North Carolina 2010 legislative election results

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2010 Legislative Election Results
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State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

North Carolina State Senate Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the North Carolina State Senate. For results in individual contests see our North Carolina State Senate elections, 2010 page. The following is a breakdown of the state senate before and after the election:

North Carolina State Senate
Party		As of November 1, 2010	After the 2010 Election
	Democratic Party	30	19
	Republican Party	20	31
Total		50	50

What You'll See on This Page

This page will display the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents who ran on November 2
• Incumbents who were defeated
• Challengers who defeated an incumbent
• Newly elected senators
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State Senate Overview:

• There were 42 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 7 incumbents lost, and thus 35 incumbents were re-elected to the North Carolina State Senate.

• No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 7 Democratic incumbents lost.

• There will be 15 new senators sworn-in. Of those 15, 2 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans

• Of the 50 seats up for election, 19 were won by Democrats and 31 by Republicans.

• 12 candidates were unopposed, 1 Democrat and 11 Republicans.

• Only 4 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.

Incumbency Analysis

Of the 1,167 state senate seats up for election in 2010, incumbents ran for 894 (76.6%) of them. Of these 894, 94 lost their re-election bids, 89 Democrats and 5 Republicans. In North Carolina, eight incumbent senators did not run for re-election on the November 2 ballot, while 42 incumbents (84%) ran for re-election. Of these 42 incumbents, 7 were defeated. All 7 were Democrats.

Incumbents who ran on November 2

Andrew C. Brock, first elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2002

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:

1. A. B. Swindell
2. Andrew Brock
3. Austin M. Allran
4. Bob Atwater
5. Bob Rucho
6. Charlie Smith Dannelly
7. Clark Jenkins
8. Dan Blue Jr.
9. Dan Clodfelter
10. David Rouzer
11. Debbie Clary
12. Don East
13. Donald Davis
14. Donald Vaughan
15. Doug Berger
16. Ed Jones (North Carolina)
17. Eleanor Kinnaird
18. Fletcher Hartsell
19. Floyd McKissick
20. Harris Blake
21. Harry Brown
22. James Forrester
23. Jean Preston
24. Jerry W. Tillman
25. Joe Sam Queen
26. John Snow
27. Josh Stein
28. Linda Garrou
29. Malcolm Graham (North Carolina)
30. Marc Basnight
31. Margaret Dickson
32. Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr.
33. Michael P. Walters
34. Neal Hunt
35. Peter S. Brunstetter
36. Phil Berger
37. Richard Stevens
38. Stan Bingham
39. Steve Goss
40. Tom Apodaca
41. Tony Foriest
42. William R. Purcell

Incumbents defeated

A. B. Swindell, first elected to the state senate in 2000, was defeated in 2010.

The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:

Candidate	Party	District
A. B. Swindell	Democratic	North Carolina State Senate District 11
Donald Davis
Joe Sam Queen
John Snow
Margaret Dickson	Democratic	North Carolina State Senate District 19
Steve Goss	Democratic	North Carolina State Senate District 45
Tony Foriest

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:

E.S. "Buck" Newton defeated incumbent A. B. Swindell in the general election.

Candidate	Party	District
Daniel Soucek
E.S. "Buck" Newton
Jim Davis
Louis Pate
Ralph Hise
Rick Gunn
Wesley Meredith

New State Senators and General Election Winners

388 new senators were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 388, 278 were Republicans and 110 were Democrats. In North Carolina, 15 new senators will be sworn-in. Of those 15, 2 are Democrats and 13 are Republicans. In the 8 open seat contests, Republicans won 6 and Democrats 2. In total, North Carolina elected 50 senators, 31 Republicans and 19 Democrats.

