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North Carolina State Senate elections, 2022

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2024
2020
2022 North Carolina
Senate Elections
Flag of North Carolina.png
PrimaryMay 17, 2022
Primary runoffJuly 5, 2022
GeneralNovember 8, 2022
Past Election Results
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Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. A primary was held on May 17, 2022. A primary runoff was scheduled to be held on July 5, 2022. The filing deadline was March 4, 2022.

The North Carolina State Senate was one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2022. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. At the time of the 2022 elections, Republicans held a majority in more chambers than Democrats. There was a Republican majority in 62 chambers and a Democratic majority in 36 chambers. In the Alaska House, there was a power-sharing agreement between the parties as part of a coalition.

Heading into the election, Ballotpedia identified 11 battleground races in the North Carolina State Senate 2022 elections, six of which were Democratic-held districts while the other five were Republican-held districts. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.

All 50 seats were up for election in 2022. As of the 2022 election, the Republican Party controlled 28 seats and the Democratic Party controlled 22 seats.

At the time of the 2022 election, North Carolina had had divided government since Democrats took control of the governorship in 2016, breaking the state’s Republican trifecta. Democrats needed to win control of the state senate and the state house in order to win a trifecta. Republicans needed to maintain control of one or both chambers to maintain the state's divided government. This was one of 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as a battleground chamber in 2022. Click here for more on why this chamber was identified as a battleground.

Party control

See also: Partisan composition of state senates and State government trifectas
North Carolina State Senate
Party As of November 8, 2022 After November 9, 2022
     Democratic Party 22 20
     Republican Party 28 30
Total 50 50

Candidates

General

North Carolina State Senate General Election 2022

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

Green check mark transparent.pngNorman Sanderson (i)

District 2

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Perry (i)

District 3

Valerie Jordan  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Hanig (i)

District 4

Milton F. Fitch Jr. (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngEldon Sharpe Newton III

District 5

Green check mark transparent.pngKandie Smith  Candidate Connection

Karen Kozel

Did not make the ballot:
Angelene Mitchell  (Independent)

District 6

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Lazzara (i)

District 7

Marcia Morgan

Did not make the ballot:
Jason Minnicozzi 

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Lee (i)

District 8

Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Rabon (i)

District 9

Green check mark transparent.pngBrent Jackson (i)

District 10

Gettys Cohen Jr.

Green check mark transparent.pngBenton Sawrey

District 11

Mark Speed  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Barnes (i)

District 12

Richard Chapman

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Burgin (i)

District 13

Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Grafstein  Candidate Connection

David Bankert  Candidate Connection

Michael Munger (Libertarian Party)

District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngDan Blue (i)

Chris Baker

Matthew Laszacs (Libertarian Party)

District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngJay Chaudhuri (i)

Emanuela Prister

Sammie Brooks (Libertarian Party)

District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngGale Adcock

James Powers  Candidate Connection

Michael Trudeau (Green Party)
Dee Watson (Libertarian Party)

District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngSydney Batch (i)

Mark Cavaliero  Candidate Connection

Patrick Bowersox (Libertarian Party)

District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Wills Bode

E.C. Sykes

Ryan Brown (Libertarian Party)

District 19

Green check mark transparent.pngVal Applewhite

Wesley Meredith

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngNatalie Murdock (i)

Alvin Reed  Candidate Connection

District 21

Frank McNeill

Green check mark transparent.pngTom McInnis (i)

District 22

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Woodard (i)

Larry Coleman  Candidate Connection

Ray Ubinger (Libertarian Party)

District 23

Green check mark transparent.pngGraig R. Meyer

Landon Woods

District 24

Darrel Gibson Jr.  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDanny Earl Britt (i)

District 25

Sean Ewing  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngAmy Galey (i)  Candidate Connection

District 26

Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Berger (i)

Alvin Robinson (Independent) (Write-in)

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Garrett (i)

Richard Sessoms  Candidate Connection

District 28

Green check mark transparent.pngGladys Robinson (i)

Paul Schumacher  Candidate Connection

District 29

Brooke Crump

Green check mark transparent.pngDave Craven (i)

