North Carolina's 9th Congressional District special election, 2019

Elections in North Carolina, 2019

• Primary election: May 14
• General election: September 10
• Voter registration deadline: August 16
• Early voting: August 21 - September 6

• Absentee voting deadline: September 3 (request), September 10 (return)
• Online registration: No
• Same-day registration: Yes
• Voter ID: No photo ID required
• Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

---

On the ballot: Congressional special elections • Local ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • 

117th → ← 115th
Special elections to the 116th Congress, 2019-2020
U.S. Senate
Arizona
Georgia
U.S. House
CA-25 • GA-05 • GA-05 (runoff) • MD-07 • NY-27 • NC-03 • NC-09 • PA-12 • WI-07
Regular election coverage
Ballotpedia Elections Coverage 2020 Congressional Elections 2020 U.S. Senate Elections 2020 U.S. House Elections

State Sen. Dan Bishop (R) defeated Dan McCready (D), Jeff Scott (L), and Allen Smith (G) in the special election in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District on September 10, 2019.

Bishop described himself as a "pro-life, pro-gun, pro-wall" conservative and said McCready would fall in line with Democrats in Congress such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who Bishop called radical socialists. Bishop said his record in the state legislature included helping pass a constitutional amendment requiring voter ID in 2018, lowering income taxes, and opposing sanctuary cities.

McCready campaigned on a promise to "always put country over party," saying he would pursue bipartisan legislation on healthcare, taxes, and education. McCready emphasized his plan to lower prescription drug prices. He criticized Bishop's sponsorship of House Bill 2, a law that required individuals to use bathrooms or changing rooms in schools and public agencies that corresponded with the sex on their birth certificates. The law was repealed in 2017.

"The messages that Dan Bishop and Dan McCready are using will be mirrored by the messages of the national parties, ultimately, in 2020," North Carolina political strategist Lawrence Shaheen told the Washington Examiner.

The special election saw more than $10.7 million in satellite spending, the second-highest total for a U.S. House special election. Georgia's 6th Congressional District special election in 2017 saw $27 million spent by satellite groups.

McCready was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Bishop won the Republican primary against nine other candidates. Click here for coverage of the primary.

The state board of elections called a new election following allegations of absentee ballot fraud in the 2018 race. Unofficial returns from the 2018 election showed Mark Harris (R) leading McCready, who was also the Democratic candidate in 2018, by 905 votes. Harris said he did not run again in 2019 due to health issues. Click here for more information on the aftermath of the 2018 election.

North Carolina's 9th Congressional District is located in the southern portion of the state and includes all or parts of Mecklenburg, Union, Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Robeson, Bladen, and Cumberland counties. Donald Trump (R) won the 2016 presidential election in the district by 12 percentage points.

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.

This election was a battleground race. Other 2019 battlegrounds included:

City treasurer and clerk elections in Chicago, Illinois (2019) Mayoral election in Dallas, Texas (2019) Wisconsin Supreme Court elections, 2019

Candidates and election results

See also: North Carolina's 9th Congressional District special election, 2019

General election

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

Dan Bishop defeated Dan McCready, Jeff Scott, and Allen Smith in the special general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 9 on September 10, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Bishop (R)	50.7	96,573
		Dan McCready (D)	48.7	92,785
		Jeff Scott (L)	0.4	773
		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 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.

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Dan McCready advanced from the special Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9.

Republican primary election

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

The following candidates ran in the special Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9 on May 14, 2019.

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

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,211
= 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

• David Blackwelder (R)

Green primary election

The Green primary election was canceled. Allen Smith advanced from the special Green primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Jeff Scott advanced from the special Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 9.

Pivot county analysis

North Carolina's 9th Congressional District overlaps with three pivot counties: Bladen, Richmond, and Robeson. Pivot counties are those that Barack Obama (D) won in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections and Donald Trump (R) won in the 2016 presidential election. The 9th District includes all of Richmond and Robeson counties and part of Bladen County. Compared to the 2018 unofficial results in the 9th District U.S. House election, Bladen and Robeson counties favored the same party in the 2019 House special election while Richmond switched from Democratic to Republican.

In the September 10 special election, Dan Bishop (R) won Bladen and Richmond counties, while Dan McCready (D) won Robeson County. In the 2018 general election for North Carolina's 9th District—the results of which were not certified after allegations of absentee ballot fraud—uncertified results showed McCready leading in Richmond and Robeson and Republican candidate Mark Harris leading in Bladen.

Turnout in the 2019 special election was lower than in the 2018 general election. In 2019, 11,064 fewer votes were tallied for McCready than in 2018. On the Republican side, 6,289 fewer votes were tallied for Bishop than for Harris.

The tables below show the two major-party candidates' percentages of the vote in 2018 and 2019 in the three pivot counties, margins of victory in terms of percentage points, and the total number of votes tallied for the two major-party candidates in 2018 and 2019.

Percentage of votes: North Carolina's 9th District 2018 and 2019 elections in pivot counties
Percentage of votes	2018		Margin of victory	2019		Margin of victory
County	McCready (D)	Harris (R)	2018	McCready (D)	Bishop (R)	2019
Bladen	41.0%	57.6%	R+16.6	40.2%	59.3%	R+19.1
Richmond	50.2%	47.7%	D+2.5	47.4%	52.0%	R+4.6
Robeson	56.4%	41.1%	D+15.3	50.5%	49.1%	D+1.4

Notes: Results of the 2018 election were not certified.
Percentages do not equal 100 because votes for minor-party candidates are not featured in the table.
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections (2018) (2019)

Number of votes: North Carolina's 9th District 2018 and 2019 elections in pivot counties
Number of votes	Democratic vote		2018-2019 change	Republican vote		2018-2019 change
County	McCready (D) 2018	McCready (D) 2019	D change	Harris (R) 2018	Bishop (R) 2019	R change
Bladen	3,856	2,371	-1,485	5,413	3,496	-1,917
Richmond	7,138	4,309	-2,829	6,786	4,727	-2,059
Robeson	17,419	10,669	-6,750	12,691	10,378	-2,313

Note: Results of the 2018 election were not certified.
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections (2018) (2019)

The table below shows margins of victory in presidential elections between 2008 and 2016 in the three pivot counties.

9th District Pivot county margins of victory (MoV) in presidential elections, 2008-2016 (in percentage points)
County	Obama MoV 2008	Obama MoV 2012	Trump MoV 2016
Bladen	2.1	2.0	9.4
Richmond	1.5	3.0	9.7
Robeson	13.8	17.4	4.3

Bladen and Robeson counties were the focus of absentee ballot fraud allegations in the 2018 election.

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 by party.

Dan McCready, businessman

Party: Democratic

Incumbent: No

Political office: None

Biography: McCready joined the U.S. Marine Corps after college and served in Iraq in 2007. He later attended Harvard Business School, worked for McKinsey & Company, and founded a solar energy company.

Key messages

• McCready highlighted his military experience and said he would work with Democrats and Republicans on affordable healthcare, cutting taxes for the middle class, and strengthening public schools. McCready said he would fight against politicians who "put partisanship before people and special interests before families."

• McCready highlighted his 10-point plan to lower prescription drug prices and criticized Bishop's voting record on the issue.

Dan Bishop, state senator

Party: Republican

Incumbent: No

Political office: North Carolina State Senate (assumed office: 2017), North Carolina House of Representatives (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.

Key messages

• Bishop said his record included leading the effort to get the North Carolina Voter ID Amendment on the ballot in 2018, opposing abortion, reducing state income tax for 99 percent of North Carolina families, and voting to punish sanctuary cities.

• 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.

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.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

• Dan Bishop
• Dan McCready

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement	Bishop	McCready
Elected officials
President Donald Trump (R)	✔
Individuals
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D)		✔
Former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Bob Orr (R)		✔
Organizations
U.S. Chamber of Commerce	✔

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls

North Carolina's 9th Congressional District special election, 2019
Poll	Poll sponsor	Bishop (R)	McCready (D)	Scott (L)	Smith (G)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
RRH Elections August 26-28, 2019	N/A	46%	45%	2%	1%	5%	+/-4	500
Harper Polling/Clarity Campaign Labs August 26-28, 2019	Inside Elections	42%	46%	2%	1%	8%	+/-4.2	551
JMC Analytics and Polling May 21-24, 2019	N/A	46%	42%	1%	1%	10%	+/-5.2	350
AVERAGES		44.67%	44.33%	1.67%	1%	7.67%	+/-4.47	467
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.

Click "show" to the right to see polls from the 2019 Republican primary.

North Carolina's 9th Congressional District special election, 2019 (Republican primary) Poll Poll sponsor Anglin Bishop Brown Day Dunn Ridenhour Rivenbark Rushing Shubert Undecided/Other Margin of error Sample size WPA Intelligence April 29-30, 2019 Club for Growth 0% 30% 5% 0% 0% 6% 1% 19% 2% 37% +/-4.9 409 Public Policy Polling April 29-30, 2019 N/A 3% 31% 6% 5% 1% 9% 2% 17% 4% 21% +/-5.1 592 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.

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.

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.

• Club for Growth Action spent $147,000 toward the race through July 25, 2019. Part of the spending went toward a TV ad opposing McCready.
  • The group announced July 31 that it would spend another $412,000 toward the special election.
  • Club for Growth released another ad opposing McCready on August 16. It reported spending $413,000.

• The Committee to Defend the President announced August 27 it would spend $200,000 on a combination of TV and digital ads and get-out-the-vote efforts in support of Bishop and opposing McCready.

• The Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, spent $1.2 million on ad reservations as of July 31.
  • The group also spent $150,000 on a field program "to persuade swing voters in Mecklenburg County and turn out mid-to-high propensity voters in Union County. CLF will rely on 100 people to knock on more than 75,000 doors," Roll Call reported on August 1.

• End Citizens United, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates, said it raised $100,000 for McCready, as of September 5, 2019.

