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North Carolina's 9th Congressional District special election (May 14, 2019 Republican primary)

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State Sen. Dan Bishop (R) advanced from the Republican primary on May 14, 2019, to face Dan McCready (D), Allen Smith (G), and Jeff Scott (L) in the special election to fill the seat representing North Carolina's 9th Congressional District in the U.S. House. Bishop won the Republican primary outright with more than 30 percent support. Nine other Republicans ran, making it the largest Republican primary field in the district since 2012.[1] Click here for coverage of the September 10, 2019, special election.[2][3]

The 2018 general election unofficial returns—which showed Mark Harris (R) leading McCready by 905 votes—were not certified following allegations of absentee ballot fraud. On February 21, 2019, the state Board of Elections voted 5-0 to call a new election after four days of hearings. For a timeline of events following the 2018 election, click here.

McCready, a Marine veteran and businessman, ran for the seat again. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

There were 10 special elections called during the 116th Congress. Eight were called for seats in the U.S. House, and two for seats in the U.S. Senate. From the 113th Congress to the 115th Congress, 40 special elections were held. For more data on historical congressional special elections, click here.

As of the 2010 redistricting cycle, North Carolina's 9th Congressional District was located in the southern portion of the state and included all or parts of Mecklenburg, Union, Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Robeson, Bladen, and Cumberland counties.[4]

Candidates and election results

General election

Special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 9

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dan Bishop
Dan Bishop (R)
 
50.7
 
96,573
Image of Dan McCready
Dan McCready (D)
 
48.7
 
92,785
Image of Jeff Scott
Jeff Scott (L)
 
0.4
 
773
Image of Allen Smith
Allen Smith (G)
 
0.2
 
375

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 190,506
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = 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.

Republican primary election

Special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Dan Bishop
Dan Bishop
 
47.7
 
14,405
Image of Stony Rushing
Stony Rushing
 
19.5
 
5,882
Image of Matthew Ridenhour
Matthew Ridenhour
 
17.1
 
5,166
Image of Leigh Thomas Brown
Leigh Thomas Brown
 
8.8
 
2,672
Image of Stevie Rivenbark
Stevie Rivenbark Candidate Connection
 
3.0
 
906
Image of Fern Shubert
Fern Shubert
 
1.4
 
438
Image of Chris Anglin
Chris Anglin
 
1.3
 
382
Image of Kathie Day
Kathie Day
 
0.6
 
193
Image of Gary M. Dunn
Gary M. Dunn Candidate Connection
 
0.3
 
105
Image of Albert Wiley Jr.
Albert Wiley Jr.
 
0.2
 
62

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 30,211
Candidate Connection = 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

See also: Editorial approach to writing about key campaign messages

The following candidates were selected as top candidates based on media coverage, endorsements, previously held offices, and fundraising performance. They are listed in alphabetical order.


Dan Bishop, state senator
Dan Bishop.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: North Carolina State Senate (assumed office: 2017), North Carolina State House (2015-2017), Mecklenburg County Commission (2005-2009)

Biography: Bishop received his B.S. and J.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He worked as a commercial litigator on shareholder and partner disputes, employment, construction, and bankruptcy law before holding elected office.[5]

Key messages
  • Bishop said he led the effort to get the successful North Carolina Voter ID Amendment on the ballot in 2018, which created a constitutional requirement that voters present a photo ID to vote in person.[6]
  • Bishop released an ad contrasting himself with McCready and Democrats in Congress. "These crazy liberal clowns. The things they say. The way they act. What they believe. They’re not funny. They’re downright scary. ... I’ll go to Washington and fight these clowns for you," Bishop said in the ad.[7]




Matthew Ridenhour, former Mecklenburg County commissioner
Matthew Ridenhour.jpeg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: Mecklenburg County Commission (2013-2019)

Biography: Ridenhour attended Virginia Tech and AIU in Atlanta before joining the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve. He served two deployments in Iraq and achieved the rank of sergeant. His professional experience includes working as the risk manager for a global financial technology firm.[8]

Key messages
  • Ridenhour emphasized his military experience when announcing his candidacy, saying that "it takes a Marine to beat a Marine."[9]
  • While serving on the Mecklenburg County Commission, Ridenhour said he led a successful vote to "protect the Second Amendment rights of citizens on county property and has been a consistent, conservative voice for fiscal conservatism and the proper role of government."[8]




Stony Rushing, Union County commissioner
Stony Rushing.jpg

Campaign website Facebook Twitter

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: Union County Commission (assumed office: 2014, 2002-2006)

Biography: After graduating from the NCSU Agriculture Institute in 1991, Rushing worked for pork producer Carroll's Foods. He and his wife founded Take Aim Training Range, which offers concealed carry and other firearms courses.[10]