District 30

Monique Johnson  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngSteven Jarvis (i)  Candidate Connection

District 31

Green check mark transparent.pngJoyce Krawiec (i)

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Lowe (i)

George K. Ware  Candidate Connection

District 33

Tangela Morgan  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngCarl Ford (i)  Candidate Connection

District 34

Keshia Sandidge  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Newton (i)

District 35

Green check mark transparent.pngTodd Johnson (i)

District 36

Green check mark transparent.pngEddie Settle

District 37

Green check mark transparent.pngVickie Sawyer (i)

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngMujtaba Mohammed (i)  Candidate Connection

District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngDeAndrea Salvador (i)

Mark Robeson  Candidate Connection

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngJoyce Waddell (i)

Bobbie Shields  Candidate Connection

District 41

Green check mark transparent.pngNatasha Marcus (i)

Bonni Leone

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngRachel Hunt

Cheryl Russo  Candidate Connection

District 43

Green check mark transparent.pngBrad Overcash

District 44

Green check mark transparent.pngTed Alexander (i)

District 45

Did not make the ballot:
Austen Gilbert 

Green check mark transparent.pngH. Dean Proctor (i)

District 46

Billy Martin

Green check mark transparent.pngWarren Daniel (i)

District 47

Green check mark transparent.pngRalph Hise (i)

District 48

Jay Carey

Did not make the ballot:
Stephanie Justice 

Green check mark transparent.pngTimothy Moffitt

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngJulie Mayfield (i)

John Anderson

District 50

Karen McCracken  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Corbin (i)

Primary

North Carolina State Senate Primary 2022

  • Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name.
  • Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
  • * = The primary was canceled and the candidate advanced.
Office Democratic Party Democratic Republican Party Republican Other
District 1

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngNorman Sanderson (i)
Bob Steinburg (i)

District 2

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngJim Perry* (i)

District 3

Ernestine Bazemore (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngValerie Jordan  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngRobert Hanig* (i)

District 4

Green check mark transparent.pngMilton F. Fitch Jr. (i)
Raymond Smith Jr.

Joe Democko
Green check mark transparent.pngEldon Sharpe Newton III

District 5

Lenton Brown  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngKandie Smith  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngKaren Kozel*

District 6

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Lazzara* (i)

District 7

Green check mark transparent.pngJason Minnicozzi*

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Lee* (i)

District 8

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Rabon* (i)

District 9

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngBrent Jackson* (i)

District 10

Green check mark transparent.pngGettys Cohen Jr.*

Matt Ansley
Jill Homan
Green check mark transparent.pngBenton Sawrey

District 11

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Speed*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Barnes* (i)

District 12

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Chapman*

Green check mark transparent.pngJim Burgin (i)
David Buboltz  Candidate Connection
Ernie Watson  Candidate Connection

District 13

Patrick Buffkin
Green check mark transparent.pngLisa Grafstein  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDavid Bankert  Candidate Connection
Jeff Werner  Candidate Connection

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Munger*
District 14

Green check mark transparent.pngDan Blue* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngChris Baker*

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngMatthew Laszacs*
District 15

Green check mark transparent.pngJay Chaudhuri* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngEmanuela Prister*

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngSammie Brooks*
District 16

Green check mark transparent.pngGale Adcock*

Green check mark transparent.pngJames Powers*  Candidate Connection

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngDee Watson*
District 17

Green check mark transparent.pngSydney Batch* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Cavaliero*  Candidate Connection

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngPatrick Bowersox*
District 18

Green check mark transparent.pngMary Wills Bode*

Dimitry Slabyak  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngE.C. Sykes

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngRyan Brown*
District 19

Kirk deViere (i)  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngVal Applewhite
Ed Donaldson

Dennis Britt  Candidate Connection
Green check mark transparent.pngWesley Meredith

District 20

Green check mark transparent.pngNatalie Murdock* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngAlvin Reed*  Candidate Connection

District 21

Green check mark transparent.pngFrank McNeill*

Green check mark transparent.pngTom McInnis* (i)

District 22

Green check mark transparent.pngMike Woodard* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngLarry Coleman  Candidate Connection
John Tarantino

