on October 10, 2017. A runoff took place on November 7, 2017, in those races where no candidate received a majority of the vote. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 21, 2017. All seven council seats were up for election.

Incumbent Nancy McFarlane defeated Charles Francis in the mayor of Raleigh runoff election.[3]

Mayor of Raleigh, Runoff Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Nancy McFarlane Incumbent 57.79% 31,469
Charles Francis 42.21% 22,983
Total Votes 54,452
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement, "11/07/2017 Unofficial Municipal Election Results - Wake," accessed November 7, 2017

Incumbent Nancy McFarlane and Charles Francis defeated Paul Fitts in the mayor of Raleigh municipal election.[4]

Mayor of Raleigh, Municipal Election, 2017
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.png Nancy McFarlane Incumbent 48.45% 25,414
Green check mark transparent.png Charles Francis 36.67% 19,232
Paul Fitts 14.76% 7,744
Write-in votes 0.11% 59
Total Votes 52,449
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

The city of Raleigh, North Carolina, held elections for mayor and city council on October 6, 2015. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 17, 2015.[5] In the mayoral race, incumbent Nancy McFarlane defeated Bob Weltzin in the general election on October 6, 2015.[6][7][8]

Raleigh Mayor General Election, 2015
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngNancy McFarlane Incumbent 74.4% 26,894
Bob Weltzin 25.2% 9,129
Write-in 0.4% 149
Total Votes 36,172
Source: Wake County Elections, "Municipal Elections Unofficial Results," October 6, 2015

2013

In the 2013 general election, McFarlane defeated Venita Peyton and Robert Weltzin.

Mayor of Raleigh, 2013
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngNancy McFarlane Incumbent 73% 32,687
Venita Peyton 5.2% 2,324
Robert Weltzin 21.8% 9,781
Total Votes 44,792
Source: Wake County, NC 2013 Election Results

2011

In the 2011 general election, McFarlane defeated Billie Jean Redmond and Randall Williams.

Mayor of Raleigh, 2011
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngNancy McFarlane 61.2% 34,534
Billie Jean Redmond 29.6% 16,720
Randall Williams 9.2% 5,219
Total Votes 56,473
Source: Wake County, NC 2011 Election Results

Additional elections on the ballot

See also: North Carolina elections, 2019

What's on your ballot?
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Mayoral partisanship

Once mayors elected in 2019 assumed office, the mayors of 65 of the country's 100 largest cities were affiliated with the Democratic Party. Out of the 31 mayoral elections that were held in 2019 in the 100 largest cities, five partisan changes occurred. Democrats gained three mayorships: two previously held by Republicans and one previously held by an independent. Republicans won one office held by an unaffiliated mayor, and one office where the incumbent's partisan affiliation was unknown.

In the elections in Phoenix, Arizona and Wichita, Kansas, Democrats won seats with Republican incumbents. In Wichita, Democrat Brandon Whipple defeated Republican incumbent Jeff Longwell. In Raleigh, North Carolina, a Democrat won a seat previously held by an independent. In Aurora, Colorado, a Republican succeeded an unaffiliated mayor. In Garland, Texas, a Republican succeeded a mayor with unknown party affiliation. Incumbents did not seek re-election in Phoenix, Raleigh, Aurora, or Garland.

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What was at stake?

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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.[9]

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.[10]

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.[11][12]

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