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North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Democratic primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 12
- Early voting: Oct. 17 - Nov. 3
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No
- Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
2020 →
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| North Carolina's 9th Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: February 28, 2018 |
| Primary: May 8, 2018 Primary runoff: July 17, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Robert Pittenger (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in North Carolina |
| Race ratings |
Cook Political Report: Toss-up Inside Elections: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th North Carolina elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
Marine Corps veteran Dan McCready defeated hospitality industry consultant Christian Cano in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District on May 8, 2018.
McCready raised $614,000 in the first quarter of 2018, outpacing incumbent Rep. Robert Pittenger (R)’s $457,000.[1] Prior to the election, Taylor Batten of The Charlotte Observer compared McCready to Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District victor Conor Lamb (D). His campaign style “emphasiz[es] his stint in the military…as a big part of his centrist, country-first persona,” Batten wrote.[2]
Cano, who was seeking a rematch against Pittenger, raised $3,100 in the first quarter of 2018 and ran to the left of McCready, accusing him of being "a milquetoast [and] Republican lite.”[3]
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee named North Carolina's 9th Congressional District one of its offensive targets in 2018.[4] Pittenger defeated Cano by 16 points in 2016, but Democrats saw an opportunity in the district where Pittenger was outraised by a Democrat and challenged in the Republican primary.
| North Carolina voter? Dates you need to know. | |
|---|---|
| Primary election | May 8, 2018 |
| Candidate filing deadline | February 28, 2018 |
| Registration deadline | April 13, 2018 |
| Absentee application deadline | May 1, 2018 (by mail), May 7, 2018 (in-person) |
| General election | November 6, 2018 |
| Voting information | |
| Primary type | Semi-closed |
| Polling locations: Go to this page to find early voting locations and your assigned precinct for election day. | |
For more on related elections, please see:
- North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Republican primary)
- North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, 2018
- United States House Democratic Party primaries, 2018
- United States House Republican Party primaries, 2018
- Democratic Party primaries in North Carolina, 2018
- Republican Party primaries in North Carolina, 2018
Candidates and election results
Dan McCready defeated Christian Cano in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9 on May 8, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Dan McCready | 82.8 | 38,098 |
 | Christian Cano | 17.2 | 7,922 | |
| Total votes: 46,020 | |||
 = 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Maria Warren (D)
Top candidates
Christian Cano (D)
After attending Texas Christian University, Cano worked more than two decades in the hotel industry and as a hospitality consultant.[5] Cano was the Democratic nominee for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District in 2016, losing to Pittenger by 16 percentage points.
Cano said in an online interview, "Our campaign message over the past two years hasn't changed much. We still talk about real world issues like infrastructure, healthcare, public education, separation of church and state, women's rights, equality for all, and our much needed increase for our human assets in our Professional Military. These issues and policies are universal. We just need a Congressperson who will get to DC and actually do some work."[6]
Cano listed promoting economic opportunity, healthcare as a right, women's reproductive rights, and education as policy priorities.[7]
Dan McCready (D)
McCready served as a captain in the Marine Corps before attending Harvard Business School. After graduation, he worked at McKinsey & Company and started a solar farm company in Charlotte.[8]
"This is a calling I feel to fight back because I can’t stand idly by anymore while extremist politicians try to tear apart our schools, tear apart our churches, they’re trying to undo what our country has built up over hundreds of years,” McCready said of his candidacy.[9]
On his campaign website, McCready listed affordable healthcare, job creation, preserving Social Security, and simplifying the tax code and regulations as policy priorities.[10]
Candidates
Democratic primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
Democratic Party factional conflict
Disputes between candidates endorsed by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and candidates outside the official organs of the Democratic Party occurred in U.S. House primaries in 2018.