• Environmental Defense Fund Action and Environmental Defense Fund Action Votes committed a total of $800,000 to a TV ad supporting McCready and opposing Bishop. The ad began airing July 18, 2019.

• House Majority Forward reported having spent $1.1 million on ads in support of McCready as of September 5.

• League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund spent $250,000 on a digital ad and mailer campaign supporting McCready. Their digital ad was released August 21.

• Stand Up Republic and American Values PAC said they would spend a combined $500,000 on digital, broadcast, cable, and radio ads in the district. The first ad, opposing Bishop, was released August 12. The groups were founded by Evan McMullin and Mindy Finn, former Republicans who ran for president and vice president as independents in 2016.

• VoteVets reported a $200,000 ad buy supporting McCready and opposing Bishop. Their ad began airing August 7, 2019.

DCCC and NRCC involvement

• The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) stated it was spending more than $2 million toward the race on such efforts as increasing voter turnout among African Americans and members of the Lumbee tribe, according to a memo released August 8 as reported by The Washington Post.
  • The DCCC spent $626,000 on an ad that began airing August 16.
  • The DCCC spent an additional $598,000 on cable and broadcast airtime, Advertising Analytics reported on August 28.

• The National Republican Congressional Committee's (NRCC) independent expenditure arm had reserved $2.6 million in airtime for the election as of July 31, 2019. NRCC released a TV ad opposing McCready July 31.
  • The NRCC reported another $501,000 in independent expenditures on media between August 29 and September 4, totaling $3.1 million spent.

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.

Dan Bishop

Support

"Dan In Disguise" – Bishop campaign, September 6, 2019

"A Great Congressman" – Bishop campaign, August 30, 2019

"Accomplish The Impossible" – Committee to Defend the President, August 23, 2019

"A Friend of Mine" – Bishop campaign, August 19, 2019

"Sheriff" – Bishop campaign, August 18, 2019

"Immigration" – Bishop campaign and the National Republican Congressional Committee, August 17, 2019

"Crazy Clowns" – Bishop campaign and the National Republican Congressional Committee, August 4, 2019

"Delivered" – Bishop campaign, July 29, 2019

"Right Dan" – Bishop campaign, May 16, 2019

"Clowns" – Bishop campaign, April 11, 2019

Click here to view Bishop's Facebook ads.

Oppose

New ad from DCCC in #NC09. Part of a $528k broadcast buy airing from 8/16-9/2. pic.twitter.com/M3reIq4FO7

— Advertising Analytics (@Ad_Analytics) August 16, 2019

"Reject Corruption, Reject Dan Bishop" – Stand Up Republic, August 12, 2019

"Bishop's extremist investment" – Stand Up Republic, August 12, 2019

"'Family' and State Senator Bishop's Record Against Cheaper Prescription Drugs" – McCready campaign, July 30, 2019

Dan McCready

Support

"Service Before Self" – House Majority Forward ad, August 22, 2019

"Country First" – League of Conservation Voters Victory Fund, August 21, 2019

"Served" – McCready campaign, August 13, 2019

"Surgeon" – VoteVets, August 7, 2019

"Problem Solver" – Environmental Defense Fund Action, July 17, 2019

"Country First" – McCready campaign, June 3, 2019

• "The Facts," McCready ad

Click here to view McCready's Facebook ads.

Oppose

"He's Back" – National Republican Congressional Committee, September 4, 2019

"'Full of 'Em" – National Republican Congressional Committee, August 28, 2019

"Wrong Dan, Wrong Call" – Bishop campaign, August 28, 2019

"Don't Be Fooled" – Committee to Defend the President, August 23, 2019

"McGreedy Guarantee" – National Republican Congressional Committee, August 22, 2019

"Nickname" – Club for Growth, August 16, 2019

"McGreedy with a G" – National Republican Congressional Committee, August 13, 2019

"Greedy McCready Gamed The System" – Congressional Leadership Fund, August 8, 2019

"Homework" – National Republican Congressional Committee, August 6, 2019

"Not Gonna Sell" – National Republican Congressional Committee, July 31, 2019

"Costly" – Club for Growth, July 25, 2019

"McCready busted in whopper" – Bishop campaign, June 26, 2019

"Dishonest Dan" – Bishop campaign, June 17, 2019

Campaign themes

The following campaign themes and policy positions were found on candidates' campaign websites.

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. Supporting Our Military and National Defense We owe and immeasurable debt to our active duty military who stand in harms way to protect our freedoms, and all the veterans who have honorably served our nation. That means keeping the promises we make to them when they sign up to serve. In the State Senate, Dan took action to help North Carolinians who served our country in uniform. Among other reforms, he voted to protect Medicaid, ensure in-state tuition, and create job opportunities for our veterans, increase access to health care, exempt military retirement from the state income tax, and fund programs to help veterans in crisis. There’s always more that can be done for those who put themselves in harms way to protect our freedom. And Dan will do even more in Congress. Maintaining a strong national defense is a Constitutional mandate that must be upheld and, I believe, a moral obligation that must be met by Congress. Our elected leaders must follow the counsel of military leaders and make sure they have the resources and tools they need to protect our shining city on a hill and uphold the freedom and liberty that has made the United States the great hope of mankind.	”
—Dan Bishop

