North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 is represented by Deb Butler (D).
As of the 2020 Census, North Carolina state representatives represented an average of 87,116 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 79,715 residents.
About the office
Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. North Carolina legislators assume office on January 1 the year after their election.[1][2]
Qualifications
Article 2, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution states:[3]
| “ | Each Representative, at the time of his election, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.[4] | ” |
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, candidates must be 21 years old.[5]
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[6] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $13,951/year | $104/day |
Vacancies
If there is a vacancy in the General Assembly of North Carolina, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement.[7][8]
When making an appointment, the governor must make a decision from a list of recommended candidates submitted by the political party committee that last held the vacant seat.[9] The appointment must be made within seven days of receiving a list of recommended candidates.[8] The person selected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[8]
See sources: North Carolina Const. Art. 2, Sec. 10 and North Carolina Gen. Stat. § 163-11
District map
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in North Carolina
In North Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. District maps cannot be vetoed by the governor. State legislative redistricting must take place in the first regular legislative session following the United States Census. There are no explicit deadlines in place for congressional redistricting.[10]
State law establishes the following requirements for state legislative districts:[10]
- Districts must be contiguous and compact.
- Districts "must cross county lines as little as possible." If counties are grouped together, the group should include as few counties as possible.
- Communities of interest should be taken into account.
There are no similar restrictions in place regarding congressional districts.[10]
2020-2023
On October 25, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted new legislative district boundaries.[11] The legislation adopting the new Senate districts passed the state Senate by a vote of 28-17 and the State House by a vote of 63-40.[12] The legislation adopting the new House districts passed the state Senate by a vote of 27-17 and the State House by a vote of 62-44.[13] All four votes were strictly along party lines with all votes in favor by Republicans and all votes against by Democrats.[14][15][16][17] WUNC's Rusty Jacobs wrote that Catawba College Prof. Michael "Bitzer said Republicans have drawn maps that have a strong chance of preserving their veto-proof super majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Bitzer noted that constitutional provisions, like requiring legislators to keep counties whole when drawing state legislative districts, make it more difficult for lawmakers to gerrymander these maps more aggressively."[18]
The state redrew its district boundaries after the state supreme court overturned its 2022 decision that North Carolina's enacted congressional and legislative maps were unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering.
As a result of state supreme court elections in 2022, the court flipped from a 4-3 Democratic majority to a 5-2 Republican majority. In its ruling, the court said, "we hold that partisan gerrymandering claims present a political question that is nonjusticiable under the North Carolina Constitution. Accordingly, the decision of this Court in Harper I is overruled. We affirm the three judge panel’s 11 January 2022 Judgment concluding, inter alia, that partisan gerrymandering claims are nonjusticiable, political questions and dismissing all of plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
Below are the maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for North Carolina’s 2024 state legislative elections.
North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Deb Butler defeated Wallace West in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Deb Butler (D) | 82.7 | 33,008 |
 | Wallace West (R) (Write-in)  | 14.9 | 5,967 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 2.4 | 955 | ||
| Total votes: 39,930 | |||
| = 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. Incumbent Deb Butler advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18.
2022
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Deb Butler defeated John Hinnant in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Deb Butler (D) | 53.3 | 19,190 |
| John Hinnant (R) | 46.7 | 16,806 | ||
| Total votes: 35,996 | |||
| = 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. Incumbent Deb Butler advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. John Hinnant advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18.
2020
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Deb Butler defeated Warren Kennedy in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Deb Butler (D) | 59.8 | 25,829 |
 | Warren Kennedy (R) | 40.2 | 17,336 | |
| Total votes: 43,165 | |||
| = 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. Incumbent Deb Butler advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Warren Kennedy advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18.
