Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
North Carolina's 12th Congressional District elections, 2014
 |
North Carolina's 2014 elections U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • School boards • Judicial • Candidate ballot access |
 |
2016 →
← 2012
|
 |
November 4, 2014 |
May 6, 2014 |
Alma Adams  |
Vacant |
Cook Political Report: Solid D[1] FairVote's Monopoly Politics: Safe D[2] |
 |
The 12th Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Alma Adams (D) defeated Vince Coakley (R) in the general election. Adams also won a concurrent special election to fill the vacancy left by former Rep. Melvin Watt (D), who resigned in January 2014 to become the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.[4] She defeated Coakley (R) in the special election as well.
Incumbents tend to have a strong advantage when running for re-election, so open seats are often some of the most contested races.[5] Nonetheless, North Carolina's 12th was known to be a highly Democratic district, so although incumbent Melvin Watt (D) resigned and left his seat vacant, Republicans were not likely to win the seat for their party. In his 2012 bid, Watt defeated Republican challenger Jack Brosch by a 59.2 percent margin of victory, showing that Democratic voters constituted a large percentage of the voting population.[6] In 2014, Democratic candidate Adams was expected to have a similar advantage over her Republican opponent, Coakley. She also had a financial advantage over Coakley. As of the Pre-Primary FEC reports, Adams had raised $386,323.18 to Coakley's $60,021.65. Likewise, The Cook Political Report rated Watt's vacant seat as "Solid Democratic."[7]
In the May 6 primary election, Coakley had only one competitor for the Republican nomination, whom he easily defeated. In contrast, Adams faced six other Democratic candidates, though she defeated all of them by a safe margin of victory.[8] Adams was a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives.[9]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. North Carolina utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Parties decide who may vote in their respective primaries. Voters may choose a primary ballot without impacting their unaffiliated status.[10][11]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Voter registration: To vote in the primary, voters had to register by April 11, 2014. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 10, 2014 (25 days before the day of the election).[12]
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2014
Incumbent: Melvin Watt (D), who was first elected in 1992, resigned from his seat in January 2014 to take a position in the Obama administration.[13] His resignation left the seat vacant until Alma Adams took office on November 12, 2014.[4]
North Carolina's 12th Congressional District is located in the west-central portion of the state and includes portions of Mecklenburg County.[14]
Candidates
General election candidates
May 6, 2014, primary results
|
|
|
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Alma Adams |
75.3% | 130,096 | |
| Republican | Vince Coakley | 24.7% | 42,568 | |
| Total Votes | 172,664 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Vince Coakley |
78% | 8,652 | ||
| Leon Threatt | 22% | 2,439 | ||
| Total Votes | 11,091 | |||
| Source: Results via the North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Alma Adams |
44% | 15,235 | ||
| Malcolm Graham | 23.6% | 8,180 | ||
| George Battle | 12.5% | 4,342 | ||
| Marcus Brandon | 8.2% | 2,856 | ||
| James "Smuggie" Mitchell | 5.1% | 1,775 | ||
| Curtis Osborne | 5% | 1,733 | ||
| Rajive Patel | 1.4% | 502 | ||
| Total Votes | 34,623 | |||
| Source: Results via the North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
Special election results
North Carolina's 12th Congressional District held a special election concurrent with the regular general election. This election filled the vacancy left by former Rep. Melvin Watt (D), who resigned in January 2014 to become the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.[4] Adams won the special election as well as the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Alma Adams |
75.4% | 127,668 | |
| Republican | Vince Coakley | 24.6% | 41,578 | |
| Total Votes | 169,246 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Endorsements
Vince Coakley
Vince Coakley received the following endorsements:
- Liberty Conservatives[16]
Key votes
Government shutdown
- See also: United States budget debate, 2013
On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[17] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[18] Melvin Watt voted against the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[19]
The shutdown ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funded the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[20] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Melvin Watt voted for HR 2775.[21]
Polls
Democratic primary polls
| Democratic primary candidates | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Alma Adams | Malcolm Graham | George Battle | James Mitchell | Marcus Brandon | Curtis Osborne | Rajive Patel | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size | |||||||||