Newly elected senators

William Rabon was elected to the North Carolina State Senate in 2010

The following are the newly-elected members of the North Carolina State Senate:

Democratic

1. Eric Mansfield
2. Gladys Robinson

Republican

1. Brent Jackson
2. Daniel Soucek
3. E.S. "Buck" Newton
4. Jim Davis
5. Kathryn Harrington
6. Louis Pate
7. Ralph Hise
8. Rick Gunn
9. Thom Goolsby
10. Tommy Tucker
11. Warren Daniel
12. Wesley Meredith
13. William Rabon

Open Seat Winners

The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

1. Eric Mansfield
2. Gladys Robinson

Republican

1. Brent Jackson
2. Kathryn Harrington
3. Thom Goolsby
4. Tommy Tucker
5. Warren Daniel
6. William Rabon

Candidates who won election

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the North Carolina State Senate:

Democratic

Charlie Smith Dannelly was first elected to the senate in 1994. He was re-elected in 2010.

1. Bob Atwater
2. Charlie Smith Dannelly
3. Clark Jenkins
4. Dan Blue Jr.
5. Dan Clodfelter
6. Donald Vaughan
7. Doug Berger
8. Ed Jones (North Carolina)
9. Eleanor Kinnaird
10. Eric Mansfield
11. Floyd McKissick
12. Gladys Robinson
13. Josh Stein
14. Linda Garrou
15. Malcolm Graham (North Carolina)
16. Marc Basnight
17. Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr.
18. Michael P. Walters
19. William R. Purcell

Republican

1. Andrew Brock
2. Austin M. Allran
3. Bob Rucho
4. Brent Jackson
5. Daniel Soucek
6. David Rouzer
7. Debbie Clary
8. Don East
9. E.S. "Buck" Newton
10. Fletcher Hartsell
11. Harris Blake
12. Harry Brown
13. James Forrester
14. Jean Preston
15. Jerry W. Tillman
16. Jim Davis
17. Kathryn Harrington
18. Louis Pate
19. Neal Hunt
20. Peter S. Brunstetter
21. Phil Berger
22. Ralph Hise
23. Richard Stevens
24. Rick Gunn
25. Stan Bingham
26. Thom Goolsby
27. Tom Apodaca
28. Tommy Tucker
29. Warren Daniel
30. Wesley Meredith
31. William Rabon

Competitiveness

Michael P. Walters was the only unopposed Democratic senate candidate in 2010

Across the nation, 1,167 state senate seats were up for election in 2010. 1,143 of those seats were partisan seats (24 seats were up for election in Nebraska's nonpartisan unicameral legislature). In 320 (28.0%) of these state senate contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In North Carolina, 12 candidates (24.0% of seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 12, 1 was a Democrat and 11 were Republicans.

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Michael P. Walters

Republican

1. Andrew Brock
2. Austin M. Allran
3. Bob Rucho
4. Debbie Clary
5. Harris Blake
6. Harry Brown
7. James Forrester
8. Jerry W. Tillman
9. Peter S. Brunstetter
10. Phil Berger
11. Stan Bingham

Ballot Access

Across the nation, 140 independent or third party candidates ran for state senate. In North Carolina, 4 (4.3%) of the 92 senate candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate. None won election in the November 2 general election.

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:

1. Barry Coe
2. Richard Evey
3. Stephanie Watson

2010 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
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State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

North Carolina State House Election Results

This page contains macro-level election results and analysis for the North Carolina House of Representatives. For results in individual contests, see our North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2010. The following is a breakdown of the state house before and after the election:

North Carolina House of Representatives
Party		As of November 1, 2010	After the 2010 Election
	Democratic Party	68	52
	Republican Party	52	67
	Independent	-	1
Total		120	120

What You'll See on This Page

This page will display the following lists of candidates

• Incumbents who ran on November 2
• Incumbents who were defeated
• Challengers who defeated an incumbent
• Newly elected senators
• List of all winners
• Unopposed candidates
• Third party candidates

State House Overview:

• There were 104 incumbents who ran in the November 2 general election. Only 12 incumbents lost, and thus 92 incumbents were re-elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives.

• No Republican incumbents lost in the general election, while 12 incumbent Democratic incumbent lost.

• There will be 28 new representatives sworn-in. Of those 28, 6 are Democrats and 22 are Republicans

• Of the 120 seats up for election, 52 were won by Democrats, 67 by Republicans, and 1 by an Independent.