Dan McCready

“	Lowering Healthcare and Prescription Drug Costs Health care costs are soaring by double digits each year, crushing the budgets of North Carolina families. Prescription drug costs are skyrocketing while Big Pharma spends tens of millions of dollars a year on lobbying to bend the rules in their favor. 44,000 people right here in the 9th District are in danger of losing health insurance if career politicians succeed in removing coverage for pre-existing conditions. But instead of fixing our broken healthcare system, Washington politicians’ answer is to cave to special interests and play partisan games. This has to stop. Dan has released a comprehensive Healthcare Plan to work across the aisle to lower healthcare costs and protect coverage. You can read his plan here. Dan’s plan has seven common-sense and non-partisan initiatives: protecting people with pre-existing conditions, standing up to Big Pharma to lower prescription drug prices, reaping the benefits of expanding Medicaid, saving rural healthcare, excluding primary care visits from deductibles, charging patients for quality of care instead of the number of procedures, and better caring for our veterans. Dan will also fight to protect the promise of Medicare against the proposed cuts. To lower prescription drug prices, Dan released a 10-point Plan to Lower Prescription Drug Costs. You can read his plan here. Dan’s plan includes ten bipartisan reforms to take on the high prices of U.S. prescription drugs by taking on Big Pharma and the costly middlemen, stopping foreign countries from taking advantage of us, and promoting lower-cost generic drugs. Lowering prescription drug prices shouldn’t be a partisan issue; a number of these reforms build on the work being done by the current administration. Strengthening our Public Schools Dan is a product of North Carolina public schools, and he understands that education is the pathway to opportunity. He knows that teachers shape the lives of their students just as parents do. He believes that every child in America should be able to go to a great public school, no matter where they live. A child in rural North Carolina deserves the same great public education that Dan got in southeast Charlotte. But politicians are undermining our public schools by paying teachers too little and under-investing in our schools. Teachers are having to work two jobs and pay for school supplies out of their own pockets, and they are leaving North Carolina for better opportunities. Dan will fight to pay teachers their worth, lower class sizes, and fund early childhood education and alternatives to four-year college degrees — alternatives like community college and job training programs that equip North Carolinians for the jobs of tomorrow without mountains of debt. We must restore North Carolina’s reputation as a leader in education and the leader of the New South. Cutting Taxes for the Middle Class Dan will fight to cut taxes for middle class families because he knows that families and small businesses need a break. Today, if you don’t have money or a lobbyist, the deck is stacked against you. Too many loopholes and tax breaks have gone to the ultra-wealthy and the biggest corporations. Our country is built on the promise that if you work hard and play by the rules, you can get ahead. Dan will fight for middle class tax cuts and policies to level the playing field for hardworking North Carolinians and our middle class. Taking on Money in Politics and our Broken System Too many politicians say they are fighting for the people, but really they are just fighting for themselves and selling out to special interests. Dan will fight to rid our politics of dark and corporate money, which is the worst part of our broken political system and something that’s silencing the voices of regular people. Dan isn’t taking a dime of corporate PAC money in this campaign, so the people will know he works for them. He’ll work to overturn the disastrous Supreme Court decision Citizens United. Dan will work to end gerrymandering. Through gerrymandering, politicians are deciding who gets elected, not the voters. Both parties have done it, and both parties were wrong. Dan will fight for reforms like assigning independent redistricting commissions, not politicians, the responsibility to draw district lines. Dan will fight for term limits in Congress. In the military, leaders follow an “up or out” system — if you aren’t moving up, if you aren’t leading, it’s time to go home. Dan believes Congressional leaders should be held to the same standard. Standing up for Medicare Dan knows how hard North Carolina seniors worked to save for their retirement over a lifetime of hard work and how important it is to protect Medicare and Social Security. Politicians in Washington are either too eager to cut these vital programs or spend so much that we won’t be able to keep our promises going forward. We need common sense to protect our current seniors and ensure that those retiring in the years to come will also have a safety net. 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. Creating Good Jobs from Cities to Small Towns As a small business owner, Dan has helped put 700 North Carolinians to work building solar farms in North Carolina. He was a leader in making North Carolina second nationally 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. Dan will fight for North Carolina community colleges and job training programs and to receive our district’s fair share of federal funding. Too many workers in North Carolina need jobs, and too many companies can’t find the workers they need. Dan will work to open up new pathways to opportunity that go beyond four-year college, and he will help rethink education so people can learn the technical and trade skills for the good-paying jobs of tomorrow. Dan will personally recruit CEOs to move their companies to rural North Carolina. Defending our Sacred Right to Vote Dan believes there’s nothing more sacred in our country than our right to vote. It’s a freedom that countless men and women have given their lives for, overseas in uniform and here on the homefront in the battle for civil rights. That’s why, confronted with evidence of his opponent’s campaign stealing votes in the 2018 election, Dan stood up to fight. He helped shine a light on the fraud, leading the charge to bring to justice those bad actors who were silencing the voices of North Carolinians. Dan knows we can stop at nothing to ensure that voting is easy, accessible, and secure for every American. We must prevent cheating from ever happening again in North Carolina’s elections. And we must stand up to evil efforts to suppress the vote of African Americans and Native Americans Balancing the Budget In his small business, Dan balanced the budget and made payroll. We should expect the same of Congress. But Republicans and Democrats won’t work together to do it. Washington is full of lawyers and lobbyists on both sides of the aisle who shut down the government because they won’t work together. They add to the national debt every year. That’s why Dan supports a “No Budget, No Pay” act. To balance the budget, he’ll work to cut out tax loopholes and to make government run like a responsible business. Streamlining Regulations Dan knows we must protect our air and water and protect Americans against crooks. But as a small business owner, he understands the burden of needless regulations on small businesses, contractors, and entrepreneurs. Dan will fight to streamline cumbersome regulations so North Carolinians can start and grow companies and hire more workers. And he’ll work to simplify the tax code. Dan believes that regulation must be more simple and clear to navigate, with fewer grey areas and less wasted time and money. Leveling the Playing Field on Trade The main streets of North Carolina’s towns used to be filled with cars, but now far too many parking spaces are empty. Trade deals signed by both parties have benefited the wealthy and powerful but devastated North Carolina business and families. Meanwhile, other countries have taken advantage of us and not lived up to their commitments. Dan will fight for better trade deals and to protect our rural communities from the adverse effects of trade. He will stand up to unfair trade, technology, and intellectual property practices of other countries. 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. That’s wrong for the Lumbee Tribe, wrong for Robeson County, and a shame for all Americans. Dan knows how to work with both sides and 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. The Lumbee will have no stronger champion than Dan. Supporting our Veterans and Military Families 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. The VA is struggling to handle healthcare for veterans, including veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dan experienced firsthand the broken transition that veterans experience moving from active duty to the VA, a transition fraught with poor care and lost paperwork. That’s unacceptable. Dan is no stranger to advocating for veterans. After he went to business school on the GI Bill, he gave away a portion of his company’s sales each year to veterans. Veterans will have no stronger advocate than Dan on health care, mental health, education, jobs, and the transition to civilian life. Dan knows that we must reform the VA healthcare system. Congress must also reassert its constitutional responsibility over war and veterans’ care. We need more young veterans in Congress to get that done. Securing our Border while Protecting our Values Immigration is one of the best examples of where Washington is broken. For decades, Republicans and Democrats have failed to work together to fix our broken immigration system. We need a comprehensive immigration reform that secures our border, respects our laws, and protects our American values. To secure our border, we should reinforce physical barriers with the technology Dan used in the Marines, like infrared cameras and drones. But we must uphold our values. When politicians try to break our government’s promise to Dreamers who were brought here as children or separate young children from their parents at the border, that’s un-American. Dan will fight to restore the DREAM Act and end family separations at the border. Abolishing agencies that serve vital functions like ICE will not fix our immigration system; instead Congress needs to fix our immigration laws and fund, improve, and support agencies to operate in a way that upholds human rights while completing their missions. Keeping our Families Safe Dan approaches gun violence prevention as a Marine who carried an M-16 in Iraq and as a supporter of the Second Amendment, but also as a father of four young kids. Too many parents today are left wondering whether their children are safe in their own schools and churches. That should never happen in America. The problem in Washington right now is not that politicians are doing the wrong thing to prevent gun violence, it’s that they’re barely doing anything at all. That has to change. Dan will fight for common-sense and bipartisan gun violence prevention, comprehensive background checks, and closing the gun show and online loopholes that allow guns to fall into the hands of domestic terrorists, domestic abusers, and the mentally ill. Defending Our Rights Sadly, North Carolina has been ground zero for voter suppression, not just through tools like gerrymandering, but through the outright stealing of votes. Dan’s already shown he’ll stand up and fight back. When his opponent’s campaign targeted African American, Native American, and elderly voters with an absentee ballot scheme in last November’s election, Dan fought back. Our re-do special election on September 10 is the people’s chance to get justice. When it comes to women’s rights, Dan gets it. He’s the husband of a children’s attorney and the father of two daughters. Dan knows that any man who uses his position of power to take advantage of women must be brought to justice. That’s why, when reports surfaced of sexual assault cover-ups on Capitol Hill, Dan called for a full investigation into congressional leadership in both parties to find out who knew what and when. Dan supports a woman’s right to choose because he does not believe it’s the government’s job to get between a woman and her doctor. And he will fight for women to receive equal pay for equal work. Dan knows that everyone deserves equal opportunity no matter their gender, race, sexual orientation, or country of origin. And everyone, straight or gay, deserves equality under the law. Protecting North Carolina’s Air and Water As a solar energy entrepreneur, Dan knows that we can protect our environment while creating good jobs in North Carolina. Dan believes that God calls us all to be stewards of the Earth, for our children and grandchildren. But politicians in the pockets of polluters are taking a hatchet to the EPA. They are looking the other way while chemical company executives pollute eastern North Carolina’s drinking water with toxic chemicals like GenX. We need leaders with the courage to stand up to polluters and protect our state. Dan will fight for clean air and water and to preserve our state’s natural beauty, which he learned to love as an Eagle Scout. Keeping Americans Safe America hasn’t had a national security strategy for 15 years, not when Dan was in Iraq, not under any of the last three presidents. When we send our troops to war, we owe them and the taxpayers a clear mission. We should do so with overwhelming firepower, accomplish the mission, and get out. But politicians deploy our troops sporadically, with no strategy or end in sight, while our enemies outsmart and outlast us. The executive branch under Republican and Democratic administrations alike has had too much power and been too hasty to deploy our troops into Iraq and the “forever wars.” Congress must reassert its constitutional responsibility for deciding when and how to send our troops into harm’s way. Dan will add his firsthand experiences as an Iraq veteran to push a real national security strategy that’s anchored by strong military might, economic power, and smart diplomacy to keep Americans safe.	”
—Dan McCready

Jeff Scott

“	America’s Education I propose radical reform of the student lending system. Graduates face unbearable debt loads from soaring costs, $35 billion in North Carolina alone. State teacher pensions should buy and hold student debt. The education industry makes claims about the value of education that are not true. Young graduates suffer from low paying jobs and the inability to start families. They are victims of predatory lending and we can’t blame them for not understanding the real world outside of college. We can change the way we manage the debt to nudge educators to make clearer promises. Their long-term financial interests will discipline their advertising to new students. More tax dollars and guarantees cannot fix bad promises. America’s Security America is creating danger for itself. I question our search for monsters abroad to project power where we don’t belong. Voters want Congress to stop expanding our reach and printing dollars to pay for it. Our leadership must be realistic in what we can achieve. We must not meddle in the elections of other countries. We must return to traditional diplomacy with other nations and practice restraint, not bullying. To promote peaceful trade, we must stop destructive sanctions, targeting of civilians and the sale of weapons. Our nation is not above the law. America’s Health I oppose nationalizing the medical industry. Washington DC and the medical industry lobbies work against families and raise premiums and deductibles year after year. The key feature of any medical marketplace is that buyers and sellers look for good services at reasonable price. A single payer bureaucracy does not respect consumer choice and it violates patient privacy. Politicians should not have access to a medical surveillance system to pick winners. Protected profiteers can be eliminated by changing our patent and drug approval system and opening competition for physicians. Economic Development The Green New Deal is the challenge in this Congress. As an economist, I will bring my 30 years of experience in banking and finance to resist calls for massive manipulation of our economy. The new Congress does not respect consumer freedom but wants unlimited spending and money printing, destruction of wealth and crippling business rules. The Congress must act to encourage growth policies. The Social Security system requires representatives to have a clear understanding of the nation’s financial stability and the needs of District 9 workers and retirees. We need secure financing for public investment, and we must sustain private markets to replenish savings and retirement. As your representative, I will act now so we aren’t pressured to react when crisis hits. America’s Veterans The treatment of Veterans reminds us of the true costs of war. I will ensure that veterans are treated like customers and not as a lobby. Veteran facilities and treatments are paid for by taxpayers. I propose to restructure medical services to give vets economic power over their choices. The veterans themselves can own and manage their valuable assets, properties and employees. Let Vets control the resources to decide the best ways to provide cost-effective services. Preserving Our Freedoms Under Constitutional Government Our Constitutional crisis is a result of bipartisan government strangling our confidence. The parties are out of control and can no longer follow rules or abide by our laws. Sophisticated financing, media control and gerrymandering all work to protect incumbents in North Carolina. To counter that, fair redistricting and term limits can promote voter confidence and 3rd party competition. Independent journalists are under attack. We can’t let government-sponsored censorship by the social media giants stifle ideas. Snooping on every American’s financial affairs and the attempted framing of our President by the intelligence agencies are dangerous signs that our political parties abuse power. The Patriot Act licensed the intrusive Homeland Security agency to stoke more unnecessary fear to grow their big budgets. Problemas En Español Un mensaje a los votantes de habla hispana. Mi plataforma es la paz, la prosperidad y la privacidad. Soy el único candidato contra la guerra, el único candidato anticorrupción, y el único candidato de antivigilancia en la competencia electoral. Me rompe el corazón presenciar la hostilidad que ha surgido en nuestra sociedad hacia los inmigrantes, cualquiera que sea su situación legal. En el pasado, nuestro país siempre habia dado la bienvenida a personas que se van o escapan de su país de origen para llegar a un lugar mejor. Muchos votantes en esta temporada electoral temen cómo los inmigrantes se adaptan a nuestra sociedad. También quieren respuestas de los líderes sobre cómo los inmigrantes se adaptan a nuestras instituciones sociales, como escuelas, hospitales e iglesias. Creo que nuestro gobierno debe actuar de una manera que respete a los seres humanos. Las víctimas deben tener representación y deben recibir un trato humano cuando sean detenidas. Prometo asegurarme de que nuestro sistema de inmigración regrese a sus raíces humanas y respete los derechos de las personas a lo largo de sus vidas. Los recién llegados deberían poder disfrutar de la oportunidades que todos damos por hecho. Si usted es un ciudadano, no tema votar. ¡Es su derecho! Gun Violence America has a gun violence problem. I support North Carolina’s desire to stay a strong 2nd Amendment state, though District 9 voters are divided. We have a right to own guns, but we don’t have a right to inflict violence. Our Government does not have the authority to remove the tools that Americans need to protect their lives, families and property. The police cannot be the only people in our society who can possess guns. Concerned voters should join me in not glorifying war as a means of resolving conflicts in a dangerously armed world. When young people are taught that permanent war is the new normal, or that medications will solve their social problems, we increase the risk of rage and anger. Send me to Washington to stop aggression.	”
—Jeff Scott

