November 8, 2016 (2016-11-08) 2018 → 10 3 53.22% 46.60% | 10 3 2,447,326 2,142,661 Start date November 8, 2016 | |
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The 2016 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina were held on November 8, 2016, to elect the 13 U.S. Representatives from the state of North Carolina, one from each of the state's 13 congressional districts. The elections coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections.
Contents
- 2016 North Carolina redistricting
- District 1
- Democratic primary
- Republican primary
- Libertarian primary
- District 2
- Candidates
- District 3
- District 4
- District 5
- District 6
- District 7
- District 8
- District 9
- Results
- District 10
- District 11
- District 12
- District 13
- References
Primary elections were originally scheduled for March 15, but were moved to June 7, due to successful challenges to the 1st and 12th congressional districts in federal court and the drawing of new maps affecting almost all of the state's districts.
Long before the court had ruled, candidates had filed for the March 15 party primaries for each district under the old maps in December 2015, per the North Carolina State Board of Elections. After the court ruled and the North Carolina General Assembly passed new district maps, the State Board established a filing period for the new primary date for candidates of major parties, March 16–25. Candidates had to refile for the June 7 primary, if they still chose to run, in any district they chose. The results of the March 15 primary, which went ahead because ballots had already been printed and mailed to absentee voters by the time of the ruling, were not counted.
2016 North Carolina redistricting
The North Carolina Legislature's 2012 redistricting was found unconstitutional by the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and replaced on February 19, 2016.
District 1
The 1st district is located in Northeastern North Carolina. The new map made the 1st district somewhat more compact. The incumbent is Democrat G. K. Butterfield, who has represented the district since 2004. He was re-elected with 73% of the vote in 2014.
Democratic primary
G.K. Butterfield is running for re-election and is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Republican primary
No candidates filed for the Republican primary for this seat under the old map, but H. Powell Dew Jr., filed under the new map and is unopposed for his party's nomination.
Libertarian primary
C. L. Cooke was running unopposed for the Libertarian nomination under the old map. J. J. Summerell was the only Libertarian candidate to file under the new map.
District 2
The 2nd district is located in central North Carolina. The new map moved the 2nd district to the east and the north. The incumbent is Republican Renee Ellmers, who has represented the district since 2011. She was re-elected with 59% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
Renee Ellmers ran for re-election to a fourth term.
Ellmers faced a primary challenge from radio host Frank Roche in 2014. Despite Roche's weak fundraising, she won the primary by only 59% to 41%. Her role in a 20-week abortion ban bill being pulled intensified calls from the conservative wing to challenge her in 2016.
Jim Duncan, the former chairman of the Chatham County Republican Party and co-founder of the grassroots organization The Coalition for American Principles, challenged Ellmers for the Republican nomination at first but dropped out after the district lines changed. 2014 candidate Frank Roche also ran again at first but likewise did not file in the new 2nd district. Businessman Tim D'Annunzio and former North Carolina Republican Party communications director Kay Daly also ran before the district map changed and then switched to other districts.
The new district incorporated much of what had been the 13th district, leading that district's representative, George Holding, to file as a candidate in the 2nd, although his home was now in the 4th district. Meanwhile, Greg Brannon entered the 2nd district GOP primary as well, after losing the primary for U.S. Senate to incumbent Richard Burr.
Candidates
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Democratic primary
Adam Coker was running unopposed for the Democratic nomination under the previous district map. After the new map was adopted, two candidates who had previously filed to run in the 13th district, like Holding, filed in the 2nd: John McNeil and Ron Sanyal. They were joined by three other candidates who had previously not filed for any seat.
Candidates
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District 3
The 3rd district is located on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It covers the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound. The new map made the district somewhat more compact, removing some of its more southern and western areas.
The incumbent is Republican Walter B. Jones Jr., who has represented the district since 1995. He was re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
Jones, who has a reputation as a maverick, is running for re-election, saying "I like to be a thorn in people's ass". Taylor Griffin, a one-time aide to United States Senator Jesse Helms and to President George W. Bush, ran against Jones in the Republican primary again in 2016, just as he had done in 2014. Phil Law, a Hewlett-Packard site supervisor and Marine veteran, also ran as a Republican.