| Hamilton Campaigns February 28-March 4, 2014 | 26% | 19% | 9% | 9% | 4% | 3% | 1% | 29% | +/-4.4 | 500 | |||||||||
| Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org | |||||||||||||||||||
Campaign contributions
Vince Coakley
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Coakley's reports.[22]
| Vince Coakley (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[23] | April 15, 2014 | $0.00 | $55,581.65 | $(19,826.84) | $35,754.81 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[24] | April 24, 2014 | $35,754.81 | $4,440.00 | $(15,596.27) | $24,598.54 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $60,021.65 | $(35,423.11) | ||||||||
Alma Adams
Candidates for Congress were required to file up to seven main reports with the Federal Election Commission during the 2014 elections season. Below are Adams' reports.[25]
| Alma Adams (2014) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| October Quarterly[26] | April 15, 2014 | $0.00 | $89,493.07 | $(20,350.09) | $69,142.98 | ||||
| Year-End[27] | April 15, 2014 | $69,142.98 | $112,658.41 | $(89,463.73) | $92,337.66 | ||||
| April Quarterly[28] | April 15, 2014 | $92,337.66 | $150,953.48 | $(128,303.61) | $114,987.53 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[29] | April 24, 2014 | $114,987.53 | $33,218.22 | $(92,352.86) | $55,852.89 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $386,323.18 | $(330,470.29) | ||||||||
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2012
The 12th Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which incumbent Melvin Watt (D) won re-election. He defeated Jack Brosch (R) in the general election.[30]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Melvin L. Watt Incumbent |
79.6% | 247,591 | |
| Republican | Jack Brosch | 20.4% | 63,317 | |
| Total Votes | 310,908 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, Melvin L. Watt won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Greg Dority (R) and Lon Cecil (Libertarian) in the general election.[31]
| U.S. House, North Carolina District 12 General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Melvin L. Watt incumbent |
63.9% | 103,495 | |
| Republican | Greg Dority | 34.1% | 55,315 | |
| Libertarian | Lon Cecil | 2% | 3,197 | |
| Total Votes | 162,007 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2014
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2014
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2014 House Race Ratings for August 8, 2014," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ FairVote's Monopoly Politics, "2014 House Projections," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2014 House Races," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 MSNBC, "100th woman in Congress to take oath," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Incumbent Advantage," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 General Election Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ The Cook Political Report, "2014 House Race Ratings for June 26, 2014," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ Associated Press, "North Carolina - Summary Vote Results," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Representative Alma Adams (Dem)," accessed July 14, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Information," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina Center for Voter Education, "Register to Vote in North Carolina," accessed January 3, 2014
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Mel Watt to resign from Congress Jan. 6," accessed May 19, 2014
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "2016 Contingent Congressional Plan - Corrected," accessed September 28, 2018
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing List," accessed March 18, 2014
- ↑ Liberty Conservatives, "Liberty Conservatives Interview and Endorsement of Vince Coakley," accessed August 27, 2014
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Buzzfeed, "Government Shutdown: How We Got Here," accessed October 1, 2013
- ↑ Clerk of the U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 504," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Reid, McConnell propose bipartisan Senate bill to end shutdown, extend borrowing," accessed October 16, 2013
- ↑ U.S. House, "Final vote results for Roll Call 550," accessed October 31, 2013
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Vince Coakley Summary Report," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Vince Coakley April Quarterly," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Vince Coakley Pre-Primary," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Alma Adams Summary Report," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Alma Adams October Quarterly," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Alma Adams Year-End," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Alma Adams April Quarterly," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Alma Adams Pre-Primary," accessed May 16, 2014
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, North Carolina," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