Allen Smith

“	Heathcare is a human right The United States is the richest, most powerful country on earth. And yet we are the only industrialized country without a national health program. We pay more for treatment and medicine. The out-of-pocket costs of medical care have a huge financial impact on millions of people, even those who have insurance. Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in our country. Nearly half of all Americans say they would have a difficult time paying an unexpected $500 medical bill. Access to affordable health insurance is simply not enough. Meanwhile, the insurance companies, big pharmaceutical companies, and for-profit hospital systems are raking in more profits than ever. It is time to give the people the care we all deserve. It’s time to stop throwing around words like “access” and “affordable” as qualifiers just to keep big businesses happy. Leading the way on big challenges is embedded in the fabric of our country’s history. We need to put that same caliber of leadership into a true universal, single-payer healthcare system. We can show everyone what it looks like when the most powerful country in the world puts the health and well-being of people above the pursuit of profits. Things I'll be fighting for A universal, single-payer healthcare program, funded federally but administered at the state and local level Comprehensive lifetime benefits including dental, vision, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, medication coverage, and hospice and long-term care Portability of coverage regardless of where you live or if you have a job Greatly reduced paperwork for both patients and providers Participation of all licensed and/or certified health providers, subject to standards of practice in their field Freedom of patients to choose the type of health care provider from a wide range of healthcare choices Decision-making in the hands of patients and their health providers, not insurance companies Cost controls via streamlined administration, national fee schedules, bulk purchases of drugs and medical equipment, coordination of capital expenditures and publicly negotiated prices of medications Primary and preventive care as priorities, including wellness education about diet, nutrition, and exercise, as well as holistic health and medical marijuana More comprehensive services for those who have special needs, including the mentally ill, the differently abled and those who are terminally ill A mental health care system that safeguards human dignity, respects individual autonomy, and protects informed consent Fair and full reimbursement to providers for their services Hospitals that can afford safe and adequate staffing levels of registered nurses Establishment of national, state, and local health policy boards consisting of health consumers and providers to oversee and evaluate the performance of the system, ensure access to care, and help determine research priorities Establishment of a National Health Trust Fund that would channel all current Federal payments for health care programs directly into the *Fund, in addition to employees' health premium payments Protecting our planet Climate change is the most important social, economic, and environmental crisis that humanity has ever faced. You can see its effects in the news every day. Droughts are deeper, storms are stronger, wildfires burn for weeks on end, and that’s just a sampling of what we see every day. Climate change is destroying homes, eliminating people’s jobs and, too often, taking their lives too. The rapid acceleration of climate change over the past 50 years is due to unchecked industrialization and subsequent greenhouse gas emissions that our fossil-fuel economy has pumped into the atmosphere. The industries and practices that so many of us rely on to keep our daily lives running normally are the same ones that have set our planet on a catastrophic trajectory. Of course, they are not out to destroy the planet; they’re simply operating the way that our capitalist systems require them to operate. Not only do they provide many of the luxuries we often take for granted; they also employ entire communities, and the predictability of their profits helps maintain short-term stability in our economy. With such positive short-term benefits, it’s easy for us to overlook the significant negative impact these industries and their practices have on our environment, our economy, and the state of the world. And that is fundamentally the issue that has set us on a collision course with a global environmental collapse. We need to disrupt the broken systems that force us to destroy our planet for short-term financial gain. And we need to take action now. Not in a few years. Today. We need a real Green New Deal that will not only turn the tide on climate change, but which will revive the economy and make wars for oil obsolete. Things I'll be fighting for Creating 20 million jobs by transitioning to 100% clean renewable energy by 2030, and investing in public transit, sustainable (regenerative) agriculture, conservation and restoration of critical infrastructure, including ecosystems Implementing a fair transition that empowers those communities and workers most impacted by climate change and the transition to a green economy Ensuring that any worker displaced by the shift away from fossil fuels will receive full income and benefits as they transition to alternative work Enacting energy democracy based on public, community and worker ownership of our energy system Treating energy as a basic human right, not a consumer good Redirecting research funds from fossil fuels into renewable energy and conservation Building a nationwide distributive power grid that can pool and store power from a diversity of renewable sources, giving the nation clean, democratically-controlled, energy Ending destructive energy extraction and associated infrastructure: fracking, tar sands, offshore drilling, oil trains, mountaintop removal, natural gas pipelines, and uranium mines Halting any investment in fossil fuel infrastructure, including natural gas, and phase out all fossil fuel power plants Phasing out nuclear power and end nuclear subsidies Ending all subsidies for fossil fuels and imposing a greenhouse gas fee/tax to charge polluters for the damage they have created Putting people over profits Corporations wield a disproportionate amount of power in our country. They have become too big and too influential over our laws, which have increasingly allowed them to exploit our people and destroy our environment, all with the primary goals of endless economic growth and generating larger and larger profits. Our governments use hefty tax breaks to sell out our communities to big businesses, touting wealthy executives as job creators and economic saviors. But jobs are only a means to an end for those of us who work for a living. More than jobs, we want financial stability and a feeling of fulfillment. We value not just material wealth, but the things which truly make life worth living — our time, our health, our relationships, our communities, and our environment. No human being should live for work or need to work to live. We are better than that. All business has a social contract with society and the environment. To create a just and enduring society, we need to create a system of commerce where every act is sustainable and restorable. We must change the fundamental design of corporations so that they generate profits, but not at the expense of the environment, human rights, public health, workers, or the communities in which the corporation operates. Our planet cannot afford business as usual any longer. Things I'll be fighting for Eliminating federal income tax for individuals earning less than $25,000 and families earning less than $50,000 (adjusted for inflation) Adopting a 30-hour work week as a standard A federal universal basic income for every adult regardless of health, employment, or marital status, in order to minimize government bureaucracy and intrusiveness into people's lives. The amount should be sufficient so that anyone who is unemployed can afford basic food and shelter. Protecting Social Security from privatization Strongly progressive taxes that shift the burden from the middle and lower class to corporations and the super-rich A wealth tax of 0.5% per year on assets over $5,000,000 Taxing unearned income at the same rate as earned income An end to corporate welfare. Eliminate loopholes and other exemptions that favor corporate and wealthy interests. Tax policy which encourages small and socially responsible business An economic system that is based on a combination of private businesses, decentralized democratic cooperatives, publicly owned enterprises, and alternative economic structures Ending taxpayer-funded bailouts for banks, insurers, and other financial companies Incentives for local, small businesses, worker co-operatives, credit unions, and other institutions that help strengthen communities Federal chartering of corporations that includes comprehensive, strict and enforceable social responsibility requirements An end to corporate personhood Strengthening our civil justice system to ensure that it holds corporations strictly liable for corporate crime, fraud, violence and malfeasance Enforcing existing antitrust laws and supporting even tougher new ones to curtail the overwhelming economic and political power of large corporations Increasing funding for and strengthening oversight of federal antitrust enforcement Creating a pro-worker economy Businesses and their leaders wield an increasingly dangerous amount of power in our economy. They dangle jobs in front of struggling communities and the politicians who represent them. They use the promise of job creation to justify bringing harmful industries to rural communities. They put workers in a position where they must choose between having a job and doing what is best for their community; and they force millions of citizens into doing work that is unfulfilling, socially harmful, or detrimental to the environment. We need measures in place to rebalance power between businesses and the workers who generate their profits. We need a variety of democratically-run small businesses and organizations. But a pro-worker economy isn’t just about commerce. There is plenty of work to do that enriches our communities without jeopardizing our future or widening the gap between the richest and poorest among us. We need to change the conversation from being about providing “jobs” to providing financial security, well-being, and meaningful livelihoods to everyone who is able to contribute. We all deserve a say in how things run. And we all deserve to benefit from the abundant resources in our society. Things I'll be fighting for Workforce unionization and collective bargaining power for workers Reducing unnecessary restrictions, fees, and bureaucracy for small businesses Incentives for democratically run businesses that benefit their communities Incentives for worker co-ops and employee owned businesses Raising the federal minimum wage to a living wage of at least $15 per hour, (indexed to inflation) Adopting a 30 hour work week as the standard No forced overtime for workers Flexible working schedules A minimum 1 month of paid vacation per year for all workers A minimum 12 months of paid family leave for new parents (biological and adoptive) A federal universal basic income and federal job guarantee to support those affected by market fluctuations, job displacement, and automation Universal health coverage, regardless of employment status Rebuilding public education Our public education system has been the victim of a systematic dismantling. Because of tax cuts for the wealthy that have gutted huge amounts of funding, and because of privatization schemes that funnel money out of our public school system, many of our schools lack basic necessities, let alone the funding to give students what they need to succeed. We have painted ourselves into a corner by buying into the high-stakes testing industry, relying on outdated ways of measuring school performance, and trying to run our schools like businesses. Our overworked, underpaid teachers are marching in the streets for our kids, tirelessly advocating for their future. More students than ever come from low-income families, and our public schools can serve as a powerful lever of upward mobility if they can provide students the resources and support they need to thrive — inside and outside of their classrooms. Education is a lifelong journey. It’s not about reaching a destination. It’s about building momentum. It starts with high-quality early-childhood programs and continues through adulthood. Its goal shouldn’t be to mold young people into subservient consumers or employees but rather to arm them with the skills, knowledge, and spirit of inquiry they need to create the future they want for themselves. We shouldn’t treat higher education like a personal financial investment. Anyone who wants to go to a public college or vocational school shouldn’t have to pay for it themselves. That means it’s also time to cancel the huge debt owed to the federal government and predatory finance industry by student and parent borrowers. Things I'll be fighting for Eliminating gross inequalities in school funding Farm-to-School programs that provide food from local family farms and educational opportunities Resources and support to end the school-to-prison pipeline An end to corporate alternative teacher licensing initiatives that create great destabilization within school communities in need of consistent leadership and community connections Eliminating police officers from our schools Increased funding for after-school and daycare programs Incentives for eliminating junk food and commercial advertising from schools Free college tuition to all qualified students at public universities and vocational schools Forgiving all student and parent loans taken out to finance post-secondary and vocational education Ending federal competitive grants like Race to the Top (RTTT) and instead equitably funding