The DCCC, a campaign arm of the Democratic National Committee, endorsed candidates who party leaders believed had the best chance of defeating Republican incumbents.[11]
Some criticized the DCCC's choices. Ryan Grim and Lee Fang wrote in The Intercept, for example, "In district after district, the national party is throwing its weight behind candidates who are out of step with the national mood."[12]
In this primary, the DCCC endorsed Dan McCready.[11]
The chart below shows a scorecard for how the DCCC performed in competitive Democratic primaries that featured at least one DCCC-endorsed candidate and one other Democratic candidate.
| U.S. House Democratic factions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faction | Primary victories in 2018 | |||||||||||
| Endorsed by DCCC | 31 | |||||||||||
| Not endorsed by DCCC | 2 | |||||||||||
Campaign finance
Democrats
Campaign themes and policy stances
Campaign themes
This section highlights topics that each candidate emphasized during the campaign. They are generally taken verbatim from the candidate, but may also be collected from newspaper profiles, candidate forums, media interviews, voter guides, candidate survey responses, and candidate YouTube videos.
Christian Cano
| “ |
Economy Policy Statement Right now, we face a very unique economic situation. Though we are no longer in a recession and unemployment continues to shrink, I have seen firsthand that the recovery has not lifted everyone up and this is a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. Yet, instead of addressing the problems we face, including income inequality, a minimum wage that needs raised, and lack of upward social mobility, our congress continues to move towards tax cuts that benefit them, the wealthiest of Americans. We need a society in which everyone has the same opportunity at success regardless of wealth, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation or any other basis. It is time to begin to bring the climate of opportunity back to every day citizens, and back to those in the Ninth District of North Carolina. We have a booming metropolis right here in Charlotte, which is a hub of major economic activity. Yet, in parts of Charlotte and our other rural counties we see many families living paycheck to paycheck. Factories that were once an economic boon are long gone. Industries are dead. Meanwhile, our representative is taking international flights costing upwards of $16,000 per seat, riding the coattails of the Trump Administration. This is more than some people make in a year. There is much work that needs to be done and we shouldn’t expect people to have to uproot their lives when we can bring economic prosperity right back to the district. In order to bring back that climate of opportunity, I know we must first work with what we have. In North Carolina we have vast agricultural and infrastructure opportunities to begin to help bring jobs back to our district. In fact, infrastructure is one of the only concrete ways a congressperson can single handily create jobs. Let’s begin to rebuild our roads, bridges, dams, and highways. We saw firsthand the downfalls of poor infrastructure when the eastern portion of our district was wrecked by Hurricane Matthew last fall. There was needless life lost and damage done because of our poor infrastructure. We need to begin to put our constituents in jobs where they no longer live paycheck to paycheck and can continue to benefit the community they live in. In North Carolina, one of the only things we cannot grow is citrus. Everything else is fair game. Let’s begin importing and exporting between other states and countries to bring revenue back to our district and improve lives for our farmers and those who work in agriculture. Along with encouraging and incentivizing small business, I plan to help regulate the tax code and make sure big businesses and corporations pay their fair share of taxes. The Trump Administration is pushing for huge tax breaks for the wealthiest, which will clearly hurt our district. Hardworking Americans don’t need to be supplementing multi million dollar corporations. In fact, we need to stop supplementing companies like Wal Mart who can easily pay their employees at least $15 an hour. When companies pay living wages, we all benefit and that is money saved for taxpayers on the back end. I believe in an American economy that works for everyone, not just the top few. I believe the plan I have outlined is the best and most efficient way to get back to a district, state, and country that give the same opportunity to everyone. So let’s begin to promote agricultural and the trading of it. Let’s rebuild our infrastructure as we crack down on corporate tax loopholes and raise the minimum wage to make sure every citizen of the Ninth District and every citizen in America has the same opportunity as everyone else. Health Care Policy There are 320 million citizens currently living in America. Before the Affordable Care Act went in to effect, 15.7% or around 49 million people did not have health insurance. Now, after multiple years of being law and many repeal attempts later, less than 10% of the population goes without coverage. There are now around 25 million more people that now have access to affordable and decent health care yet this is under attack by the GOP efforts to repeal it. As we stand today, the house and Robert Pittenger have voted to strip away those benefits from their constituents. Indeed, the ninth district would see the most people thrown off