• 44 candidates were unopposed, 13 Democrats and 31 Republicans.

• Only 5 candidates ran as an independent or third party candidate in the general election.

Incumbency Analysis

Of the 4,958 state house seats up for election, incumbents ran in the general election for 4,091 (79.5%) of them. Of these 4,091 incumbents, 413 lost their re-election bids, 403 Democrats and 10 Republicans. In North Carolina, 104 (86.7%) incumbents ran for re-election. Of these 104, 12 incumbent representatives were defeated. All 12 incumbents were Democrats.

Incumbents who ran on November 2

The following is a list of all of the incumbents who ran on the November 2 general election ballot:

1. Alice Bordsen
2. Alice Underhill
3. Alma Adams
4. Angela Bryant
5. Annie Mobley
6. Arthur Williams 2010
7. Becky Carney
8. Beverly Earle
9. Bill Faison
10. Bryan Holloway
11. Carolyn Justice
12. Chris Heagarty
13. Cullie Tarleton
14. Dale Folwell
15. Dan Ingle
16. Daniel McComas
17. Darrell McCormick
18. Darren Jackson
19. David Lewis, Sr.
20. Deborah Ross
21. Dewey Hill
22. Diane Parfitt
23. Douglas Yongue
24. Earline Parmon
25. Edgar V. Starnes
26. Edith Warren
27. Efton Sager
28. Elmer Floyd
29. Frank Iler
30. Fred Steen, II
31. Garland Pierce
32. George Cleveland
33. Grey Mills, Jr.
34. Grier Martin
35. Harold Brubaker
36. Henry Michaux, Jr.
37. Hugh Blackwell
38. Hugh Holliman
39. James Crawford, Jr. (North Carolina)
40. James Langdon, Jr.
41. Jamie Boles
42. Jane Whilden
43. Jean Farmer-Butterfield
44. Jeffrey Barnhart
45. Jennifer Weiss
46. Jerry Dockham
47. Jimmy Love, Sr.
48. Joe Hackney
49. Joe Tolson
50. John Blust
51. Johnathan Rhyne
52. Julia Howard
53. Justin Burr
54. Kelly Alexander, Jr.
55. Larry Bell
56. Larry Brown, North Carolina Representative
57. Larry Hall
58. Larry Womble
59. Linda Johnson
60. Lorene Coates
61. Margaret Jeffus
62. Marian McLawhorn
63. Marilyn Avila
64. Mark Hilton
65. Martha Alexander
66. Marvin Lucas, Jr.
67. Mary Harrison
68. Melanie Goodwin
69. Michael Wray (North Carolina)
70. Mitch Gillespie
71. Mitchell Setzer
72. N. Leo Daughtry
73. Nelson Cole
74. Nelson Dollar
75. Patricia Hurley
76. Patricia McElraft
77. Paul Luebke
78. Paul Stam
79. Phillip Frye
80. Pryor Gibson
81. Randy Stewart, North Carolina Representative
82. Ray Rapp
83. Ric Killian
84. Rick Glazier
85. Robert Phillip Haire
86. Roger West (North Carolina)
87. Rosa Gill
88. Ruth Samuelson
89. Sarah Stevens
90. Shirley Randleman
91. Susan Fisher
92. Thom Tillis
93. Timothy K. Moore
94. Timothy Spear
95. Tricia Cotham
96. Van Braxton
97. Verla Insko
98. W.A. Wilkins
99. W. David Guice
100. William A. Current, Sr.
101. William Brisson
102. William McGee (North Carolina)
103. William Owens, Jr.
104. William Wainwright

Incumbents defeated

The following is a list of incumbents defeated on November 2:

Candidate	Party	District
Alice Underhill
Arthur Williams 2010
Chris Heagarty
Cullie Tarleton
Douglas Yongue
Hugh Holliman
Jane Whilden
Jimmy Love, Sr.
Lorene Coates
Nelson Cole
Randy Stewart, North Carolina Representative
Van Braxton