Libertarian Party

Green check mark transparent.pngRay Ubinger*
District 23

Jamie DeMent Holcomb
Green check mark transparent.pngGraig R. Meyer

Bill Cooke
Green check mark transparent.pngLandon Woods

District 24

Green check mark transparent.pngDarrel Gibson Jr.*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngDanny Earl Britt* (i)

District 25

Green check mark transparent.pngSean Ewing*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngAmy Galey* (i)  Candidate Connection

District 26

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngPhil Berger* (i)

District 27

Green check mark transparent.pngMichael Garrett* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngRichard Sessoms*  Candidate Connection

District 28

Green check mark transparent.pngGladys Robinson* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Schumacher*  Candidate Connection

District 29

Green check mark transparent.pngBrooke Crump*

Green check mark transparent.pngDave Craven* (i)

District 30

Green check mark transparent.pngMonique Johnson*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngSteven Jarvis (i)  Candidate Connection
Eddie Gallimore

District 31

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngJoyce Krawiec* (i)

District 32

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Lowe* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngGeorge K. Ware*  Candidate Connection

District 33

Green check mark transparent.pngTangela Morgan*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngCarl Ford* (i)  Candidate Connection

District 34

Green check mark transparent.pngKeshia Sandidge*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngPaul Newton* (i)

District 35

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngTodd Johnson* (i)

District 36

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Shirley Randleman
Green check mark transparent.pngEddie Settle
Vann Tate
Lee Zachary

District 37

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngVickie Sawyer (i)
Tom Fyler

District 38

Green check mark transparent.pngMujtaba Mohammed* (i)  Candidate Connection

The Republican primary was canceled.


District 39

Green check mark transparent.pngDeAndrea Salvador* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngMark Robeson*  Candidate Connection

District 40

Green check mark transparent.pngJoyce Waddell* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngBobbie Shields*  Candidate Connection

District 41

Green check mark transparent.pngNatasha Marcus* (i)

Green check mark transparent.pngBonni Leone*

District 42

Green check mark transparent.pngRachel Hunt*

Green check mark transparent.pngCheryl Russo  Candidate Connection
Scott Stone

District 43

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngBrad Overcash*

District 44

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Green check mark transparent.pngTed Alexander* (i)

District 45

Green check mark transparent.pngAusten Gilbert*

Green check mark transparent.pngH. Dean Proctor* (i)

District 46

Green check mark transparent.pngBilly Martin*

Green check mark transparent.pngWarren Daniel (i)
Mark Crawford

District 47

The Democratic primary was canceled.


Deanna Ballard (i)
Green check mark transparent.pngRalph Hise (i)

District 48

Green check mark transparent.pngStephanie Justice*

Green check mark transparent.pngTimothy Moffitt*

District 49

Green check mark transparent.pngJulie Mayfield (i)
Taylon Breeden  Candidate Connection
Sandra Kilgore

Green check mark transparent.pngJohn Anderson*

District 50

Green check mark transparent.pngKaren McCracken*  Candidate Connection

Green check mark transparent.pngKevin Corbin* (i)

2022 battleground chamber

See also: State legislative battleground chambers, 2022

The North Carolina State Senate was among 28 state legislative chambers Ballotpedia identified as battleground chambers for the 2022 cycle.

What was at stake?

  • The Democratic Party needed to gain four or more seats to take control of the chamber in 2022. The Republican Party needed to lose two or fewer seats to maintain control.
  • This race had the potential to change North Carolina's trifecta status. Democrats needed to win control of the state senate and the state house in order to win a trifecta. Republicans needed to maintain control of one or both chambers to maintain the state's divided government. Because the governorship was not up for election in 2022, Republicans did not have a chance to gain a trifecta.

Why was it a battleground?

  • Seats needed to flip: The Democratic Party needed to flip four seats (8% of seats up) in order to win control of the chamber.
  • 2020 battleground chamber: The North Carolina State Senate was a battleground chamber in 2020. That year, the Democratic Party gained one seat from the Republican Party. Read more about the 2020 elections here.