Key messages
  • Rushing said he was a staunch supporter of the Second Amendment and the Trump administration. He said he has taught more than 12,000 students about gun safety.[11]
  • Rushing said he was a fiscal conservative whose experience as a small business owner informed his budgetary and tax policy. He also said he cut taxes on the Union County Commission.[11]




Fern Shubert, former state senator
Fern Shubert.png

Campaign website

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: North Carolina State Senate (2001-2005) and North Carolina State House (1995-2001)[12]

Biography: Shubert graduated from Duke University and worked as a CPA for private and government employers before opening her own professional practice as a CPA. She also served as the minority whip during her first term in the state Senate.[13]

Key messages
  • Shubert said people could see her track record in the state legislature. "I’m a known quality,” she said. “You can spend $1 million telling people what you’re going to do. But people can see what I’ve done.”[13][14]
  • Shubert listed illegal immigration, taxes, transportation, education, and healthcare as her policy priorities.[13] She said she supported the Taxpayer Protection Act and that her experience as a CPA helps her to understand budget mismanagement.[15]



Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Republican primary endorsements

Republican primary candidate endorsements
Endorsement Republican Party Bishop Republican Party Ridenhour Republican Party Rushing Republican Party Shubert
Club for Growth ✔
Mark Harris (R), 2018 primary winner ✔
Former Rep. Sue Myrick (R) ✔
Former Rep. Robert Pittenger (R) ✔

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
North Carolina's 9th Congressional District special election, 2019 (Republican primary)
Poll Poll sponsor Anglin BishopBrownDayDunnRidenhourRivenbarkRushingShubertUndecided/OtherMargin of errorSample size
WPA Intelligence
April 29-30, 2019		Club for Growth 0%30%5%0%0%6%1%19%2%37%+/-4.9409
Public Policy Polling
April 29-30, 2019		N/A 3%31%6%5%1%9%2%17%4%21%+/-5.1592
AVERAGES 1.5% 30.5% 5.5% 2.5% 0.5% 7.5% 1.5% 18% 3% 29% +/-5 500.5
Note: 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 finance


Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[16][17][18]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

Debates and forums

May 7, 2019, debate

Eight Republican candidates–Bishop, Brown, Dunn, Ridenhour, Rivenbark, Rushing, Shubert, and Wiley–participated in a debate on May 7, 2019, hosted by WBT and moderated by Bo Thompson.

April 8, 2019, candidate forum

Eight Republican candidates–Bishop, Brown, Dunn, Ridenhour, Rivenbark, Rushing, Shubert, and Wiley–participated in a candidate forum on April 8, 2019, hosted by the Cumberland County Republican Women's Forum. They discussed a possible primary runoff and national security, among other issues.

  • Find the Fayetteville Observer round-up of the forum here.

Timeline

  • May 6, 2019: In a WPA Intelligence poll sponsored by Club for Growth, Bishop led the field with 30 percent support. Rushing and Ridenhour followed with 19 percent and 6 percent. The margin of error was 4.9 percent.
  • May 2, 2019: Pre-primary financial reports covering April 1-24, 2019, were due to the Federal Election Commission. McCready raised the most with $376,000 in contributions, followed by Brown with $210,000, and Bishop with $119,000.[23]
  • April 29-30, 2019: In a Public Policy Polling survey of 592 likely voters, Bishop led the field with 31 percent support. Rushing and Ridenhour followed with 17 percent and 9 percent. The margin of error was 5.1 percent.
  • April 24, 2019: Early voting for the primary began. Learn more about one-stop voting here.
  • April 13, 2019: The National Association of Realtors spent $1.3 million to support Leigh Thomas Brown in TV and radio ads.[21][19]
  • April 10, 2019: Dan McCready (D) raised $1.6 million in the first quarter of 2019.[26]
  • March 15, 2019: Thirteen candidates—one Democrat, 10 Republicans, one Green, and one Libertarian—filed to run in the special election.[31]

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Republican Party Dan Bishop

"Right Dan" – Bishop campaign, May 16, 2019
"Clowns" – Bishop campaign, April 11, 2019

Republican Party Leigh Brown

Support

"In Support of Leigh Brown" – National Association of Realtors, April 17, 2019

Opposition

"Who" – Club for Growth Action, May 7, 2019

Campaign themes

The following campaign themes and policy positions were listed on the candidates' campaign websites in March 2019, if available.

Republican Party Chris Anglin

“

America has become sick of politicians on the extremes of each party who are unwilling to talk and unwilling to compromise. The formula for governing has become shockingly repetitive throughout the past decade, tribalism and obstruction. Constituents of both of our parties have become disillusioned as partisan bickering has overshadowed governing and what is good for us as citizens.

We have a President that constantly lies to the people, shows fealty to dictators, insults our allies, fills the swamp with corruption, explodes the deficit and relentlessly assaults the rule of law. There is nothing Conservative in that, yet we have had GOP leadership that has lost its way, cowering in fear and led a Congress that failed to do its job and conduct oversight. No wonder the voters sent them a message last year.