Challengers who beat an incumbent

The following is a list of challengers who defeated an incumbent on November 2:

Candidate	Party	District
Gaston Pridgen
Glen Bradley
Harry Warren
Jeffrey Collins
Jonathan Jordan
Michael Stone (North Carolina representative)
Norman Sanderson
Rayne Brown
Stephen LaRoque
Thomas Murry
Timothy Moffitt
William Cook (North Carolina)

New Representatives and General Election Winners

1,345 new representatives were elected across the country. This includes challengers who defeated incumbents as well as candidates who won open seats. Of these 1,345, 988 were Republicans and 357 were Democrats. In North Carolina, 28 new representatives will be sworn-in. Of those 28, 6 are Democrats and 22 are Republicans. In the 16 open seat contests, Republicans won 6 and Democrats 10. In total, North Carolina elected 120 representatives, 67 Republicans, 52 Democrats, and 1 independent.

Newly elected representatives

The following are the newly-elected members of the North Carolina House of Representatives:

Democratic

1. Charles Graham (North Carolina)
2. Ken Goodman
3. Marcus Brandon
4. Patricia Keever
5. Rodney Moore
6. Susi Hamilton

Republican

1. Charles McGrady
2. D. Craig Horn
3. Gaston Pridgen
4. Glen Bradley
5. Harry Warren
6. James Dixon (North Carolina)
7. Jeffrey Collins
8. John Faircloth
9. John Torbett
10. Jonathan Jordan
11. Kelly Hastings
12. Mark Hollo
13. Michael Hager
14. Michael Stone (North Carolina representative)
15. Norman Sanderson
16. Phillip Shepard
17. Rayne Brown
18. Stephen LaRoque
19. Thomas Murry
20. Timothy Moffitt
21. William Brawley
22. William Cook (North Carolina)

Open Seat Winners

The following is a list of candidates who won election in seats where no incumbent was running:

Democratic

1. Charles Graham (North Carolina)
2. Ken Goodman
3. Marcus Brandon
4. Patricia Keever
5. Rodney Moore
6. Susi Hamilton

Republican

1. Charles McGrady
2. D. Craig Horn
3. James Dixon (North Carolina)
4. John Faircloth
5. John Torbett
6. Kelly Hastings
7. Mark Hollo
8. Michael Hager
9. Phillip Shepard
10. William Brawley

Candidates who won election

The following is a list of all candidates elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives:

Democratic

1. Alice Bordsen
2. Alma Adams
3. Angela Bryant
4. Annie Mobley
5. Becky Carney
6. Beverly Earle
7. Bill Faison
8. Charles Graham (North Carolina)
9. Darren Jackson
10. Deborah Ross
11. Dewey Hill
12. Diane Parfitt
13. Earline Parmon
14. Edith Warren
15. Elmer Floyd
16. Garland Pierce
17. Grier Martin
18. Henry Michaux, Jr.
19. James Crawford, Jr. (North Carolina)
20. Jean Farmer-Butterfield
21. Jennifer Weiss
22. Joe Hackney
23. Joe Tolson
24. Kelly Alexander, Jr.
25. Ken Goodman
26. Larry Bell
27. Larry Hall
28. Larry Womble
29. Marcus Brandon
30. Margaret Jeffus
31. Marian McLawhorn
32. Martha Alexander
33. Marvin Lucas, Jr.
34. Mary Harrison
35. Michael Wray (North Carolina)
36. Patricia Keever
37. Paul Luebke
38. Pryor Gibson
39. Ray Rapp
40. Rick Glazier
41. Robert Phillip Haire
42. Rodney Moore
43. Rosa Gill
44. Susan Fisher
45. Susi Hamilton
46. Timothy Spear
47. Tricia Cotham
48. Verla Insko
49. W.A. Wilkins
50. William Brisson
51. William Owens, Jr.
52. William Wainwright