of health insurance of ANY republican controlled district in the entire country. We know that no one person’s life has more value than anyone else’s. Unfortunately, that was the system we were working with before the ACA and the system the republicans want to return to with Trumpcare. Those with lower incomes, seniors, people with pre existing conditions and so many others could lose their health insurance. We do not believe in a society where any individual cannot see his or her doctor out of fear of insane medical debt. We do not believe in a society where hard working Americans go without the care they need because they fear they will no longer be able to put food on the table. Simple Medicaid expansion would provide health insurance to 30,000 in Mecklenburg County alone. We have one of the highest uninsured rates in the country here in North Carolina and republicans still want to make it worse/ We need to be moving towards either a public option or a single payer system, not going backwards to the pre Obamacare era. It is not feasible in the long term for higher income earners to have to continually subsidize those at the lower end of the chain as insurance companies run the show. We know that is it morally wrong for medicine and health to be a for profit industry. And as we see insurance companies complain about lower revenue, we must ask ourselves why we pay higher premiums while the CEO’s of the top five insurance companies continue to rake in annual pay upwards of 10 million dollars annually. Besides the obvious moral aspect, this is one of simple economics. When everyone is paying into the system, the overall cost that Americans pay for whatever service they may need will go down. I will continue to support the affordable care act and do everything in my power to protect it from republicans like Robert Pittenger, and once elected, begin fighting for legislation that includes a single payer system. Abortion Policy Statement Oftentimes we hear the other side of the aisle tell us they believe in smaller and less intrusive government. They tell us we need a government that is off our backs and out of the way. Yet, the very same officials that shout these ideologies turn around and try to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body based on their own personal beliefs. I cannot think of a way in which government is more involved in your life than if they are telling you what to do with it. If a member of congress tries to make it their job to dictate to women how she should treat her body based on their personal religious beliefs, they needed to be kicked out of office. Decades ago the supreme court ruled that women have the right, under the fourteenth amendment, to have access to safe and legal abortions. There is no reason to begin to infringe upon or reduce this right as we know it today. Our number one interest in regards to abortion is to first protect women’s health and their right to choose. I believe the government should stay out of what any woman may choose to do. Instead of limiting access to abortions and forcing women into difficult, sometimes life threatening decisions, we need to ensure the access to abortion is expansive and safe. I also respect that everyone has his or her own moral, sometimes religious views on the issue and these opinions are allowed and accepted so long as they do not actively attempt to deter women from their right to choose. I will fight every day to make sure no one politician’s objection to abortion forces a woman into a dangerous and unsafe situation. We need to improve women’s healthcare and access to safe procedures they may need, like abortions, not make it harder for them. Education Policy Statement I know education is crucial to every person’s development. In fact, if I had not had the right teachers to encourage me and give me the tools I need to be successful, I would never have had the strength to run for US Congress. Yet today we see that teachers are more disrespected than ever. In our state alone republican leadership has drastically hindered our local teachers and school’s ability to effectively impact our children’s lives. We must stop with budget cuts that slash public schools funding. We want teachers to enjoy teaching in North Carolina, not run away from it. This is not about politics. As long as we continue to slash teacher pay and school funding under incompetent leaders like Betsy DeVos, we sacrifice the next generation’s ability to improve our world. Public education is vital to most young people’s success. I know that a child’s opportunity at success should not be defined by his or her zip code. Why are we putting roadblocks in front of our future? We need to make the path as clear as possible. Meanwhile, the money that should be going to fund our school systems is instead going back into the pockets of the top five percent of earners. It is not reasonable to slash taxes at the expense of a child’s education, like the GOP are trying to do, Let’s spend wiser on public education. Let’s make tests fairer to everyone. We need to have a level playing field to make sure everyone has the same shot at success. I also know that we can not afford to continue strapping down our college graduates with paralyzing amounts of debt. I supported President Obama’s initiative to make community college free. This allows hard working students the chance to make something of themselves. I also support lowering the cost of undergraduate schooling. No student should live in the fear of not going to school