Battleground races

Democratic PartyDistrict 3

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Republican Party Robert Hanig
Democratic Party Valerie Jordan

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 53% of the vote in the last election and no incumbent was running. Going into the 2022 election, the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 53% according to Dave’s Redistricting and the district was rated as a Toss-up by CNalysis. In 2020, Democratic candidate Ernestine Bazemore was elected with 52% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Thomas Hester Jr.’s 48% of the vote.

Democratic PartyDistrict 4

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Democratic Party Milton F. Fitch, Jr. (Incumbent)
Republican Party Buck Newton

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 52% according to Dave’s Redistricting. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Milton F. Fitch Jr. was elected with 57.2% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Sammy Webb’s 42.8% of the vote.

Republican PartyDistrict 7

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Republican Party Michael Lee (Incumbent)
Democratic Party Marcia Morgan

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave’s Redistricting. In 2020, Republican incumbent Jim Perry was elected with 55.3% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Donna Lake’s 44.7% of the vote.

Republican PartyDistrict 11

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Republican Party Lisa Barnes (Incumbent)
Democratic Party Mark Speed

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won 55% of the vote in the last election. Going into the 2022 election, the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 51% according to Dave’s Redistricting and the district was rated as Leans Republican by CNalysis. In 2020, Republican candidate Lisa Barnes was elected with 55% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Allen Wellons’s 45% of the vote.

Democratic PartyDistrict 17

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Democratic Party Sydney Batch (Incumbent)
Republican Party Mark Cavaliero
Libertarian Party Patrick Bowersox

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave’s Redistricting and was rated as Tilts Republican by CNalysis. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Sam Searcy was elected with 51.4% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Mark Cavaliero’s 44.8% of the vote.

Democratic PartyDistrict 18

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Democratic Party Mary Wills Bode
Republican Party E.C. Sykes
Libertarian Party Ryan Brown

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where there was no incumbent running and the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave’s Redistricting and was rated as a Toss-up by CNalysis. In 2020, Democratic candidate Sarah Crawford was elected with 52.1% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Larry Norman’s 44.4% of the vote and Libertarian candidate Jason Loeback’s 3.5% of the vote.

Democratic PartyDistrict 19

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Democratic Party Val Applewhite
Republican Party Wesley Meredith

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the incumbent won less than 52% of the vote in the last election and no incumbent was running. Going into the 2022 election, the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 55% according to Dave’s Redistricting and the district was rated as Tilts Democratic by CNalysis. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Kirk deViere was elected with 51.5% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Wesley Meredith’s 48.5% of the vote.

Democratic PartyDistrict 21

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Democratic Party

Who were the candidates running?

Republican Party Tom McInnis (Incumbent)
Democratic Party Frank McNeill

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave’s Redistricting. In 2020, Democratic incumbent Ben Clark was re-elected with 68% of the vote compared to Republican candidate Sev Palacio’s 32% of the vote.

Republican PartyDistrict 24

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Republican Party Danny Earl Britt (Incumbent)
Democratic Party Darrel Gibson Jr.

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where there was no incumbent running and where the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 50% according to Dave’s Redistricting. In 2020, Republican candidate Amy Galey was elected with 52.4% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate J.D. Wooten’s 47.6% of the vote.

Republican PartyDistrict 34

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Republican Party Paul Newton (Incumbent)
Democratic Party Keshia Sandidge

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where the Republican Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 54% according to Dave’s Redistricting. In 2020, Republican incumbent Vickie Sawyer was re-elected with 71% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Barry Templeton’s 29% of the vote.

Republican PartyDistrict 42

What party controlled the seat heading into the election?

The Republican Party

Who were the candidates running?

Democratic Party Rachel Hunt
Republican Party Cheryl Russo

What made this a battleground race?

This was a district where there was no incumbent running. Going into the 2022 election, the Democratic Party maintained a partisan lean of less than 54% according to Dave’s Redistricting and the district was rated as Leans Democratic by CNalysis”. In 2020, Republican incumbent H. Dean Proctor was re-elected with 71.3% of the vote compared to Democratic candidate Tina Mile‘s 28.7% of the vote.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Candidate Connection Logo.png

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Click a link below to read survey responses from candidates in that district:

Campaign finance

Campaign finance by district

The section below contains data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. Districts and elections are grouped in sections of 10. To view data for a district, click on the appropriate bar below to expand it. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA.