Republican

1. Bryan Holloway
2. Carolyn Justice
3. Charles McGrady
4. D. Craig Horn
5. Dale Folwell
6. Dan Ingle
7. Daniel McComas
8. Darrell McCormick
9. David Lewis, Sr.
10. Edgar V. Starnes
11. Efton Sager
12. Frank Iler
13. Fred Steen, II
14. Gaston Pridgen
15. George Cleveland
16. Glen Bradley
17. Grey Mills, Jr.
18. Harold Brubaker
19. Harry Warren
20. Hugh Blackwell
21. James Dixon (North Carolina)
22. James Langdon, Jr.
23. Jamie Boles
24. Jeffrey Barnhart
25. Jeffrey Collins
26. John Blust
27. John Faircloth
28. John Torbett
29. Johnathan Rhyne
30. Jonathan Jordan
31. Julia Howard
32. Justin Burr
33. Kelly Hastings
34. Larry Brown, North Carolina Representative
35. Linda Johnson
36. Marilyn Avila
37. Mark Hilton
38. Mark Hollo
39. Michael Hager
40. Michael Stone (North Carolina representative)
41. Mitch Gillespie
42. Mitchell Setzer
43. N. Leo Daughtry
44. Nelson Dollar
45. Norman Sanderson
46. Patricia Hurley
47. Patricia McElraft
48. Paul Stam
49. Phillip Frye
50. Phillip Shepard
51. Rayne Brown
52. Ric Killian
53. Roger West (North Carolina)
54. Ruth Samuelson
55. Sarah Stevens
56. Shirley Randleman
57. Stephen LaRoque
58. Thom Tillis
59. Thomas Murry
60. Timothy K. Moore
61. Timothy Moffitt
62. W. David Guice
63. William A. Current, Sr.
64. William Brawley
65. William Cook (North Carolina)
66. William McGee (North Carolina)

Competitiveness

Across the nation, 4,958 state house seats were up for election in 2010. In 1,680 (33.9%) of these state house contests, there was a major party candidate with no major party opposition. In North Carolina, 44 candidates (36.7% of all seats) faced no major party opposition. Of these 44, 13 were Democrats and 31 were Republicans.

Unopposed candidates in general election

The following candidates did not face major party competition:

Democratic

1. Angela Bryant
2. Becky Carney
3. Edith Warren
4. Elmer Floyd
5. James Crawford, Jr. (North Carolina)
6. Larry Hall
7. Larry Womble
8. Marvin Lucas, Jr.
9. Michael Wray (North Carolina)
10. Nelson Cole
11. Tricia Cotham
12. Verla Insko
13. W.A. Wilkins

Republican

1. Charles McGrady
2. D. Craig Horn
3. Dan Ingle
4. Daniel McComas
5. Darrell McCormick
6. Edgar V. Starnes
7. Efton Sager
8. Fred Steen, II
9. George Cleveland
10. Grey Mills, Jr.
11. Harold Brubaker
12. Jamie Boles
13. Jeffrey Barnhart
14. John Blust
15. John Faircloth
16. John Torbett
17. Johnathan Rhyne
18. Julia Howard
19. Larry Brown, North Carolina Representative
20. Linda Johnson
21. Mitchell Setzer
22. N. Leo Daughtry
23. Patricia Hurley
24. Phillip Frye
25. Phillip Shepard
26. Ric Killian
27. Thom Tillis
28. W. David Guice
29. William A. Current, Sr.
30. William McGee (North Carolina)

Ballot Access

In North Carolina, 5 (2.5%) of the 202 house candidates ran as independent or third party candidates. One candidate, Bert Jones, won election in the November 2 general election.

Third party candidates

The following is a list of third party and independent candidates who ran in 2010:

1. Barbara Howe (North Carolina)
2. George Shaeffer
3. Herbert Sobel
4. Jeffery Simon

2010 Legislative Election Results
State-by-State Analysis
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Other 2010 Election information
State legislative election results • Statewide elections, 2010 • State Senate elections • State House elections

National Partisan Trends

The following tables detail the partisan breakdown of national election results. These results provide context for Republican gains in North Carolina.