because his or her parents are not wealthy enough to cut a check for school. Again, this is not politics. This is about making sure every single person in this country has the chance to succeed. These are just a few of the steps we can take to achieve this. We can and will do better than our norm. As your next congressperson, I will fight every day to ensure that we spend effectively on our public schools, make community college free and accessible, and significantly reduce the amount of student loan debt our current grads and students face. Climate Change Policy One of the deadliest problems facing not just the United States but the entire world is Climate Change. If we do not take immediate action to combat the drastic effects that climate change poses on our world, there will be dire consequences. Our next generation will feel it significantly and then generation after that even more so. But we do not have to look the far into the future because it is already happening. And while it is not too late to fight it, we are getting awfully close to blowing our last opportunity to turn things around. One of the most direct impacts of climate change will be felt right in our district. We have vast opportunities with our agricultural in the Ninth District and throughout the whole state. If we continue to sit idly by, we allow temperatures to rise and heat waves to stretch which in turn will kill our crops, destroy opportunities to grow things such as corn, sweet potatoes, soy beans, live stock, fruits and so on. This will greatly damage, if not completely destroy, our state and local economy. Instead of snipping at one another about the causes of climate change, lets work to slow and stop it by reducing state and global carbon emissions, moving towards clean energy, upgrade our infrastructure in energy efficient ways, and change the way we consume. While the effects of climate change down the road have been documented, we can still look to the present to see its effects. Fifteen of the past sixteen years have been the hottest on record and 2016 is at the top of the list. We are seeing increased wildfires, longer and hotter summers, and a significant rise in sea level. I know that our participation in the Paris Climate Agreement is pivotal to the fight on climate change even as Trump teeters on the edge of taking us out of it. I will support climate efforts whole heartedly and continue to fight at every opportunity I get. Not just for the economy or our district, but for our children and our future. The world looks to America for leadership and they are watching what we do on this issue. We must not continue on the backward path we are on. We must take action now. Immigration Policy Statement I have zero intention of ever supporting the mass deportation of over eleven million human beings from the United States of America. As a person of Hispanic heritage, I know first hand that immigrants can succeed beyond their wildest dreams when they are given the opportunity for success. This is what we should continue to encourage, instead of turning against one other because of the color of our skin. Our country can and will be better than the rhetoric we hear from blatantly racist President Trump and the republican leadership about undocumented workers. Besides the obvious moral implications of a mass deportation, there would be huge economic repercussions from such an event that could send our country spiraling downwards. E. Pluribus Unum; out of many, one. We are not a country that should be rejecting people on the basis of discrimination yet that is exactly the republican policy. Contrary to what Donald Trump says, the Mexicans are not “raping, killing, and stealing.” In fact, we rely on the hard work and labor that immigrants often provide to our country. To “send them back” would be disastrous. I will fight with every fiber of being to ensure that if you live in America and are working, paying taxes, contributing to the economy, and are a law abiding citizen that you are not sent away from your family and that you are treated equally under our law. We live in a society of inclusion. We never need to shun away individuals who wish to come to this country, contribute, and have their own opportunity as success. That is the core of the American Dream. I know all men are created equal and this is the mentality I will bring to Washington. Instead of isolating from one another, lets begin to bring neighbors together by encouraging a reformed immigration system that allows those playing by the rules to have a fair path to citizenship and to help phase in any law abiding and contributing individual already here. And, if you are born in the United States it goes without saying you are already legally a citizen. I will always support comprehensive immigration reform and will continue to advocate for the human rights of any person living in the US. We know that our country works better when all people are working together. Out of many, one. Campaign Finance Policy The simple reality is that right now in the United States of America those who have the most wealth now have the most influence and control over our electoral process. In the 2016 presidential election alone over a billion dollars was spent between the two candidates. That is not democratic, that is plutocratic. I believe that the best move to combat this is to overturn the citizens united ruling with either a constitutional amendment or court appeal. Whatever way it is done, it needs to happen. Justice Stevens wrote in