Incumbents who were not re-elected

See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 12, 2022

Incumbents defeated in general elections

One incumbent lost in the Nov. 8 general election.

Name Party Office
Milton Fitch Jr. Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 4

Incumbents defeated in primary elections

See also: Defeated state legislative incumbents, 2022

Four incumbents lost in the May 17 primaries.

Name Party Office
Bob Steinburg Ends.png Republican Senate District 1[1]
Ernestine Bazemore Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 3
Kirk deViere Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 19
Deanna Ballard Ends.png Republican Senate District 47

Retiring incumbents

Eight incumbents were not on the ballot in 2022.[2] Those incumbents were:

Name Party Office Reason
Donald Davis Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 5 Other office
Wiley Nickel Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 16 Other office
Sarah Crawford Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 18 Other office
Ben Clark Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 21 Other office
Valerie Foushee Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 23 Other office
Jeff Jackson Electiondot.png Democratic Senate District 37 Other office
Kathryn Harrington Ends.png Republican Senate District 43 Retired
Chuck Edwards Ends.png Republican Senate District 48 Other office

Primary election competitiveness

See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2022

This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in North Carolina. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in North Carolina in 2022. Information below was calculated on March 21, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

The number of uncontested state legislative districts in North Carolina grew from 14 in 2020 to 51 in 2022. Uncontested districts lack major party competition, meaning candidates from only one of the two major parties filed to run.

Democrats were effectively guaranteed to win 10 districts, and Republicans were guaranteed 41 at the time of the filing deadline. Candidates from both major parties filed to run in the remaining 119 districts.

In 2022, the increase in uncontested districts was driven by a drop in Democratic challengers. In 2020, Democrats ran in 166 of the state’s 170 districts, and Republicans ran in 160. In 2022, Republicans once again filed to contest 160 districts while Democrats filed to run in 129.

This decrease brought the number of Republicans running without Democratic opponents back to a level similar to the 2014 and 2016 election cycles.

In 2018, the state saw its highest level of major party competition when two major party candidates contested 168 of the 170 districts. This increased level of competition remained in the 2020 cycle before dropping in 2022.

Additional takeaways from the 2022 filing deadline include:

  • Overall, 386 major party candidates filed to run in 2022: 167 Democrats and 219 Republicans. This equals 2.3 candidates per district.
  • The number of open districts, those without an incumbent seeking re-election, increased from 27 in 2020 to 29 in 2022. This was lower than the 30 open districts in 2018, but a larger figure than earlier election cycles.
  • Of the 340 possible major party primaries, 73 (22%) were contested, a larger number than every election cycle since 2014 except for 2018, which had 75 contested primaries.
  • Of the 145 incumbents seeking re-election, 33 (23%) filed alongside primary challengers. Again, this was second only to the 2018 election cycle, when 35 incumbents faced contested primaries.
  • Due to redistricting, four incumbents—all Republicans—were drawn into new districts where they will run against other Republican incumbents in contested primaries. This guaranteed the defeats of at least four Republican incumbents.

Open seats

The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the North Carolina State Senate from 2010 to 2022.[3]

Open Seats in North Carolina State Senate elections: 2010 - 2022
Year Total seats Open seats Seats with incumbents running for re-election
2022 50 10 (20 percent) 40 (80 percent)
2020 50 11 (22 percent) 39 (78 percent)
2018 50 5 (10 percent) 45 (90 percent)
2016 50 7 (14 percent) 43 (86 percent)
2014 50 5 (10 percent) 45 (90 percent)
2012 50 11 (22 percent) 39 (78 percent)
2010 50 8 (16 percent) 42 (84 percent)

Incumbents running in new districts

When an incumbent files to run for re-election in the same chamber but a new district, it leaves his or her original seat open. This may happen for a variety of reasons ranging from redistricting to a change in residences. This may result in instances where multiple incumbents face each other in contested primaries or general elections if the incumbent in the new district also seeks re-election. In 2022, 14 incumbents filed to run for re-election in new districts different from those they represented before the election. Those incumbents were:

Incumbents running in new districts
Name Party Originally represented ... Filed in 2022 in ... New district open?
Norman Sanderson Ends.png Republican Senate District 2 Senate District 1 No
Jim Perry Ends.png Republican Senate District 7 Senate District 2 Yes
Michael Lee Ends.png Republican Senate District 9 Senate District 7 Yes
Brent Jackson Ends.png Republican Senate District 10 Senate District 9 Yes
Tom McInnis Ends.png Republican Senate District 25 Senate District 21 Yes
Danny Earl Britt Ends.png Republican Senate District 13 Senate District 24 Yes
Amy Galey Ends.png Republican Senate District 24 Senate District 25 Yes
Phil Berger Ends.png Republican Senate District 30 Senate District 26 Yes
Dave Craven Ends.png Republican Senate District 26 Senate District 29 Yes
Steven Jarvis Ends.png Republican Senate District 29 Senate District 30 Yes
Paul Newton Ends.png Republican Senate District 36 Senate District 34 Yes
Vickie Sawyer Ends.png Republican Senate District 34 Senate District 37 Yes
H. Dean Proctor Ends.png Republican Senate District 42 Senate District 45 Yes
Deanna Ballard Ends.png Republican Senate District 45 Senate District 47 No

News and conflicts in this primary

This race was featured in The Heart of the Primaries, a newsletter capturing stories related to conflicts within each major party. Click here to read more about conflict in 2022 Republican state legislative primaries and Click here to read more about conflict in Democratic legislative primaries. Click here to subscribe to the newsletter.

Process to become a candidate

See also: Ballot access requirements for political candidates in North Carolina

For partisan candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 106 of the North Carolina General Statutes

A partisan candidate must be registered as an affiliate of the party with which he or she intends to campaign. A partisan candidate must also do the following:[4]

  • file a notice of candidacy with the appropriate board of elections (state or county-level)
  • file a felony conviction disclosure form
  • provide for payment of required filing fees

Filing fees for primary elections are established by Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 107, of the North Carolina General Statutes. Filing fees formulas are summarized in the table below.[5]

Filing fees
Office How the fee is determined
Governor 1% of the office's annual salary
Lieutenant governor 1% of the office's annual salary
State executive offices 1% of the office's annual salary
United States Senator 1% of the office's annual salary
United States Representative 1% of the office's annual salary
State senator 1% of the office's annual salary
State representative 1% of the office's annual salary

For independent candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 122 of the North Carolina General Statutes

An unaffiliated candidate must file the same forms and pay the same filing fees as partisan candidates. In addition, the candidate must petition to appear on the ballot. Signature requirements are as follows (additional petition requirements are discussed below).[6][7]

Signature requirements for independent candidates
Office Signature requirement formula
Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices 1.5% of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent general election for governor (must include at least 200 signatures from each of three congressional districts)
United States Representative 1.5% of the total number of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year
State legislative seats (including those that cover more than one county) 4% of the total number of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year

For write-in candidates

DocumentIcon.jpg See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 123 of the North Carolina General Statutes

To be certified, a write-in candidate must submit a declaration of intent and petition. Signature requirements are as follows (additional petition requirements are discussed below).[8]

Signature requirements for write-in candidates
Office Required number of signatures
Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices 500
United States Representative; state house and state senate seats for districts that cover more than one county 250
State house and state senate seats for districts that lie within one county If there are 5,000 or more registered voters in the district, 100 signatures; if fewer than 5,000, 1% of the number of registered voters


Petitions are due on noon 90 days before the general election.[9] Write-in candidates do not have to pay filing fees.[9]

Qualifications

See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state

Article 2, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution states: Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.

Salaries and per diem

See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
State legislative salaries, 2024[10]
SalaryPer diem
$13,951/year$104/day

When sworn in

See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election

North Carolina legislators assume office on January 1 the year after their election.[11]

North Carolina political history

Trifectas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.