Candidates
Democratic primary
David Allan Hurst was running unopposed for the Democratic nomination under the old map. After the new district map was adopted, he was joined by U.S. Army veteran Ernest T. Reeves, who had just lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to Deborah Ross.
Candidates
District 4
The 4th district is located in the Research Triangle area. The new map made the 4th district more compact, removing its southern portions. The incumbent is Democrat David Price, who has represented the district since 1997, and previously represented it from 1987 to 1995. He was re-elected with 75% of the vote in 2014.
Democratic primary
David Price is running for re-election, and was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Republican primary
Sue Googe, a first generation, Chinese immigrant, filed to challenge Price.
Candidates
District 5
The 5th district is located in northwestern North Carolina, from the Appalachian Mountains to the Piedmont Triad area. The new map shifted the district slightly to the north and put the entirety of Forsyth County in the district. The incumbent is Republican Virginia Foxx, who has represented the district since 2005. She was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
Virginia Foxx is running for re-election. Tea party activist Pattie Curran challenged Foxx for the Republican nomination.
Candidates
Democratic primary
Josh Brannon, the 2014 nominee for this seat, was running unopposed for the Democratic nomination under the previous district map. After the new district map was adopted, he was joined by two other challengers, including Jim Roberts, who had previously been running in the 6th district.
Candidates
District 6
The 6th district is located in northern-central North Carolina. The new map made the district more compact, removing some western, eastern and southern portions. The incumbent is Republican Mark Walker, who has represented the district since 2015. He was elected with 59% of the vote in 2014, succeeding retiring Republican incumbent Howard Coble.
Republican primary
Walker is running for re-election to a second term. Chris Hardin, a pharmaceutical representative, challenged Walker for the Republican nomination. Kenn Kopf, an attorney who ran in the 2014 Republican primary, announced he would run again. On December 21, 2015, Kopf announced he was suspending his campaign and would not file to run.
Candidates
Democratic primary
Former Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis, former Alamance County Democratic Party Chairman Pete Glidewell and Jim Roberts were seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Walker under the old map. After the new map was adopted, Davis and Roberts filed to run in different districts, leaving Glidewell unopposed for the nomination.
Candidates
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District 7
The 7th district is located in southeastern North Carolina. The new map shifted the district slightly to the east, but much of it remained the same. The incumbent is Republican David Rouzer, who has represented the district since 2015. He was elected with 59% of the vote in 2014, succeeding retiring Democratic incumbent Mike McIntyre.
Republican primary
Rouzer is running for re-election to a second term. Former North Carolina Republican Party second congressional district Chairman Mark Otto was challenging Rouzer for the Republican nomination under the old map, but did not file his candidacy under the new map. New Hanover County Commissioner Woody White, who ran in 2014, was speculated to be considering a rematch, but decided not to run.
Candidates
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Democratic primary
J. Wesley Casteen, an attorney and CPA who was the Libertarian nominee for this seat in 2014, was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
District 8
The 8th district is located in southern-central North Carolina. The new map shifted the district slightly to the north and to the east. The incumbent is Republican Richard Hudson, who has represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
Richard Hudson is running for re-election to a third term, and was unopposed for the Republican nomination under the old map. Wes Rhinier, a Rowan County Republican Party Executive Committee member, had expressed interest in a primary challenge of Hudson, but did not end up running. After the new district map was adopted, Tim D'Annunzio, who had been running in the 2nd district, filed instead to run in the 8th.
Candidates
Democratic primary
Thomas Mills was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Local Democrats had attempted to recruit former State Senator Cal Cunningham to challenge Hudson, but Cunningham announced he was not running for office in 2016.