As Constitutional Conservatives, it is imperative for us to stand up for the Constitution, whether it is a Republican President or a Democrat President.

The election fraud that occurred in NC 09, resulting in the need for a new election, is yet another example of our extreme partisan culture poisoning the trust that Americans have in our government.

The persistent attacks on the checks and balances of our democracy, occurring on both the federal and state level motivated me to run for the North Carolina Supreme Court. Our campaign successfully stood up for the rule of law and against the Legislature’s attempts at making the judiciary its subdivision. This provided a voice to disgruntled voters who felt their politicians had left them.

Today, in a continuing effort to return our Party back to the values it once stood for, I announce my Candidacy for Congress in the Ninth District. I am running as a Constitutional Conservative who will stand up for the rule of law, free and fair trade, fiscal responsibility, opportunity for all, science, our environment and for democracy around the world.

I will support the President and his policies when they help our constituents, but I will not hesitate to ask questions and hold the Administration to account when appropriate.

Trade and open markets have traditionally benefitted our nation, which in turn, strengthened democracy around the world. It makes no sense to start unnecessary trade wars, raise tariffs and then borrow billions of dollars from foreign nations to subsidize farmers hurt by the tariffs. That certainly isn’t conservative, not to mention it has led to the largest trade deficit in our nation’s history, which is the polar opposite of its intent.

I strongly believe in immigration reform and securing our borders. I will support funding initiatives and changes to our current immigration policies that will help to achieve this goal. However, I also believe in science and listening to experts. There is nothing conservative about spending billions of dollars on a vanity project to fulfill a broken promise that will not do the job it is intended to do. Nor is it conservative to manufacture a national emergency to subvert the will of Congress.

There is nothing conservative about exploding trillion dollar annual deficits and I will do what is needed to get our fiscal house in order.

Some may question whether I’m a Republican, as the leadership of the State Republican Party did last year. Despite their insults, I have remained a Republican. I voted for George Bush and Pat McCrory. I know what a rational, conservative governing party looks like. This is not it.

This special election provides a ‘special’ opportunity to send a strong message that the US is still capable of living up to its values of support for the rule of law, opportunity for all and for freedom and democracy here at home and abroad. It is important to have a Republican Party and nation which is guided by rationality and that does not operate purely out of fear.

America is and will forever be great, while always striving to be greater. As a Party and country, we can and must do better. Ronald Reagan said, “If history teaches us anything, it teaches that self-delusion in the place of unpleasant facts is folly.” Please join me in returning the Republican Party to its conservative roots of having a belief in the rule of law and respect for our shared Democratic principles.[32]

”
—Anglin for Congress[33]

Republican Party Dan Bishop

“

Illegal Immigration

Dan fully supports President Trump’s border wall.

Second Amendment

Dan is a gun owner who has been A rated and endorsed by the NRA.

Life

Dan is pro-life and will fight extremist Democrats’ to stop infanticide and late-term abortion on demand.

Voter ID

Dan believes requiring a photo ID to vote is common sense. He led the fight to put the successful Voter ID Constitutional Amendment on the ballot last November.

Taxes

Dan believes lower taxes and smaller government are better for families and better for our economy.

Freedom and Faith

Dan believes Christian values and the freedoms granted by our Constitution made America great.[32]

”
—Dan Bishop[34]

Republican Party Matthew Ridenhour

“

Foreign Policy

I’ve fought in war. The cost is always high. It’s never something that should be looked at with casual consideration by Congress.

Afghanistan is now America’s longest war in history. We’ve been there almost two decades and we’ve long since accomplished our mission to depose the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks. Sons and daughters should not have to fight the wars of their fathers. And I believe it’s time to bring our sons and daughters home.

I agree with President Trump, we have to deal with geopolitical threats like ISIS swiftly and with overwhelming force. But we must say no to endless war and those who advocate for it.

America has a unique place in the world. We can shine as beacon of liberty and justice that other nations seek to emulate. But we fall short of that ideal role when we reduce our foreign policy mission to simply acting as a global police force or defending the interests of other nations.

We can’t afford to close ourselves off from the world, we cannot be isolationists who don’t participate on the world stage. We should always seek to talk with and trade with our global neighbors. We must exhaust diplomacy when conflict arises.

If we must go to war, it must be done as the founders intended. War requires congressional authorization, and should only be declared in defense of our nation and our citizens.

Audit the Fed

A refusal to take seriously the importance of monetary policy has put us in a bad situation. The Federal Reserve, unelected and free of Congressional oversight, possess an outrageous amount of regulatory power over our federal banking system.

Despite this power, the Federal Reserve would prefer to keep its books secret. Congress created the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve should have answer to Congressional inquiry. Don’t the American people have a right to know what’s being done with America’s money?

We can’t remain a free republic if such awesome economic power is left in the hands of a few. We can’t have a federal banking system that shrouds all of its actions from us while dictating where the dollar goes.