his dissenting opinion in 2010 that “a democracy cannot function effectively when its constituent members believe laws are being bought and sold.” Never has this been truer than in our most recent election cycle. We simply need to look at the rise of populism movements within both parties. Everyday Americans, including neighbors in our ninth district, feel that they have been left behind and ignored by the Washington elite. How is it fair for one person to be able to pump millions of dollars into an election cycle while the vast majority of people simply have the power of the ballot? Everyday that Citizens United is is in effect we continue to degrade the concept of “one person, one vote.” We must not allow elections to be bought. Members of congress should not spend their days dialing for more money for the party and candidates should not be going from one fundraiser to the next. We need to be meeting with our neighbors and our constituents to under to understand the real needs in order to better the district and our country. The democracy is not intended to serve the desires of the elite yet that is exactly what we have in place with the culture of Super PACS. It is time to get money out of politics and begin to address the actual problems we are facing. I do not expect my congressperson to be spending all of his or her time try to get another dollar from a hedge fund manager. That is not why we send them to DC. As your next congressman, I will fight to make sure that money is out of politics and everyday voices can be heard again. Foreign Policy Statement In our world today we our faced with many challenges, few of which match the potential danger that a terrorist attack has. There are many problems that need solving and the solutions are not always easy to come about. I do know, however, that fear for the sake of politics and gaining is not the answer. It is in times of fear that we make choices without considering the long term ramifications they might pose. It takes a real leader to step back and look for every possible consequence that every decision might hold. “Nuke them” is not an adequate foreign policy. The threat of ISIS and any other terror organization in the US are very real. But we must also understand that we right now have US led collations and advisors on the ground in multiple countries as we also continue airstrikes on targeted locations. Absent of putting US soldiers on the ground, there is not much left in terms of force to escalate to. And let me be clear-I have no intention at present of supporting the use of United States Soldiers on the ground in countries such as Syria or Iraq. Each solider has a family, friends, and loved ones and the calculated risk of putting them in harm’s way is not worth the outcome, especially considering the amount of force we are already deploying on our enemies. It is important for us to understand that an equivalent threat to an attack from the middle east is an attack from a homegrown terrorist, including US citizens. But we can combat both without using harmful rhetoric. Education and diplomacy are the best tools we have available to us. I support the current fight we have against ISIS without anymore escalation unless absolutely necessary. Along with that, even eliminating ISIS itself will not stop terrorist attacks. We must not engage in unneeded wars and battles that give terror groups platforms to spew hate against us. To stop any homegrown threats, we must educate our citizens and have better access to mental health support. With the proper resources in place, we can make sure that we are not fighting our own people. The dangers that face us today our real. But I believe that instead of succumbing to fear and hateful rhetoric that we can look at practical ways to keep our country safe. Your safety is my first priority as your congressperson and I will make sure that every choice we are making has your safety at heart. Let’s begin to find practical solutions and not radical ones that set us farther back. [13] |
” |
| —Cano for Congress[7] | ||
Dan McCready
| “ |
Reforming our Broken Politics Dan believes our American Dream is under attack from politicians who put partisanship before people and special interests before working families. Dan will put country over party. He’ll take on the politicians by fighting to impose term limits for members of Congress, get money out of politics and end Citizens United, defeat gerrymandering, and stand up to the politics of racism and hatred. Affordable and Accessible Healthcare Dan knows we have to fix our broken and unaffordable healthcare system once and for all with common-sense solutions that lower out-of-control costs while maintaining quality coverage. That means standing up to big drug companies to lower prescription costs, strengthening Medicare, and fighting to stop insurance companies from raising premiums year after year and going back to the days of trying to kick people off their coverage. Creating Jobs across North Carolina As a small business owner, Dan has helped put hundreds of North Carolinians to work building solar farms in rural North Carolina. He was a leader in making our state second in the US for solar power. In Congress, he’ll use his business experience to work with both parties to lift wages and increase opportunity. That means working across the aisle to bring good-paying jobs in growing sectors like clean energy and smart infrastructure, and fighting for jobs in North Carolina’s rural counties that Washington politicians have left