District 9
The 9th district is located in south-central North Carolina. The new map moved the 9th district to the east and to the south. The incumbent is Republican Robert Pittenger, who has represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 94% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
George Rouco, an attorney and former CIA officer, was challenging Pittenger for the Republican nomination under the old map. After the new map was adopted, Rouco filed to run in the 13th district instead. Meanwhile, two other Republicans filed to challenge Pittenger, including the Rev. Mark Harris, who ran in 2014 for the U.S. Senate, and former Union County Commissioner Todd Johnson.
Candidates
Results
Harris called for a recount, as allowed under state law because Pittenger's margin of victory was so small.
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Democratic primary
Christian Cano was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
District 10
The 10th district is located in central and western North Carolina. The new map made only minor changes to the district. The incumbent is Republican Patrick McHenry, who has represented the district since 2005. He was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
Patrick McHenry is running for re-election. He was being opposed by one candidate, Albert Wiley, in the Republican primary under the old map. After the new map was adopted, two more Republican challengers filed.
Candidates
Democratic primary
Financial planner Andy Millard was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
District 11
The 11th district is located in western North Carolina. The new map made only minor changes to the district.
The incumbent is Republican Mark Meadows, who has represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
Mark Meadows is running for re-election to a third term, and was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Democratic primary
Bryson City Alderman Rick Bryson and 2014 nominee Tom Hill ran for the Democratic nomination.
Candidates
District 12
The 12th district includes nearly all of Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County. The new 2016 map made major changes to the 12th district, which had previously been a narrow district that included parts of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lexington, Salisbury, Concord, and High Point, as well as parts of Charlotte. The incumbent is Democrat Alma Adams, who has represented the district since 2014. She was elected with 75% of the vote in 2014.
Democratic primary
Alma Adams is running for re-election to a second term. Adams' home in Greensboro was removed from the 12th district, but she announced she would move to Charlotte. Gardenia Henley, a retired U.S. diplomat, Inspector General Auditor and frequent candidate who ran in 2014 for the 5th district, was challenging Adams for the Democratic nomination under the previous map, and continued to run after the map changed.
Former State Senator Malcolm Graham of Mecklenburg County, who lost the 2014 primary to Adams (44%-24%), was rumored as a potential primary challenger. Subsequently, Graham did not run under the map in place at the time. Later, however, after the new district map was adopted, Graham filed to run. Three members of the North Carolina House of Representatives who represent parts of Mecklenburg County also ran: Tricia Cotham, Carla Cunningham and Rodney W. Moore. Moore later suspended his campaign, but his name remained on the ballot.
Candidates
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Republican primary
Three candidates filed as Republicans: Ryan Duffie, a securities trader; Leon Threatt, a pastor and former police officer; and Paul Wright, a retired judge who ran for U.S. Senate in 2016, in the 4th congressional district in 2014, and for Governor in 2012.
Candidates
District 13
The 13th district is located primarily in the Piedmont Triad area. The new map completely moved the 13th district, which had previously consisted of parts of Wake County and eastern North Carolina. The incumbent is Republican George Holding, who has represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2014.
Republican primary
George Holding had been running for re-election to a third term, and was unopposed for the Republican nomination, under the old map. After the new map was adopted, he filed to run in the 2nd district. The new district attracted a large field of Republican candidates, including state Representatives John Blust, Julia Howard, Harry J. Warren and state Senator Andrew Brock, as well as perennial candidates James Snyder Jr. and Vernon Robinson, and Dan Barrett, a county commissioner who ran for Governor in 2004.
Ted Budd, a gun shop owner who had never before run for public office, won the Republican nomination.
Candidates
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Democratic primary
Ron Sanyal, who ran for this seat in 2014, and John P. McNeil, an attorney and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, were running for the seat under the old map. After the new map was adopted, they filed to run in the 2nd district instead. New candidates in the 13th included businessman Kevin Griffin, who had just lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to Deborah Ross.
Bruce Davis, a veteran, small business owner, and former Guilford County Commissioner, won the Democratic nomination. Bob Isner, father of tennis star John Isner, came in a close second.