Incumbents who were defeated in the general election

Across the nation, only 15 Republican incumbents were defeated while 492 Democratic incumbents were defeated. In total, 507 (10.4%) of the 4,872 incumbents running in the general election were defeated. The following is a breakdown of incumbent defeats in the 2010 general election:

The following is the breakdown of incumbents who lost.

Incumbents defeated in 2010 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	89	403	492
Republican	5	10	15
TOTALS	94	413	507

Total new legislators elected

In total, 1,733 (28.3%) new legislators were elected in 2010. Of these 1,733, 1,266 (73.1%) are Republicans and 467 (26.9%) are Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of new legislators.

New Legislators after the 2010 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	110	357	467
Republican	278	988	1,266
TOTALS	388	1,345	1,733

Winners of Open Seats

Open seats contests made up 1,178 (19.2%) of the 6,125 seats on November 2. Of these 1,178 open seats, Republicans won 729 (61.9%) while Democrats won 449 (38.1%). Going into the election, the number of open seats formerly held by each party was quite similar. Estimates prior to the election suggest that approximately 52% of the open seats were previously held by Republicans and 48% were held by Democrats.

The following is the breakdown of open seat winners.

Open Seat Winners in 2010 legislative elections
Party	Senate	House	Total
Democratic	108	341	449
Republican	191	538	729
TOTALS	299	879	1,178

Impact on legislative majorities

See also: Partisan balance of state legislatures

Heading into the November 2 elections, the Democratic Party held a commanding lead in state houses in the 88 legislative chambers that held elections in 2010. 52 of the 88 chambers, or nearly 60% of them, had a Democratic majority, while only 33 of them had a Republican majority. (Two chambers had an exactly equal number of Democrats and Republicans and one is officially nonpartisan.) The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures prior to the November 2 election:

Partisan breakdown before the November 2010 Election
Legislative chamber
State senates	23	18	1	1
State houses	29	15	1	-
Totals:	52	33	2	1

As a result of the election, Republicans picked up 20 legislative chambers while Democrats lost 20. Republicans won 53 total chambers on November 2, while Democrats won only 32. The following is a partisan breakdown of state legislatures after the November 2 election:

Partisan breakdown after the November 2010 Election
Legislative chamber
State senates	16	25	1	1
State houses	16	28	1	0
Totals:	32	53	2	1

Another way to examine the data is to gauge how many chambers had gains for the Democratic Party versus the Republican Party. Using this variable, the wide-sweeping Republican victory is further amplified. Democrats bolstered their majorities in only 7 of 88 (7.96%) state chambers. These legislatures are as follows:

State legislative chambers where Democrats gained seats on November 2
State	Chamber	Number of seats gained by Democrats
California	Assembly	+ 2
Delaware	House	+ 2
Hawaii	Senate	+ 1
Maryland	Senate	+ 2
Massachusetts	Senate	+ 1
Missouri	Senate	+ 1
West Virginia	Senate	+ 1

In 7 chambers, the GOP kept their current number of seats. In one chamber, the California State Assembly, both major parties gained seats by filling 2 vacancies and defeating an incumbent independent. Overall, the Republican Party picked up legislative seats in 75 (85.2%) of the 88 legislative chambers that held elections on November 2.

Impact on State Politics

Along with the GOP capture of the U.S. House of Representatives, state Republicans gained trifectas (control of the governorship, house, and senate) in 12 states. The following is a breakdown of trifectas across the nation, before and after the 2010 election:

Trifectas before and after the 2010 Election
Party	Before election	U.S. House seats	After election	U.S. House seats	Gain/loss states	Gain/loss congressional seats
Democratic	16	131	11	115	-5	-16
Republican	8	66	20	198	+12	+132

Before the election, 131 U.S House seats were in states with Democratic trifectas, while 66 districts were in states with Republican trifectas. After the election, Republicans trifectas control redistricting for 198 U.S. House seats while Democrats control only 115. Additionally, California, the strongest Democratic trifecta with 53 U.S. House representatives, passed propositions that take redistricting power away from state government.