schools based on a priority of socioeconomic level Divesting from the high-stakes standardized testing industry and redirecting the funds to create expanded access to science, technology, music, and arts programs Supporting our troops Our brave service members, who are required to carry out military policies, often with great hardship to themselves, their families, and even the risk of their lives, deserve our respect and our commitment to adequate compensation and benefits. The dangerous burden of fighting unnecessary, unending wars is disproportionately borne by families of lesser means and some of our most vulnerable citizens and residents. It is critical that we stop grooming high-schoolers for war. We must stop asking kids as young as 17 to be prepared to take the lives of people they’ll never know and live with the weight of it. Our first priority in foreign policy considerations is to create a future where war needs no workforce. We must ensure future generations not face the separations and sacrifices of war that we have. We must also take better care of those who have served and those who are currently serving. Things I'll be fighting for Increasing the current pay levels, including monthly combat pay, imminent danger pay and family separation allowances for those risking their lives in combat zones Providing better care for the wounded, sick and injured soldiers Increasing funding for additional clinics to provide services which now are too often delayed or denied throughout the Veterans Affairs system because of overcrowding and budget constraints Ensuring a smooth transition from active military service to civilian life by providing counseling, housing, emergency management, job protection and other support systems Continual medical and psychiatric health care by the VA, after serving any time in a combat zone Empowering women Democracy cannot work without equality for women. That means equal participation and equal representation. Women make up 51% of our population but only 24% of our federal legislators. It is critical that we disrupt the system of male domination, also known as the patriarchy, in all its forms, both subtle and overt. This includes oppression, inequality, and discrimination, as well as all forms of violence and exploitation against women and girls. The change the world is crying for cannot occur unless women's voices are heard. So many of the challenges we face with women’s policies stem from the fact that a bunch of men are trying to craft laws without any guidance or input from folks whose lives those laws impact. If we can create an environment where we elevate and empower women, where we turn their input into action, we can cut through the harmful rhetoric and make real progress on these important issues. Things I'll be fighting for Passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Equal representation of women through gender parity in Congress U.S. ratification of CEDAW, the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women Reproductive justice and related measures to ensure women have control over what happens to their bodies Economic equity for women, including universal basic income and programs tailored to the particular needs of motherhood Enforcement of current laws and institute tougher penalties for discrimination, exploitation, acts of violence against women, and human trafficking Re-engineering our justice system The United States has the highest incarceration and recidivism rates of industrialized countries. To put that in perspective, we have less than five percent of the world's population, but we lock up nearly a quarter of the world's prisoners. Mass incarceration in our country is an epidemic. It destroys lives and communities. Our justice system is too often inhumane, ineffective, and prohibitively expensive. It disproportionately affects people of color and assigns long prison terms to hundreds of thousands of perpetrators of victimless crimes, such as selling marijuana. Meanwhile, corporate, white collar, and environmental crime too often goes unpunished. We must take steps to prevent violent crime and address the legitimate needs of victims, while addressing the socio-economic root causes of crime and practicing policies that prevent recidivism. We need to divest ourselves from the private prison industry and instead invest in measures for rehabilitation and positive alternatives to mass incarceration. We need to end the failed war on drugs, and help rebuild the communities that it has destroyed. Things I'll be fighting for Ending mass incarceration Banning private prisons, and implementing a moratorium on prison construction Redirecting funding to alternatives to incarceration Providing incarcerated individuals the right to vote by absentee ballot in the district of their domicile, and the right to vote during parole Abolishing the federal death penalty Descheduling cannabis and regulating it like alcohol, including provisions that allow tax-free home-growing for personal use Taxing cannabis sales and using the money to provide rebuild the lives and communities affected by the war on drugs Repealing three-strikes laws and mandatory sentencing in favor of judicial discretion Establishing and fund programs to strengthen self-help and community action through neighborhood centers that provide legal aid, alternative dispute-resolution practices, mediated restitution, community team policing, and access to local crisis/assault care shelters Ending the war on drugs. Redirect funds presently budgeted for the war on drugs toward expanded research, education, counseling and treatment. And strike from the record prior felony convictions for marijuana possession, sale, or cultivation Treating substance abuse as a medical problem, not a criminal problem Amending the Controlled Substances Act to reflect that drug use in itself is not a crime, and that persons living in the United States arrested for using drugs should not be incarcerated with those who have committed victim oriented crimes Ensuring prison conditions are humane and sanitary, including but are limited to heat, light, exercise, clothing, nutrition, libraries, possessions, and personal safety Minimizing isolation of prisoners from staff and one another only as needed for safety Making incarceration more community-based, including through increased visitor access by families Making government work Everyone deserves the opportunity to influence the government decisions that affect them. But our country suffers from a corrupt campaign finance system that enables corporate and wealthy elites to purchase political outcomes and an abundance of anti-democratic electoral, ballot access and debate rules designed to minimize participation and choice. Incumbent politicians and establishment candidates often talk about reforming our broken systems, but they fail to take meaningful action because they exploit these broken systems to get elected and maintain their positions of power. It’s time to get big money out of our elections. To do that, we need to fundamentally change the way our elections are financed and conducted. We also need to enact laws that end corruption and gerrymandering, open up our primaries, allow ranked-choice voting, and put an end to the legalized systems of bribery that corporate lobbying laws allow. Things I'll be fighting for Passing the American Anti-Corruption Act Proportional representation systems and ranked choice voting Providing full federal funding for elections, including free and equal airtime for all ballot-qualified candidates Prohibiting corporations from spending to influence elections Eliminating all ballot access laws and rules that discriminate against or impose an undue burden on smaller parties and independent citizens running for office Abolishing the Electoral College and provide for the direct national election of the president by Instant Runoff Voting Developing publicly-owned, open-source voting equipment and deploy it across the nation to ensure high national standards, performance, transparency and accountability Enacting a national right-to-vote law or constitutional amendment to guarantee universal, automatic, permanent voter registration Restoring full citizenship rights to felons upon completion of their sentence, including the right to vote and to run for elected office Making Election Day a national holiday Establishing independent and transparent non-partisan redistricting processes to stop partisan gerrymandering and protect minority rights and representation Broadening lobbying regulations to increase transparency and stop the revolving door between the government and lobbying industry Humanizing our immigration system Our country needs a complete overhaul of its immigration laws. Our broken immigration system, combined with our trade policies and our destabilizing military activity around the world has created extreme social injustice. Millions of people are living and working in the U.S. with no legal status, making them subject to extreme exploitation and abuse. Immigration raids are terrorizing the immigrant community. Families are being broken up. Employer abuses of undocumented workers are rampant. In order to fix our system, we must implement immediate and long-term solutions that are practical, fair, and most importantly, humane. That includes a pathway to citizenship for current residents, domestic and foreign economic policies that protect people from exploitation and family destabilization, and measures that allow us to protect ourselves by verifying the identities of those who want to enter our country. Things I'll be fighting for Permanent border passes to all citizens of Mexico and Canada whose identity can be traced and verified Decriminalizing the act of gainful employment by making work permits for citizens of Mexico and Canada easily obtainable Permanent resident status for all persons fleeing political, racial, religious, or other types of persecution Special consideration for those who wish to come to the U.S. to escape intolerable conditions created by our government or U.S. corporations Allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses if they can prove their identity and pass the required tests Reducing wait lists and making the immigration processing system work more efficiently Repealing NAFTA, CAFTA, fast track authority and other corporate globalization policies Preventing local police from acting as agents of immigration enforcement Measures protecting the victims of human trafficking and tougher laws against traffickers Taking care of each other Our constitution protects the freedoms and rights we have as citizens. It is the contract that empowers us to enjoy our liberty. For freedom and power to be sustainable, it’s imperative that we all exercise our rights responsibly. We have a duty to take care of each other. It balances our freedom to do as we please and also checks our power to trample the rights of others. Rest assured, the second amendment is not under attack. But the powerful, corrupt gun lobby is pouring money and influence into campaigns to mislead us and trick us into believing that any kind of reform to our gun laws is an outright ambush on our constitution. Reports show that nearly 40,000 people lose their lives to a firearm in our country every year. To put that number in perspective, it’s about one person every 13 minutes. It’s important to unpack this epidemic to better understand what is happening and how to prevent it. We need to implement a holistic approach that includes gun laws that nurture responsible gun ownership, resources and support to combat the social conditions that increase gun violence, and measures to keep guns out of the hands of those most likely to harm themselves or others with them. Things I'll be fighting for Universal background checks for anyone who wants to buy a firearm or ammunition Closing the gun show loophole Increasing funding for gun violence research Programs to address economic inequality, poverty, and access to mental health resources Maintaining a standardized registry of gun ownership, administered at the state and local level Requiring all gun owners to be thoroughly trained to own it and operate it responsibly Requiring all gun owners to be licensed and periodically tested to ensure they’re physically, mentally, and emotionally fit to keep and use a firearm without posing a risk to themselves or others Requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance to protect against involuntary harm their firearm may cause to others Prohibiting the sale of firearms to domestic violence abusers Limiting the number of rounds a firearm can hold Prohibiting the sale of accessories that increase the lethality of a gun Revising the 1033 program to eliminate military-grade weaponry from local law-enforcement agencies Support for state and local law enforcement agencies to increase non-lethal and nonviolent de-escalation tactics Revolutionizing our infrastructure Our infrastructure is long overdue for improvements. In order to create a sustainable long-term future for our kids and their kids, we have to make a concerted effort to revolutionize the way we build our cities, roads, sidewalks, buildings, factories, parks, railways, and energy systems. This includes transitioning away from an automobile-centric design of our cities, neighborhoods, and roads. It also includes transitioning to 100% clean energy by 2030 with the help of a Green New Deal that will not only update our energy systems and infrastructure, but which will help provide financial stability to 20 million individuals and their families through stable, green jobs. Things I'll be fighting for Passage of a real Green New Deal Higher energy efficiency standards for construction and consumer goods Investing in clean, mass transit systems to connect our cities, towns, and rural communities Decentralized, publicly-owned energy infrastructure Increasing resources for electrifying our personal vehicles A moratorium on widening of highways and interstates Investments in clean, renewable energy resources, such as wind, solar, and geothermal	”
—Allen Smith