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

Presidential politics in North Carolina

2020

See also: Presidential election, 2020


Presidential election in North Carolina, 2020
 
Candidate/Running mate
%
Popular votes
Electoral votes
Image of
Image of
Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R)
 
49.9
 
2,758,775 15
Image of
Image of
Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D)
 
48.6
 
2,684,292 0
Image of
Image of
Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L)
 
0.9
 
48,678 0
Image of
Image of
Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G)
 
0.2
 
12,195 0
Image of
Image of
Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party)
 
0.1
 
7,549 0
Image of
Jade Simmons (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in)
 
0.0
 
119 0
  Other write-in votes
 
0.2
 
13,196 0

Total votes: 5,524,804


2016

See also: Presidential election, 2016
U.S. presidential election, North Carolina, 2016
Party Candidate Vote % Votes Electoral votes
     Democratic Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine 46.2% 2,189,316 0
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngDonald Trump/Mike Pence 49.8% 2,362,631 15
     Libertarian Gary Johnson/Bill Weld 2.7% 130,126 0
     - Write-in votes 1.3% 59,491 0
Total Votes 4,741,564 15
Election results via: North Carolina State Board of Elections


North Carolina presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 18 Democratic wins
  • 14 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D R D D D D D D D D D R R D R R R R R R R D R R R R


Voting information

See also: Voting in North Carolina

Election information in North Carolina: Nov. 8, 2022, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Oct. 14, 2022
  • By mail: Postmarked by Oct. 14, 2022
  • Online: Oct. 14, 2022

Was absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 1, 2022
  • By mail: Received by Nov. 1, 2022
  • Online: Nov. 1, 2022

What was the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Nov. 8, 2022
  • By mail: Postmarked by Nov. 8, 2022

Was early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What were the early voting start and end dates?

Oct. 20, 2022 to Nov. 5, 2022

Were all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, was a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

N/A


Redistricting following the 2020 census

On October 25, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted new legislative district boundaries.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] All four votes were strictly along party lines with all votes in favor by Republicans and all votes against by Democrats.[15][16][17][18] 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."[19]

Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle.

North Carolina State Senate Districts
before 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.

North Carolina State Senate Districts
after 2020 redistricting cycle

Click a district to compare boundaries.


See also

North Carolina State Legislative Elections News and Analysis
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North Carolina State Executive Offices
North Carolina State Legislature
North Carolina Courts
State legislative elections:
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North Carolina elections:
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Primary elections in North Carolina
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
Partisan composition of state legislatures
Partisan composition of state senates
Partisan composition of state houses

External links

Footnotes

  1. Steinburg resigned after losing the primary.
  2. Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
  3. Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
  4. North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 106," accessed April 28, 2025
  5. North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 107," accessed April 28, 2025
  6. North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 122," accessed April 28, 2025
  7. General Assembly of North Carolina, "Senate Bill 656," accessed April 28, 2025
  8. North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 123," accessed April 28, 2025
  9. 9.0 9.1 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Write-in Candidate Petitions," accessed April 28, 2025
  10. National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
  11. North Carolina Constitution, "Article II, Section 9," accessed February 12, 2021
  12. The Carolina Journal, "New state House, Senate, and congressional maps finalized," October 25, 2023
  13. North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 758 / SL 2023-146," accessed October 26, 2023
  14. North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Bill 898 / SL 2023-149," accessed October 26, 2023
  15. North Carolina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #614," accessed October 26, 2023
  16. North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #499," accessed October 26, 2023
  17. North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #504," accessed October 26, 2023
  18. North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #604," accessed October 26, 2023
  19. WUNC, "New district maps show signs of GOP partisan gerrymandering," October 24, 2023


Current members of the North Carolina State Senate
Leadership
Minority Leader:Sydney Batch
Senators
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
District 12
District 13
District 14
Dan Blue (D)
District 15
District 16
District 17
District 18
District 19
District 20
District 21
District 22
District 23
District 24
District 25
Amy Galey (R)
District 26
District 27
District 28
District 29
District 30
District 31
District 32
Paul Lowe (D)
District 33
Carl Ford (R)
District 34
District 35
District 36
District 37
District 38
District 39
District 40
District 41
District 42
District 43
District 44
District 45
District 46
District 47
District 48
District 49
District 50
Republican Party (30)
Democratic Party (20)