behind. Standing Up for our Seniors Dan knows how hard North Carolina seniors worked to save for their retirement and the importance of preserving Social Security and Medicare for our middle class. Dan will oppose any efforts by corporate special interests to turn Medicare into a risky voucher program and any efforts to turn Social Security over to the stock market and gamble seniors’ retirement. Quality Education Dan is a product of North Carolina public schools, and he understands that education is the pathway to opportunity. Dan believes that every child in America should be able to go to a great public school, no matter where they live. Dan will fight for early childhood education, teacher pay, and alternatives to four-year degrees like community college and job training programs that equip North Carolinians for the jobs of tomorrow. Small Business and Fiscal Responsibility In his small business, Dan balanced the budget and made payroll. We should expect the same from Congress. That’s why Dan supports a “No Budget, No Pay” act. Dan understands that business can be a force for good that lifts up families and workers. He will work to simplify the tax code, streamline duplicative regulations, and cut taxes for middle-class families, not just the ultra-wealthy. Protecting our Veterans For Dan, veterans issues aren’t political, they’re personal. The veterans who have sacrificed for our country deserve the best care our country has to offer, but too many in North Carolina are being left behind without the care they need. That’s unacceptable. Veterans will have no stronger advocate than Dan on health care, mental health, education, jobs, and transition to civilian life. Protecting God’s Planet Dan believes that God calls us to be stewards of the Earth, for our children and grandchildren. But politicians are taking a hatchet to the EPA and looking the other way while companies pollute North Carolina’s drinking water. Dan will fight for clean air and water and to preserve our state’s natural beauty that he learned to love as an Eagle Scout. Fighting for the Lumbee Tribe After more than a century of injustice, the Lumbee Indian tribe still lacks full federal recognition. Yet instead of doing the hard work of finding a deal, Congress continues the same-old lip service, with bills still stuck in subcommittee. Dan knows how to negotiate — that’s how he helped build 36 solar farms across North Carolina. He will do everything in his power to fight for full federal recognition.[13] |
” |
| —McCready for Congress[10] | ||
Race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
| Race ratings: North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, 2018 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| October 30, 2018 | October 23, 2018 | October 16, 2018 | October 9, 2018 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | Toss-up | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Toss-up | Tilt Republican | Tilt Republican | Tilt Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | Lean Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every two weeks throughout the election season. | |||||||||
District election history
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Robert Pittenger (R) defeated Christian Cano (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Pittenger defeated Mark Harris and Todd Johnson in the Republican primary. A recount was required in the Republican primary, after which Pittenger led Harris by 133 votes. Harris then conceded the race. The primary election took place on June 7, 2016.[14][15]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Robert Pittenger Incumbent |
58.2% | 193,452 | |
| Democratic | Christian Cano | 41.8% | 139,041 | |
| Total Votes | 332,493 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Robert Pittenger Incumbent |
35% | 9,299 | ||
| Mark Harris | 34.4% | 9,165 | ||
| Todd Johnson | 30.6% | 8,142 | ||
| Total Votes | 26,606 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
||||
2014
The 9th Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Robert Pittenger (R) won an uncontested general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Pittenger Incumbent |
93.9% | 163,080 | |
| Write-in | Shawn Eckles | 1.4% | 2,369 | |
| Write-in | Write-in (miscellaneous) | 4.7% | 8,219 | |
| Total Votes | 173,668 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+7, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 7 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made North Carolina's 9th Congressional District the 175th most Republican nationally.[16]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.90. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.90 points toward that party.[17]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in North Carolina heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in North Carolina.
- Republicans held 10 of 13 U.S. House seats in North Carolina.
State executives
- As of May 2018, Democrats held five of 18 state executive positions, Republicans held five, and the remaining eight positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of North Carolina was Democrat Roy Cooper.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the General Assembly of North Carolina. They had a 75-45 majority in the state House and a 35-15 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- North Carolina was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Roy Cooper (D) served as governor, while Republicans controlled the state legislature.