Policy stances

Media outlets identified healthcare as a major issue in this race.

Healthcare

Bishop and McCready took the following stances on healthcare issues. Positions below were compiled by The Charlotte Observer.

Affordable Care Act

Bishop supported repealing the ACA but maintaining the elements of prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and allowing young adults up to the age of 26 to be covered by parents' policies. Bishop called for more competition between insurers as a way of expanding coverage and lowering healthcare costs.

McCready supported maintaining and expanding on the ACA. He proposed adding catastrophic plans to encourage more young people to get coverage and charging patients based on healthcare outcomes as opposed to services received.

Medicaid expansion

Heading into the election, North Carolina was one of 14 states that had not expanded Medicaid under the ACA.

Bishop opposed Medicaid expansion in the state. He said that competition is the right answer and that the "wrong answer is bringing in more government to destroy the market even more."

McCready supported Medicaid expansion, saying, "It’s economically the right thing to do. It’s morally the right thing to do."

Prescription drug prices

Bishop supported indexing drug prices in the U.S. to prices in other countries, increasing transparency in pricing, and considering changes to patent rules that could make it easier for generic drugs to enter the market.

McCready released a 10-point plan that included enforcing a law allowing pharmacists to discuss lower-cost drugs with patients, regulating price increases on certain prescriptions, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, and allowing drug makers and buyers to negotiate prices based on health outcomes.

Medicare for All

Candidates took the following positions on a Medicare for All—a term describing various proposals to obtain or approach universal coverage through government-run health insurance, including single-payer proposals and public option proposals.

Bishop opposed Medicare for All, saying, "If Obamacare has been a disaster, that would be a thermonuclear disaster."

McCready opposed Medicare for All, saying, "I’m interested in things we can actually get done working with both sides of the aisle."

Debates and candidate forums

August 28, 2019

Bishop and McCready met for their only debate of the special election.

Video:

• WBTV

Coverage:

• Roll Call
• The Charlotte Observer

August 11, 2019

McCready, Scott, and Smith participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Fayetteville Branch of the NAACP and the Historic Thousands on Jones Street People’s Assembly Coalition.

Coverage:

• The Fayetteville Observer

Social media

Twitter accounts

This section includes Twitter feeds from the candidates where available.

Timeline

• September 12, 2019: Gerrit Lansing, founder of the online Republican fundraising platform WinRed, told Politico Morning Score that Bishop had raised more than $300,000 on the platform.

• September 9, 2019: President Donald Trump held a rally in the 9th Congressional District in support of Bishop, who was in attendance. Vice President Mike Pence also campaigned for Bishop.

• September 6-7, 2019: The early voting period was extended for four counties affected by Hurricane Dorian: Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, and Scotland.

• September 5, 2019:
  • Both Bishop and McCready requested the state board of elections extend early voting following closures at some voting sites due to Hurricane Dorian.
  • End Citizens United, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates, said it raised $100,000 for McCready.

• August 29, 2019: Updated campaign finance reports showed that McCready had raised $5 million and Bishop, $2 million as of August 21, 2019.

• August 26-28, 2019: A poll sponsored by Inside Elections found McCready with 46 percent support and Bishop, 42 percent. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 4.2 percentage points. Another poll, by RRH elections, showed Bishop with 46 percent and McCready with 45 percent and had a margin of error of +/- 4 points.

• August 28, 2019: Donald Trump Jr. campaigned for Bishop at a fundraiser in North Carolina.

• August 28, 2019: Bishop and McCready met for a debate.

• August 28, 2019: Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) endorsed McCready.

• August 20, 2019: Karen Pence, wife of Vice President Mike Pence (R), spoke at a fundraiser for Dan Bishop.

• August 17, 2019: The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and Bishop's campaign released a second ad together opposing McCready.

• August 16, 2019: The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) began airing an ad opposing Dan Bishop.

• August 11, 2019: McCready, Scott, and Smith participated in a candidate forum.

• August 8, 2019: The DCCC stated it was spending more than $2 million toward the race on such efforts as increasing voter turnout among African Americans and members of the Lumbee tribe, The Washington Post reported.

• August 4, 2019: The NRCC and Bishop's campaign released an ad together.

• July 31, 2019: The NRCC's independent expenditure arm had reserved $2.6 million in airtime and began airing an ad opposing McCready.

• July 30, 2019: McCready released a TV ad criticizing Bishop's voting record on prescription drug prices.

• July 25, 2019: Club for Growth Action began airing a TV ad opposing McCready. The group spent $100,000 on the ad.

• July 18, 2019: Two groups affiliated with the Environmental Defense Fund began airing a TV ad supporting McCready and opposing Bishop. They committed $600,000 to the ad.

• July 17, 2019: Vice President Mike Pence spoke at a fundraiser for Dan Bishop in Fayetteville. The two discussed national security and Bishop's support for Trump, according to The Fayetteville Observer. Bishop also spoke at a Trump rally in Greenville.

• July 15, 2019: Fundraising reports covering through June 30 were published by the FEC. They showed McCready with a total of $3.4 million in contributions and $1.8 million in cash on hand; he raised $1.4 million between April 25 and June 30, 2019. Bishop had raised a total of $1.2 million with $344,000 on hand, and he raised $662,000 during the reporting period.

• June 3, 2019: Dan McCready (D) released his first TV ad of the special election.

• May 24, 2019: A JMC poll found Bishop with 46 percent support and McCready with 42 percent support. The poll's margin of error was +/- 5.2 percentage points.

• May 23, 2019: McCready said he opposed beginning impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump (R).

• May 16, 2019: Trump endorsed Dan Bishop (R) on Twitter.

• May 15, 2019: Dan Bishop (R) released his first general election campaign ad set to air for two weeks as part of a $100,000 ad buy.

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+8, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 8 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made North Carolina's 9th Congressional District the 170th-most Republican nationally.

FiveThirtyEight's elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." Heading into the election, 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.

Election history

2018

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

The election results from 2018 were not certified. Read more below.

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 9

		Candidate	%	Votes
		Mark Harris (R)	49.3	139,246
		Dan McCready (D)	48.9	138,341
		Jeff Scott (L)	1.8	5,130

---

Vote totals may be incomplete for this race.
	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 282,717
= 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.

2016

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

U.S. House, North Carolina District 9 General Election, 2016

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

U.S. House, North Carolina District 9 Republican Primary, 2016

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

See also: North Carolina's 9th Congressional District elections, 2014

U.S. House, North Carolina District 9 General Election, 2014

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

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.
• 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. 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.

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).
• January 26, 2019: The McCready campaign announced it had raised $500,000 for a possible new election since mid-December.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.
  • 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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."
• 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.
• 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."

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.
• 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.
• 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."

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:

• California's 25th Congressional District
• Georgia's 5th Congressional District
• Maryland's 7th Congressional District
• New York's 27th Congressional District
• North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District
• North Carolina's 9th Congressional District
• Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District
• Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District

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

• U.S. Senate in Arizona
• U.S. Senate in Georgia

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
Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District	May 21, 2019	Tom Marino	Fred Keller	R+36	R+32	R+37
North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District	September 10, 2019	Walter Jones	Greg Murphy	R+24	R+100	R+24
North Carolina's 9th Congressional District	September 10, 2019	Robert Pittenger	Dan Bishop	R+2	R+16	R+11
Maryland's 7th Congressional District	April 28, 2020	Elijah Cummings	Kweisi Mfume	D+49	D+55	D+55
California's 25th Congressional District	May 12, 2020	Katie Hill	Mike Garcia	R+12	D+9	D+7
Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District	May 12, 2020	Sean Duffy	Tom Tiffany	R+14	R+21	R+20
New York's 27th Congressional District	June 23, 2020	Chris Collins	Christopher Jacobs	R+5	R+0.3	R+25
Georgia's 5th Congressional District	December 1, 2020	John Lewis	Kwanza Hall	D+8	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	Martha McSally	Mark Kelly	D+3	D+2	R+4
U.S. Senate in Georgia	January 5, 2021 (runoff)	Kelly Loeffler	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
		Democrats	Republicans	Democrats	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
Democrats	5	8
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
Democrats	18	20
Republicans	37	35
Total	55	55

To see a list of all the Congressional special elections referenced in the table above, click [show] at the right.