Transparency and oversight must be established.

I will fight for a full and complete audit of the Federal Reserve.

Fix the VA

As a Marine, this issue hits close home.

Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our nation. Some have returned from war with visually shocking injuries that can be seen, others are suffering in silence, carrying injuries not obvious to the naked eye. These men and women are not getting the care they need, at the level they need, in the time they need it.

This is a crisis.

Despite billions that have already been spent, 22 veterans are still committing suicide every day.

I stand with President Trump on his initiative to fix the VA healthcare system. As your congressman, I will advocate tirelessly for better healthcare for our men and women who serve. All of our veterans deserve the highest quality treatment they can be given to treat their physical and mental injuries.

Veterans of our Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard don’t “deserve” great healthcare. They have earned it.

Abortion

Every single person was knitted together by God in their mother’s womb. I am pro-life and believe in defending the unborn.

Because I believe that abortion ends the life of an innocent human being, I will not support initiatives to expand abortion or relax abortion laws. I am deeply concerned by the calls to normalize late term abortion.

We must stop the flow of taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. I will support initiatives to defund organizations that use federal funding to conduct abortions.

Our government has a duty to protect life and that includes the lives of the unborn.

Immigration

The United States of America is unique. America was not born from one identity, but from one idea: our founders envisioned a nation that embraced human freedom. Our Constitution made that vision a reality.

The great thing about the American Dream is that when someone embraces our free enterprise system, prosperity grows for everyone.

A rising tide lifts all boats, but a tsunami of illegal immigration will overwhelm everything.

I will oppose amnesty initiatives and I will support the President’s push to secure our borders with a wall. Open borders are a national security threat and millions of people continue to cross our borders illegally, putting strain on social programs.

People have come to the United States from all over the planet in pursuit of the American dream, and our nation is better for it. I believe we should streamline the immigration process for those pursuing that dream. Our government shouldn’t be asking immigrants to spend decades jumping through hundreds of hoops to come here legally.

But we are a sovereign country. Our legal framework matters. Our Constitution matters. Our borders matter.

We must secure our borders.

Spending and Debt

The United States government has amassed more than $22 trillion in debt. That’s almost $70 thousand of debt forced onto the back of every American citizen. This isn’t a Republican problem, it isn’t Democrat problem—it is a Washington D.C. problem. No matter the party that is in power, the spending always continues to a tune of $7 million per minute.

Our government was founded on the principle that it serves people. But when it comes to issues monetary and fiscal, we have a self-interested, monolithic Washington machine that feeds off of the people instead. This machine is fueled by the greed of special interests, and power-drunk politicians. They continue to borrow, print, and spend our wealth at an unsustainable pace.

This is not only an immoral outrage but also a national security threat. Financial ruin is the gravest threat the United States of America faces, beyond terrorism, foreign powers, or environmental disaster. I took an oath to defend this nation from all enemies foreign and domestic. I intend to defend this nation from financial ruin.

  • I will make it my mission to fight for a balanced budget.

We shouldn’t spend a penny more than we take in. Kicking the can down the road to our kids is not an option.

  • I will advocate for aggressive spending cuts.

The party’s over for Washington fat cats. The federal government is too big and has its clumsy, heavy hands in too many things at the federal, state, and local level. Time for cuts. I will advocate for spending cuts in all areas of government, no sacred cows. No special treatment. No pet projects.

Our fiscal house must be put in order. We must not burden our children and grandchildren with the mountains of debt that have been growing and growing, year over year. I will fight tirelessly for a return to fiscal sanity and financial reform.

Cutting Taxes

Americans are overtaxed from sunrise to sunset. Our founders never intended for citizens to be subjected to an outrageously complex, unfair, and weaponized tax code that slows economic growth.

Washington elites don’t care about the tax burden on Americans.They toy with the tax code to select who wins and who loses. They constantly seek to squeeze more out of the little guy. Their message is clear–“too bad, we don’t care, pay up anyway.”

When I served as a Mecklenburg County Commissioner, I made it my mission to battle the tax burdens that elected officials callously sought to place on residents. I will take this battle to the Beltway and defend the residents of NC09.

We must never become a socialist nation with a government that simply shrugs as it steals wealth from the pockets of private citizens. But we’re in danger of heading down that road. As more and more left wing radicals capture seats in Congress, the calls for such a system are growing louder.

If it were completely up to those voices, they’d mutate America into a full-blown socialist tax farm and cripple economic growth. I won’t stand by idly while radicals call for higher taxes on hard-working Americans.

Along with aggressively cutting government spending, it’s time to cut government bloat and the taxes that finance it. The tax code should be simplified and the IRS should kept in check. It’s time to get the IRS out of the way and let America create jobs.[32]

”
—Vote Ridenhour[35]

Republican Party Stevie Rivenbark

“

Pro-Life

Facing life threatening conditions, I chose to protect the life of my unborn child rather than pursuing personal medical treatment that would have been unfavorable to my pregnancy. Roughly 74 abortions per day occur in North Carolina. We must do a better job of supporting mothers and offering resources to women in need to encourage motherhood, family values, and the right to life.