2018 elections
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2018
North Carolina held elections for the following offices in 2018:
- Thirteen U.S. House seats
- All 50 state Senate seats
- All 120 state House seats
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- Local judges
- School boards
- Municipal government
Demographics
| Demographic data for North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 10,035,186 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 48,618 | 3,531,905 |
| 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. | ||
As of July 2017, North Carolina had a population of approximately 10,273,419 people, with its three largest cities being Charlotte (pop. 842,051 million), Raleigh (pop. 458,880), and Greensboro (pop. 287,027).[18]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in North Carolina from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in North Carolina every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), North Carolina 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
49.83% | Hillary Clinton |
46.17% | 3.66% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
50.39% | Barack Obama |
48.35% | 2.04% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
49.70% | John McCain |
49.38% | 0.32% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
56.02% | John Kerry |
43.58% | 12.44% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
56.03% | Al Gore |
43.2% | 12.83% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2002-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in North Carolina from 2002 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), North Carolina 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Richard Burr |
51.06% | Deborah K. Ross |
45.37% | 5.69% |
| 2014 | Thom Tillis |
48.82% | Kay Hagan |
47.26% | 1.56% |
| 2010 | Richard Burr |
54.81% | Elaine Marshall |
43.05% | 11.76% |
| 2008 | Kay Hagan |
52.65% | Elizabeth Dole |
44.18% | 8.47% |
| 2004 | Richard Burr |
51.60% | Erskine Bowles |
47.02% | 4.58% |
| 2002 | Elizabeth Dole |
53.56% | Erskine Bowles |
44.96% | 0.92% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the five gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in North Carolina.
| Election results (Governor), North Carolina 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | Roy Cooper |
49.02% | Pat McCrory |
48.80% | 0.22% |
| 2012 | Pat McCrory |
54.6% | Walter Dalton |
43.2% | 11.4% |
| 2008 | Bev Perdue |
50.27% | Pat McCrory |
46.88% | 5.34% |
| 2004 | Mike Easley |
55.62% | Patrick J. Ballantine |
42.88% | 12.74% |
| 2000 | Mike Easley |
52.02% | Richard Vinroot |
46.26% | 5.76% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent North Carolina in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, North Carolina 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 10 |
76.9% | 3 |
23.08% | R+7 |
| 2014 | 10 |
76.9% | 3 |
23.08% | R+7 |
| 2012 | 9 |
69.2% | 4 |
30.8% | R+6 |
| 2010 | 6 |
46.2% | 7 |
53.8% | D+1 |
| 2008 | 5 |
38.5% | 8 |
61.5% | D+3 |
| 2006 | 6 |
46.2% | 7 |
53.8% | D+1 |
| 2004 | 7 |
53.8% | 6 |
46.2% | R+1 |
| 2002 | 7 |
53.8% | 6 |
46.2% | R+1 |
| 2000 | 7 |
58.3% | 5 |
41.6% | R+2 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
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 |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2018
- United States House elections in North Carolina (May 8, 2018 Democratic primaries)
- North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election (May 8, 2018 Republican primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ The News & Observer, "Democrats in Charlotte, Greensboro are on a fundraising tear. In Raleigh, they're lagging behind," April 16, 2018
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "In Pittenger-McCready race, who would dish out the stress?" April 7, 2018
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Candidate accuses ex-Marine of 'cowardice' as NC congressional primary gets personal," April 6, 2018
- ↑ Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "One Year Out: Offensive Battlefield Brimming With Opportunity," November 9, 2017
- ↑ Cano for Congress, "About," accessed May 4, 2018
- ↑ Reddit, "Christian Cano AMA," accessed May 4, 2018
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cano for Congress, "Issues," accessed May 4, 2018
- ↑ Dan McCready, "Home," accessed May 4, 2018
- ↑ WFAE, "Democrat Dan McCready Files To Run For 9th District Congressional Seat," February 12, 2018
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 McCready for Congress, "Values," accessed May 4, 2018
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 DCCC, "Red to Blue Candidates," accessed May 15, 2018
- ↑ The Intercept, "THE DEAD ENDERS: Candidates Who Signed Up to Battle Donald Trump Must Get Past the Democratic Party First," January 23, 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "June Primary Candidates," accessed March 27, 2016
- ↑ The Charlotte Observer, "Recount confirms Robert Pittenger’s win in the 9th District," June 20, 2016
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ United States Census Bureau, "American FactFinder," accessed April 3, 2018