Results of special elections to the 113th through 117th Congress Race Election date Incumbent Winner Election MOV Previous election MOV Illinois' 2nd Congressional District April 9, 2013 Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. Robin Kelly D+49 D+40 South Carolina's 1st Congressional District May 7, 2013 Tim Scott Mark Sanford R+9 R+26 Missouri's 8th Congressional District June 4, 2013 Jo Ann Emerson Jason Smith R+40 R+47 U.S. Senate in Massachusetts June 25, 2013 John Kerry Ed Markey D+10 D+34 U.S. Senate in New Jersey October 16, 2013 Frank Lautenberg Cory Booker D+11 D+14 Louisiana's 5th Congressional District November 16, 2013 Rodney Alexander Vance McAllister R+19 R+63 Massachusetts' 5th Congressional District December 10, 2013 Ed Markey Katherine Clark D+34 D+23 Alabama's 1st Congressional District December 17, 2013 Jo Bonner Bradley Byrne R+41 R+98 Florida's 13th Congressional District March 11, 2014 C. W. Bill Young David Jolly R+2 R+15 Florida's 19th Congressional District June 24, 2014 Trey Radel Curt Clawson R+38 R+26 U.S. Senate in Hawaii November 4, 2014 Daniel Inouye Brian Schatz D+40 D+25 U.S. Senate in South Carolina November 4, 2014 Jim DeMint Tim Scott R+24 R+34 North Carolina's 12th Congressional District November 4, 2014 Melvin Watt Alma Adams D+51 D+59 U.S. Senate in Oklahoma November 4, 2014 Tom Coburn James Lankford R+39 R+45 Virginia's 7th Congressional District November 4, 2014 Eric Cantor David Brat R+24 R+17 New Jersey's 1st Congressional District November 4, 2014 Rob Andrews Donald Norcross D+18 D+38 New York's 11th Congressional District May 5, 2015 Michael Grimm Daniel Donovan R+19 R+12 Mississippi's 1st Congressional District May 12, 2015 Alan Nunnelee Trent Kelly R+40 R+39 Illinois' 18th Congressional District September 10, 2015 Aaron Schock Darin LaHood R+38 R+49 Ohio's 8th Congressional District June 7, 2016 John Boehner Warren Davidson R+56 R+40 Pennsylvania's 2nd Congressional District November 8, 2016 Chaka Fattah Dwight Evans D+81 D+75 Hawaii's 1st Congressional District November 8, 2016 Mark Takai Colleen Hanabusa D+43 D+4 Kentucky's 1st Congressional District November 8, 2016 Ed Whitfield James Comer Jr. R+44 R+46 Kansas' 4th Congressional District April 11, 2017 Mike Pompeo Ron Estes R+6 R+31 Montana's At-Large Congressional District May 25, 2017 Ryan Zinke Greg Gianforte R+6 R+15 California's 34th Congressional District June 6, 2017 Xavier Becerra Jimmy Gomez D+18 D+54 Georgia's 6th Congressional District June 20, 2017 Tom Price Karen Handel R+4 R+24 South Carolina's 5th Congressional District June 20, 2017 Mick Mulvaney Ralph Norman R+3 R+20 Utah's 3rd Congressional District November 7, 2017 Jason Chaffetz John Curtis R+32 R+47 U.S. Senate in Alabama December 12, 2017 Jeff Sessions Doug Jones D+2 R+28 Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District March 13, 2018 Tim Murphy Conor Lamb D+0 R+100 Arizona's 8th Congressional District April 24, 2018 Trent Franks Debbie Lesko R+6 R+38 Texas' 27th Congressional District June 30, 2018 Blake Farenthold Michael Cloud R+23 R+24 Ohio's 12th Congressional District August 7, 2018 Patrick Tiberi Troy Balderson R+1 R+40 Michigan's 13th Congressional District November 6, 2018 John Conyers Jr. Brenda Jones D+78 D+61 U.S. Senate in Minnesota November 6, 2018 Al Franken Tina Smith D+11 D+10 U.S. Senate in Mississippi November 6, 2018 Thad Cochran Cindy Hyde-Smith R+8 R+22 New York's 25th Congressional District November 6, 2018 Louise Slaughter Joseph Morelle D+16 D+12 Pennsylvania's 7th Congressional District November 6, 2018 Patrick Meehan Mary Gay Scanlon D+6 R+19 Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District November 6, 2018 Charlie Dent Susan Wild D+0 R+20 Pennsylvania's 12th Congressional District May 21, 2019 Tom Marino Fred Keller R+36 R+32 North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District September 10, 2019 Walter Jones Greg Murphy R+24 R+100 North Carolina's 9th Congressional District September 10, 2019 None Dan Bishop R+2 N/A Maryland's 7th Congressional District April 28, 2020 Elijah Cummings Kweisi Mfume D+49 D+55 California's 25th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Katie Hill Mike Garcia R+10 D+9 Wisconsin's 7th Congressional District May 12, 2020 Sean Duffy Tom Tiffany R+14 R+22 New York's 27th Congressional District June 23, 2020 Chris Collins Christopher Jacobs R+5 R+0 U.S. Senate in Arizona November 3, 2020 John McCain Mark Kelly D+2 R+13 Georgia's 5th Congressional District December 1, 2020 John Lewis Kwanza Hall D+8 D+100 U.S. Senate in Georgia January 5, 2021 Kelly Loeffler Raphael Warnock D+2 R+14 Louisiana's 5th Congressional District March 21, 2021 Ralph Abraham Julia Letlow R+38 R+24 Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District April 24, 2021 Cedric Richmond Troy Carter D+10 D+49 New Mexico's 1st Congressional District June 1, 2021 Debra Haaland Melanie Ann Stansbury D+30 D+16 Texas' 6th Congressional District July 27, 2021 Ronald Wright Jake Ellzey R+6 R+9 Ohio's 11th Congressional District November 2, 2021 Marcia Fudge Shontel Brown D+58 D+60 Ohio's 15th Congressional District November 2, 2021 Steve Stivers Mike Carey R+17 R+27 Florida's 20th Congressional District January 11, 2022 Alcee Hastings Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick D+60 D+57 California's 22nd Congressional District June 7, 2022 Devin Nunes Connie Conway R+24 R+8 Texas' 34th Congressional District June 14, 2022 Filemon Vela Mayra Flores R+8 D+14 Nebraska's 1st Congressional District June 28, 2022 Jeffrey Fortenberry Mike Flood R+6 R+22 Minnesota's 1st Congressional District August 9, 2022 Jim Hagedorn Brad Finstad R+4 R+3 Alaska's At-Large Congressional District August 16, 2022 Don Young Mary Peltola D+3 R+9 New York's 19th Congressional District August 23, 2022 Antonio Delgado Pat Ryan D+2 D+12 New York's 23rd Congressional District August 23, 2022 Tom Reed Joe Sempolinski R+7 R+17 U.S. Senate in Oklahoma November 8, 2022 Jim Inhofe Markwayne Mullin R+26.6 R+30 U.S. Senate in California November 8, 2022 Kamala Harris Alex Padilla D+17.6 D+23.2 Indiana's 2nd Congressional District November 8, 2022 Jackie Walorski Rudy Yakym R+29.9 R+23

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

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

• Following the 2018 elections, both U.S. Senators from North Carolina were Republicans.
• North Carolina had three Democratic and eight Republican U.S. Representatives, and two seats were vacant.

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

• Republicans controlled the North Carolina State Senate with a 29-21 majority.
• Republicans controlled the North Carolina House of Representatives with a 65-54 majority.

North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year	92	93	94	95	96	97	98	99	00	01	02	03	04	05	06	07	08	09	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25
Governor	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D
Senate	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
House	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	D	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R

North Carolina quick stats

• Became a state in 1789
• 12th state admitted to the United States
• Mount Mitchell is the highest point in North America east of the Mississippi River.
• Members of the North Carolina State Senate: 50
• Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives: 120
• U.S. senators: 2
• U.S. representatives: 13

More North Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia:

• North Carolina elections, 2019
• Presidential voting trends in North Carolina
• United States congressional delegations from North Carolina
• Public policy in North Carolina
• Influencers in North Carolina
• Almanac of American Politics state profile
• More...

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.

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.

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.

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.