Pro-2nd Amendment

The right to bear arms extends beyond sportsmanship and hunting. Firearms are essential to safety. The left is threatening to strip responsible Americans of this important right which would render us unable to protect ourselves and our families from criminals. As a gun owner and a mother, I am prepared to fight for the preservation of the 2nd Amendment against leftists in Washington who seem to forget criminals will always find a way to break the law. As we have seen in places like Chicago, stricter gun laws and more government oversight are detrimental to community and are not effective solutions to gun violence.

Healthcare

We must pursue market-based reform, allowing patients to have greater access to care with reduced costs and greater transparency from healthcare suppliers and providers.

Mental health reform must be a priority. Having a son with high-functioning autism, I have dealt with a mental health system that is largely over-burdened and unable to keep up with the increasing demands of mental health services. Beyond the scope of autism, drug addiction is also a personal platform of mine after seeing close friends and family members struggle with what is often a dependence on prescribed medication for legitimate health issues. In 2016, more than 1500 opioid-related deaths occurred in North Carolina. In 2017, North Carolina experienced the nation’s second highest increase in opioid-related deaths. Tackling the opioid crisis must be a priority for our state.

Agriculture

As a native of Duplin County, I understand how critical agriculture is to North Carolina’s economy, our farmers, and our consumers. Unfortunately, our farmers—especially those in the pork and poultry industries—are under attack and this is absolutely unacceptable. By engaging farmers to fully understand the challenges they face and the resources they need to continue providing sustainable resources, we will make agriculture a top priority in Washington.

Social Security

The Social Security Administration believes current reserves will be used up by the year 2037 and tax revenues at that time will only sustain 76% of scheduled benefits. It is time for Washington to look to the future and establish long-term plans for younger generations.

Immigration

In order to protect our citizens and maintain rule of law, we must construct a secure border while encouraging and fostering legal immigration.[32]

”
—Stevie Rivenbark[36]

Social media

Twitter accounts

This section includes Twitter feeds from the candidates where available.

Aftermath of the 2018 election

See also: North Carolina's 9th Congressional District election, 2018

The 2019 special election was called after North Carolina's Board of Elections did not certify the results of the 2018 general election due to allegations of absentee ballot fraud. The following timeline reflects events that occurred in the aftermath of the 2018 general election.

February 2019

  • February 21, 2019: After four days of hearings on alleged ballot tampering, the state Board of Elections called for a new election.[37]
  • February 18-20, 2019: The board was expected to vote on whether to certify the election or call for a new one after holding a public hearing.[38] The hearings continued to a fourth day, instead.
  • February 12, 2019: Harris and McCready filed briefings with the election board. Harris argued a new election should not be called because any alleged technical irregularity found during the investigation, like ballot harvesting, would not have altered the outcome of the election. McCready argued a new election should be called because ballots were illegally harvested, tampered with, and likely discarded, tainting the entire election.[39]

January 2019

  • January 31, 2019: Gov. Roy Cooper (D) appointed five new members to the state Board of Elections: Stella Anderson (D), David Black (R), Jeff Carmon III (D), Bob Cordle (D), and Ken Raymond (R).[40]
  • January 26, 2019: The McCready campaign announced it had raised $500,000 for a possible new election since mid-December.[41]
  • January 22, 2019: Wake County Superior Court Judge Paul Ridgeway denied Harris' request to certify the election results while the investigation into alleged election fraud was pending.[42]
  • January 3, 2019: Harris was not sworn in to the 116th Congress.
  • January 2, 2019: The evidentiary hearing scheduled for January 11, 2019, was postponed because there was no board in place to subpoena witnesses or hold hearings.[43]
  • January 1, 2019: Incumbent Robert Pittenger (R) said that he would not run in a new primary if one were called following the investigation into irregularities during the 2018 election.[44]