2018
General election
General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Deb Butler defeated Louis Harmati and Joseph Sharp in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Deb Butler (D) | 62.4 | 17,812 |
 | Louis Harmati (R) | 34.5 | 9,835 | |
| Joseph Sharp (L) | 3.1 | 885 | ||
| Total votes: 28,532 | |||
| = 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
Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
Incumbent Deb Butler advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Deb Butler |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18
Louis Harmati advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Louis Harmati |
| ||||
| = 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
Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016.[19] The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.[20]
Incumbent Susi Hamilton defeated Jerry Benton in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 general election.[21][22]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 18 General Election, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Susi Hamilton Incumbent |
61.10% | 22,006 | |
| Republican | Jerry Benton | 38.90% | 14,011 | |
| Total Votes | 36,017 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Incumbent Susi Hamilton ran unopposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 Democratic primary.[23][24]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 18 Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Susi Hamilton Incumbent (unopposed) | |
Jerry Benton ran unopposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 Republican primary.[25][26]
| North Carolina House of Representatives, District 18 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Jerry Benton (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Incumbent Susi Hamilton was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unchallenged in the general election.[27][28][29][30]
2012
Elections for the office of North Carolina House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 29, 2012. Incumbent Susi Hamilton (D) defeated Louis Harmati (R) in the general election and James A. Knox in the Democratic primary. Harmati was unopposed in the Republican primary.[31][32][33]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Susan Hamilton Incumbent |
66.5% | 22,588 | |
| Republican | Louis Harmati | 33.5% | 11,362 | |
| Total Votes | 33,950 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Susan Hamilton Incumbent |
70.3% | 4,798 |
| James A. Knox | 29.7% | 2,028 |
| Total Votes | 6,826 | |
Campaign contributions
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 raised a total of $1,601,788. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $50,056 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, North Carolina House of Representatives District 18 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $33,720 | 1 | $33,720 |
| 2022 | $439,195 | 2 | $219,598 |
| 2020 | $232,412 | 2 | $116,206 |
| 2016 | $108,146 | 2 | $54,073 |
| 2014 | $85,633 | 1 | $85,633 |
| 2012 | $179,119 | 3 | $59,706 |
| 2010 | $166,171 | 4 | $41,543 |
| 2008 | $33,815 | 5 | $6,763 |
| 2006 | $118,664 | 3 | $39,555 |
| 2004 | $63,135 | 3 | $21,045 |
| 2002 | $21,825 | 3 | $7,275 |
| 2000 | $119,953 | 3 | $39,984 |
| Total | $1,601,788 | 32 | $50,056 |
See also
- General Assembly of North Carolina
- North Carolina State Senate
- North Carolina House of Representatives
- North Carolina state legislative districts
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Carolina Constitution, "Article II, Section 9," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Confirmed via email with the North Carolina Legislature on July 7, 2011
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "North Carolina State Constitution," accessed May 23, 2025
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "General Candidate Requirements," accessed May 27, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "North Carolina Constitution," accessed February 12, 2021 (Article II, Section 10)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 General Assembly of North Carolina, "North Carolina General Statutes," accessed February 12, 2021 (Statute 163-11(a), NC General Statutes)
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "North Carolina General Statutes," accessed February 12, 2021 (Statute 163-11(b-d), NC General Statutes)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 All About Redistricting, "North Carolina," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ The Carolina Journal, "New state House, Senate, and congressional maps finalized," October 25, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 758 / SL 2023-146," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Bill 898 / SL 2023-149," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #614," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #499," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #504," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #604," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ WUNC, "New district maps show signs of GOP partisan gerrymandering," October 24, 2023
- ↑ The primary for U.S. congressional elections was rescheduled to June 7, 2016, following legal challenges to North Carolina's district maps. State races were unaffected.
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Filing," accessed December 22, 2015
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election results lookup," accessd December 21, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Primary Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "General Election Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed August 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "05/06/2014 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/04/2014 Official General Election Results - Statewide," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 Official General Election Results," accessed December 5, 2013
- ↑ North Carolina Board of Elections, "Candidate lists," accessed March 5, 2012
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Official Primary Election Results," accessed June 22, 2012