2016 presidential results by state House district
District	Obama	Romney	2012 Margin	Clinton	Trump	2016 Margin	Party Control
1	39.07%	59.75%	R+20.7	32.23%	64.86%	R+32.6	R
2	45.36%	53.77%	R+8.4	41.98%	55.70%	R+13.7	R
3	39.50%	59.71%	R+20.2	37.03%	60.71%	R+23.7	R
4	34.52%	64.80%	R+30.3	32.81%	65.32%	R+32.5	R
5	66.40%	33.04%	D+33.4	60.73%	37.68%	D+23.1	D
6	41.31%	57.70%	R+16.4	37.74%	59.79%	R+22	R
7	61.12%	38.34%	D+22.8	59.67%	38.69%	D+21	D
8	44.59%	54.67%	R+10.1	44.25%	53.51%	R+9.3	R
9	43.79%	55.31%	R+11.5	44.05%	52.81%	R+8.8	R
10	32.61%	66.71%	R+34.1	31.37%	66.58%	R+35.2	R
11	62.10%	35.81%	D+26.3	65.41%	29.85%	D+35.6	D
12	57.29%	42.15%	D+15.1	53.64%	44.58%	D+9.1	D
13	31.14%	67.96%	R+36.8	28.23%	69.48%	R+41.2	R
14	39.87%	59.05%	R+19.2	35.26%	61.20%	R+25.9	R
15	34.90%	63.92%	R+29	28.94%	67.59%	R+38.7	R
16	36.25%	62.86%	R+26.6	31.07%	66.35%	R+35.3	R
17	36.26%	62.94%	R+26.7	32.62%	65.00%	R+32.4	R
18	62.39%	36.46%	D+25.9	56.14%	40.55%	D+15.6	D
19	40.85%	57.94%	R+17.1	41.19%	55.45%	R+14.3	R
20	39.49%	59.33%	R+19.8	40.58%	55.60%	R+15	R
21	65.25%	34.32%	D+30.9	62.68%	35.99%	D+26.7	D
22	43.73%	55.60%	R+11.9	39.83%	58.67%	R+18.8	D
23	62.89%	36.74%	D+26.2	60.17%	38.60%	D+21.6	D
24	74.47%	25.04%	D+49.4	72.60%	25.66%	D+46.9	D
25	38.23%	60.96%	R+22.7	35.91%	61.84%	R+25.9	R
26	38.98%	59.91%	R+20.9	37.76%	59.07%	R+21.3	R
27	66.33%	33.28%	D+33	62.75%	36.15%	D+26.6	D
28	32.52%	66.58%	R+34.1	28.54%	69.16%	R+40.6	R
29	85.11%	14.02%	D+71.1	88.12%	9.63%	D+78.5	D
30	70.85%	28.07%	D+42.8	77.30%	19.61%	D+57.7	D
31	82.65%	16.65%	D+66	83.75%	14.17%	D+69.6	D
32	65.02%	34.58%	D+30.4	61.76%	36.76%	D+25	D
33	81.34%	17.53%	D+63.8	81.09%	15.94%	D+65.2	D
34	62.78%	35.76%	D+27	67.28%	28.80%	D+38.5	D
35	44.44%	54.51%	R+10.1	47.51%	49.16%	R+1.7	R
36	44.86%	53.90%	R+9	50.19%	45.86%	D+4.3	R
37	42.89%	55.76%	R+12.9	44.58%	51.08%	R+6.5	R
38	78.90%	20.26%	D+58.6	78.47%	19.01%	D+59.5	D
39	57.12%	41.74%	D+15.4	57.85%	38.85%	D+19	D
40	46.18%	52.52%	R+6.3	52.39%	43.60%	D+8.8	D
41	50.04%	48.63%	D+1.4	57.26%	38.74%	D+18.5	D
42	73.16%	26.19%	D+47	71.85%	25.66%	D+46.2	D
43	67.66%	31.73%	D+35.9	64.79%	32.77%	D+32	D
44	51.66%	47.45%	D+4.2	50.97%	45.97%	D+5	D
45	43.67%	55.55%	R+11.9	39.47%	57.82%	R+18.3	R
46	42.45%	56.86%	R+14.4	35.55%	63.04%	R+27.5	R
47	58.64%	40.32%	D+18.3	45.40%	52.38%	R+7	D
48	67.88%	31.42%	D+36.5	60.08%	38.08%	D+22	D
49	46.75%	52.19%	R+5.4	54.02%	42.19%	D+11.8	D
50	57.85%	40.99%	D+16.9	58.33%	38.67%	D+19.7	D
51	40.42%	58.52%	R+18.1	36.86%	60.20%	R+23.3	R
52	36.18%	63.11%	R+26.9	34.94%	62.15%	R+27.2	R
53	40.43%	58.68%	R+18.2	37.83%	59.61%	R+21.8	R
54	52.55%	46.52%	D+6	53.78%	43.36%	D+10.4	D
55	39.63%	59.55%	R+19.9	33.67%	64.12%	R+30.5	R
56	76.58%	21.93%	D+54.7	81.22%	15.78%	D+65.4	D
57	73.72%	25.56%	D+48.2	73.89%	23.97%	D+49.9	D
58	77.83%	21.42%	D+56.4	78.39%	19.21%	D+59.2	D
59	40.94%	58.07%	R+17.1	43.10%	54.02%	R+10.9	R
60	78.79%	20.56%	D+58.2	77.66%	20.26%	D+57.4	D
61	41.22%	57.90%	R+16.7	43.79%	53.30%	R+9.5	R
62	43.41%	55.66%	R+12.2	46.55%	50.23%	R+3.7	R
63	43.77%	55.31%	R+11.5	43.91%	53.48%	R+9.6	R
64	41.50%	57.66%	R+16.2	40.64%	56.88%	R+16.2	R
65	39.24%	59.93%	R+20.7	34.18%	63.90%	R+29.7	R
66	50.14%	49.07%	D+1.1	44.86%	52.75%	R+7.9	D
67	31.16%	67.81%	R+36.6	25.66%	72.18%	R+46.5	R
68	36.03%	63.07%	R+27	36.68%	59.73%	R+23.1	R
69	36.47%	62.53%	R+26.1	34.32%	62.55%	R+28.2	R
70	25.89%	73.02%	R+47.1	22.47%	75.21%	R+52.7	R
71	73.71%	25.48%	D+48.2	72.37%	24.90%	D+47.5	D
72	70.87%	28.46%	D+42.4	72.50%	24.96%	D+47.5	D
73	25.05%	73.49%	R+48.4	19.25%	78.41%	R+59.2	R
74	39.29%	59.69%	R+20.4	40.06%	56.70%	R+16.6	R
75	42.46%	56.51%	R+14.1	44.27%	52.43%	R+8.2	R
76	32.63%	66.25%	R+33.6	26.49%	71.30%	R+44.8	R
77	37.74%	61.25%	R+23.5	32.03%	65.52%	R+33.5	R
78	24.09%	74.93%	R+50.8	19.67%	78.28%	R+58.6	R
79	33.69%	65.34%	R+31.7	33.43%	63.34%	R+29.9	R
80	26.50%	72.43%	R+45.9	22.95%	74.61%	R+51.7	R
81	31.87%	67.00%	R+35.1	25.84%	71.60%	R+45.8	R
82	41.86%	57.06%	R+15.2	43.08%	53.51%	R+10.4	R
83	40.29%	58.67%	R+18.4	38.03%	59.11%	R+21.1	R
84	34.47%	64.56%	R+30.1	29.74%	68.05%	R+38.3	R
85	29.12%	69.71%	R+40.6	22.21%	75.83%	R+53.6	R
86	38.15%	60.64%	R+22.5	30.31%	67.09%	R+36.8	R
87	31.49%	67.12%	R+35.6	23.47%	74.16%	R+50.7	R
88	45.63%	53.22%	R+7.6	54.80%	40.57%	D+14.2	D
89	32.82%	66.05%	R+33.2	26.16%	71.32%	R+45.2	R
90	30.65%	68.17%	R+37.5	23.14%	74.57%	R+51.4	R
91	35.21%	63.69%	R+28.5	28.79%	68.75%	R+40	R
92	52.61%	46.42%	D+6.2	55.42%	40.77%	D+14.7	D
93	42.77%	55.22%	R+12.5	41.58%	54.48%	R+12.9	R
94	29.16%	69.58%	R+40.4	22.48%	75.35%	R+52.9	R
95	34.05%	64.95%	R+30.9	30.76%	66.16%	R+35.4	R
96	36.56%	62.36%	R+25.8	33.21%	63.78%	R+30.6	R
97	30.07%	68.92%	R+38.9	24.95%	72.61%	R+47.7	R
98	43.13%	55.96%	R+12.8	47.37%	48.84%	R+1.5	R
99	82.32%	17.15%	D+65.2	80.97%	16.82%	D+64.1	D
100	73.70%	25.10%	D+48.6	73.96%	22.47%	D+51.5	D
101	74.92%	24.37%	D+50.6	75.11%	22.40%	D+52.7	D
102	83.35%	15.90%	D+67.4	80.04%	16.78%	D+63.3	D
103	44.46%	54.49%	R+10	47.72%	49.05%	R+1.3	R
104	43.47%	55.67%	R+12.2	52.29%	43.74%	D+8.5	R
105	42.40%	56.77%	R+14.4	49.86%	46.71%	D+3.1	R
106	85.84%	13.48%	D+72.4	84.91%	13.08%	D+71.8	D
107	80.29%	18.93%	D+61.4	78.80%	18.56%	D+60.2	D
108	38.42%	60.50%	R+22.1	34.04%	63.24%	R+29.2	R
109	40.80%	58.27%	R+17.5	37.73%	59.48%	R+21.7	R
110	35.30%	63.74%	R+28.4	30.10%	67.87%	R+37.8	R
111	35.81%	63.24%	R+27.4	29.81%	68.35%	R+38.5	R
112	32.80%	66.12%	R+33.3	24.47%	73.43%	R+49	R
113	37.58%	61.29%	R+23.7	34.83%	62.59%	R+27.8	R
114	73.38%	25.18%	D+48.2	73.93%	23.07%	D+50.9	D
115	48.12%	50.52%	R+2.4	47.29%	49.54%	R+2.2	D
116	43.61%	55.12%	R+11.5	44.41%	52.24%	R+7.8	D
117	36.77%	62.07%	R+25.3	35.57%	61.42%	R+25.8	R
118	41.50%	57.02%	R+15.5	32.52%	64.60%	R+32.1	R
119	47.93%	50.40%	R+2.5	40.80%	55.45%	R+14.7	R
120	30.12%	68.56%	R+38.4	23.73%	73.79%	R+50.1	R
Total	48.48%	50.53%	R+2	46.76%	50.46%	R+3.7	-
Source: Daily Kos

See also

• Special elections to the 116th United States Congress (2019-2020)

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Ted Budd (R)

Thom Tillis (R)

Representatives

District 1

Donald Davis (D)

District 2

Deborah Ross (D)

District 3

Gregory Murphy (R)

District 4

Valerie Foushee (D)

District 5

Virginia Foxx (R)

District 6

Addison McDowell (R)

District 7

David Rouzer (R)

District 8

Mark Harris (R)

District 9

Richard Hudson (R)

District 10

Pat Harrigan (R)

District 11

Chuck Edwards (R)

District 12

Alma Adams (D)

District 13

Brad Knott (R)

District 14

Timothy Moore (R)

Republican Party (12)

Democratic Party (4)