December 2018

  • December 28, 2018:
    • The North Carolina State Board of Elections was dissolved at noon. At the time, it was unclear whether an interim board would be appointed to serve until a new board came together on January 31, 2019, according to state law. Harris filed an emergency petition to have the election results certified before the board dissolved, but an emergency session to consider the petition was not called.[45]
    • The incoming U.S. House majority leader, Steny Hoyer (D), said in a statement that Democrats would object to Harris being seated on January 3, 2019.[46]
  • December 27, 2018: A panel of three state judges ruled to dissolve the state board of elections. The decision was connected to an earlier court ruling that declared the structure of the board unconstitutional. The court had previously ruled to delay dissolving the board so it could continue investigating alleged fraud related to the election, but on December 27, judges ruled to dissolve it, stating that the board had failed to provide reasons for delaying its evidentiary hearing until January 11, 2019.[45][47]
  • December 17, 2018: The North Carolina Republican Party released a resolution calling on the North Carolina State Board of Elections to produce evidence that the alleged voting irregularities would have changed the outcome of the race or immediately certify the results.[48]
  • December 14, 2018: The North Carolina State Board of Elections announced it would hold a public evidentiary hearing on January 11, 2019, delaying the initially planned hearing set to be held by December 21, 2018.[49]
  • December 11, 2018: Robin Hayes, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, called for a new election if allegations that early votes in the race were improperly viewed were true. He said, “This action by election officials would be a fundamental violation of the sense of fair play, honesty, and integrity that the Republican Party stands for. We can never tolerate the state putting its thumb on the scale. The people involved in this must be held accountable and should it be true, this fact alone would likely require a new election."[50]
  • December 6, 2018: The editorial board of the The Charlotte Observer called for a new election. The board wrote, "Unless new evidence somehow clears the clouds hanging over this election, the Board of Elections should toss out the 9th District results.[51]
  • December 1, 2018: North Carolina State Board of Elections Chairman Andy Penry resigned from office following a complaint from Wake County Republican Chairman Charles Hellwig saying Penry had made social media posts critical of President Donald Trump (R) and other Republicans. Penry said in a statement announcing his resignation, "The investigation should be free of attempts at distraction and obstruction so that the truth can be revealed. I will not allow myself to be used as an instrument of distraction in this investigation."[52]

November 2018

  • November 30, 2018: The North Carolina State Board of Elections reconvened and voted, 7-2, for an evidentiary hearing on the irregularities before December 21, 2018.[53]
  • November 28, 2018: Bobby Ludlum, the chairman of the Bladen County Board of Elections, said that the chief investigator for the North Carolina Board of Elections collected absentee by mail ballot request forms and their return envelopes from Bladen County, which partially sits in the 9th District, after the election.[54]
  • November 27, 2018: The North Carolina State Board of Elections, which is composed of four Democrats, four Republicans, and one independent member, voted unanimously not to certify the results in the 9th Congressional District. Vice Chairman Joshua Malcolm, who made the motion to delay certification, cited a law saying the board could "take any other action necessary to assure that an election is determined without taint of fraud or corruption and without irregularities that may have changed the result of an election."[55]

Special elections to the 116th Congress

See also: Special elections to the 116th United States Congress (2019-2020)

Eight special elections for the U.S. House of Representatives occurred:

Two special election for the U.S. Senate occurred:

Three of these races resulted in partisan flips. The special elections for U.S. Senate in Arizona and Georgia resulted in Democratic gains, and the special election for California's 25th Congressional District resulted in a Republican gain.

Special elections to Congress occur when a legislator resigns, dies, or is removed from office. Depending on the specific state laws governing vacancies, a state can either hold an election within the same calendar year or wait until the next regularly scheduled election.

Results

House

Results of special elections to the 116th Congress (House)
Race Election date Incumbent Winner Election MOV Previous election MOV 2016 Presidential election MOV[56]
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District May 21, 2019 Republican Party Tom Marino Republican Party Fred Keller R+36 R+32 R+37
North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District September 10, 2019 Republican Party Walter Jones[57] Republican Party Greg Murphy R+24 R+100 R+24
North Carolina's 9th Congressional District[58] September 10, 2019 Republican Party Robert Pittenger Republican Party Dan Bishop R+2 R+16 R+11
Maryland's 7th Congressional District April 28, 2020 Democratic Party Elijah Cummings Democratic Party Kweisi Mfume D+49 D+55 D+55
California's 25th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Democratic Party Katie Hill Republican Party Mike Garcia R+12 D+9 D+7
Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Republican Party Sean Duffy Republican Party Tom Tiffany R+14 R+21 R+20
New York's 27th Congressional District June 23, 2020 Republican Party Chris Collins Republican Party Christopher Jacobs R+5 R+0.3 R+25
Georgia's 5th Congressional District December 1, 2020 Democratic Party John Lewis Democratic Party Kwanza Hall D+8[59] D+100 D+73

Senate

Results of special elections to the 116th Congress (Senate)
Race Election date Incumbent Winner Election MOV Previous election MOV 2016 Presidential election MOV
U.S. Senate in Arizona November 3, 2020 Republican Party Martha McSally[60] Democratic Party Mark Kelly D+3 D+2 R+4
U.S. Senate in Georgia January 5, 2021 (runoff) Republican Party Kelly Loeffler[61] Democratic Party Raphael Warnock D+2.1 R+14 R+5

Historical data

Special elections, 2013-2022

From 2013 to 2022, 67 special elections to the United States Congress were called during the 113th through 117th Congresses. During that time, special elections were called for 23 seats vacated by Democrats and 44 vacated by Republicans.

The table below details how many congressional seats changed parties as the result of a special election between 2013 and 2022. The numbers on the left side of the table reflect how many vacant seats were originally held by each party, while the numbers on the right side of the table show how many vacant seats each party won in special elections.

Congressional special election vacancies and results, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
Congress Total elections held Vacancies before elections Seats held after elections Net change
Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans Democratic Party Democrats Republican Party Republicans
117th Congress 17 7 10 7 10 No change
116th Congress 10 3 7 4 6 +1D, -1R
115th Congress 17 4 13 8 9 +4 D, -4 R
114th Congress 7 2 5 2 5 No change
113th Congress 16 7 9 7 9 No change
Averages 13 4 8 5 7 N/A


U.S. Senate special election partisan change from special elections, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
Party As of special election After special election
Democratic Party Democrats 5 8
Republican Party Republicans 7 4
Total 12 12
U.S. House special election partisan change from special elections, 113th Congress to 117th Congress
Party As of special election After special election
Democratic Party Democrats 18 20
Republican Party Republicans 37 35
Total 55 55


Special elections, 1986-2012

The table below presents the results of special elections to Congress from 1986 to 2012. Contact Ballotpedia at editor@ballotpedia.org for access to earlier data.

Results of special elections to Congress (1986-2012)
Election cycle Total special elections U.S. House elections Seats changing partisan control U.S. Senate elections Seats changing partisan control
2011-2012 11 11 None None None
2009-2010 15 10 3 (2 Democratic gains; 1 Republican gain) 5 2 (all Republican gains)
2007-2008 14 12 3 (2 Republican gains; 1 Democratic gain) 2 None
2005-2006 12 12 3 (all Democratic gains) None None
2003-2004 6 6 None None None
2001-2002 6 5 2 (all Democratic gains) 1 1 (Republican gain)
1999-2000 9 8 1 (Republican gain) 1 1 (Democratic gain)
1997-1998 3 3 None None None
1995-1996 11 9 1 (Republican gain) 2 1 (Democratic gain)
1993-1994 9 6 1 (Republican gain) 3 3 (all Republican gains)
1991-1992 10 7 2 (all Republican gains) 3 1 (Democratic gain)
1989-1990 10 8 1 (Democratic gain) 2 None
1987-1988 12 12 3 (2 Democratic gains; 1 Republican gain) None None
1985-1986 8 8 1 (Republican gain) None None
Total 136 117 21 (11 Democratic gains; 10 Republican gains) 19 9 (6 Republican gains; 3 Democratic gains)

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: 1992-2026
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 26
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 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 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 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.[73]

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.[74][75]

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

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ ‘’Charlotte Observer’’, “Biggest GOP field since 2012 to compete in North Carolina’s 9th district primary,” March 15, 2019
  2. ↑ WSCOTV, "Cost of 9th Congressional District election redo reaches $1 million," March 27, 2019
  3. ↑ WSOC TV, "NC Board of Elections unanimously votes on new District 9 election dates," March 4, 2019
  4. ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "2016 Contingent Congressional Plan - Corrected*," accessed September 28, 2018
  5. ↑ Our Campaigns, "Dan Bishop," accessed April 11, 2019
  6. ↑ Vote Dan Bishop, "Home," accessed April 11, 2019
  7. ↑ Charlotte Observer, "First 9th District Republican goes on air, mocking Democrats and backing Trump," April 9, 2019
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Vote Ridenhour, "Home," accessed April 11, 2019
  9. ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Ridenhour jumps into 9th District GOP primary, envisions ‘Marine vs. Marine’ race," March 6, 2019
  10. ↑ Stony Rushing, "Bio," accessed April 11, 2019
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Stony Rushing, "Issues," accessed April 11, 2019
  12. ↑ StarNews Online, "Shubert’s career spans House, Senate," May 30, 2004
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Shubert for Congress, "Home," accessed April 11, 2019
  14. ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Surprise Union County candidate shakes up the 9th District Republican primary," March 15, 2019
  15. ↑ Shubert for Congress, "Debt & Taxes," accessed April 11, 2019
  16. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  17. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  18. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Open Secrets, "Outside groups spending big in crowded North Carolina special elections," April 24, 2019
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections Live Digest: 5/8," May 8, 2019
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Charlotte Observer, "Realtors appear to make big investment in the 9th District primary. But will it help?" April 13, 2019
  22. ↑ Politico, "Denver pilots electronic voting for mayoral election," May 6, 2019
  23. ↑ Politico, "Dallas voters head to the polls to pick next mayor," May 3, 2019
  24. ↑ Charlotte Observer ,"Bishop wins endorsement that could mean more outside money in the 9th District primary," April 21, 2019
  25. ↑ Twitter, "Joe Bruno," April 17, 2019
  26. ↑ Politico, "Texas is at the center of the battle over the House," April 10, 2019
  27. ↑ Term Limits, "Five Candidates in North Carolina CD-09 Sign Term Limits Pledge," April 8, 2019
  28. ↑ Daily Kos, "Morning Digest: Democrat in North Carolina House special raised a huge $1.6 million last quarter," April 10, 2019
  29. ↑ Twitter, "Jim Morrill," March 28, 2019
  30. ↑ The Charlotte Observer, "2020 Democratic candidates, hopefuls lend support for McCready in NC’s 9th district," March 25, 2019
  31. ↑ Fayettesville Observer, "13 in running for 9th Congressional District seat," March 15, 2019
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 32.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  33. ↑ Anglin 4 Congress, "Our Message," accessed March 19, 2019
  34. ↑ Vote Dan Bishop, "Home," accessed March 19, 2019
  35. ↑ Vote Ridenhour, "Services," accessed March 19, 2019
  36. ↑ Rivenbark for Congress, "Issues," accessed March 19, 2019
  37. ↑ Twitter, "Associated Press," February 21, 2019
  38. ↑ The State, "Decision on new election expected this month in 9th district fraud investigation," February 4, 2019
  39. ↑ WSOC TV, "McCready, Harris file new briefings ahead of next week's hearings," February 13, 2019
  40. ↑ WSOC, "Cooper appoints 5 members to new Board of Elections; 3 from Charlotte area," January 31, 2019
  41. ↑ Charlotte Observer, "With key Democrats’ help, Dan McCready has raised big money for possible new election," January 26, 2019
  42. ↑ News & Observer, "Judge denies Mark Harris request to certify his win despite election fraud investigation," January 22, 2019
  43. ↑ Associated Press, "Hearing into North Carolina ballot fraud claims postponed," January 2, 2019
  44. ↑ Roll Call, "Rep. Robert Pittenger Won’t Run Even if ‘Ballot Harvesting’ Probe Causes Primary Do-Over," January 2, 2019
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 The Charlotte Observer, "9th District chaos: Cooper plans interim elections board, Harris asks to be named winner," December 28, 2018
  46. ↑ Politico, "House leader: Dems won't seat candidate in unresolved race," December 28, 2018
  47. ↑ FOX 46, "NC State Board of Elections to be dissolved Friday, 9th District investigation in limbo," December 27, 2018
  48. ↑ WBTV, "NCGOP calls on elections board to immediately produce evidence or certify results in NC-09 race," December 17, 2018
  49. ↑ The News & Observer, "NC elections board delays hearing on 9th Congressional District irregularities," December 14, 2018
  50. ↑ Politico, "N.C. GOP says fresh misconduct allegation should trigger new House election," December 11, 2018
  51. ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Hold a new election in NC’s tainted 9th District," December 6, 2018
  52. ↑ Charlotte News & Observer, "Amidst social media controversy, NC Board of Elections chair resigns," December 2, 2018
  53. ↑ Twitter, "Joe Bruno," November 30, 2018
  54. ↑ WFAE, "NC Elections Investigator Seized Bladen County Absentee Ballot Forms," November 28, 2018
  55. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named certify
  56. ↑ Daily Kos, "2008, 2012, & 2016 Presidential Election Results by District," accessed February 1, 2019
  57. ↑ Jones died on February 10, 2019.
  58. ↑ The 9th District was not filled in the 2018 elections due to allegations of electoral fraud. In February 2019, the North Carolina Board of Elections called for a new election to fill the vacant seat.
  59. ↑ This election was between two Democrats
  60. ↑ In December 2018, McSally was appointed to fill the Senate seat previously held by John McCain (R), who passed away in August 2018. Jon Kyl (R) was first appointed to the seat and held it from September 2018 to December 2018. The 2020 special election decided who would serve out the rest of the six-year term McCain was elected to in 2016.
  61. ↑ Isakson announced his resignation effective December 31, 2019. The 2020 special election decided who would serve out the rest of the six-year term Isakson was elected to in 2016.
  62. ↑ Both general election candidates were Republicans.
  63. ↑ This race was unopposed.
  64. ↑ 64.0 64.1 Both general election candidates were Democrats.
  65. ↑ Lamb won by a margin of 0.4 percentage points.
  66. ↑ Wild won by a margin of 0.2 percentage points.
  67. ↑ The state Board of Elections declined to certify the results of the 2018 election following allegations of absentee ballot fraud.
  68. ↑ Collins won by 0.3 percentage points.
  69. ↑ This special election was called to fill the vacancy left by 2020 Congressman-elect Luke Letlow (R), who died before being sworn in to Congress.
  70. ↑ Runoff MOV between two Republican candidates.
  71. ↑ Runoff MOV between two Democratic candidates.
  72. ↑ Runoff MOV between two Republican candidates.
  73. ↑ 270towin.com, "North Carolina," accessed June 1, 2017
  74. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
  75. ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017


North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Ted Budd (R)
Thom Tillis (R)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Republican Party (12)
Democratic Party (4)

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