November 6, 2024
Results from Election Day bolster North Carolina’s status as a purple swing state. While most elections were called last night, several major statewide races have not officially reported a winner. Any races that are within a 1% margin are eligible for a recount. The Election Results Dashboard from the NC State Board of Elections will continue to be updated with the most accurate results. County election boards will certify results on November 15 followed by the NC State Board of Elections on November 26.
NC Governor and Council of State Races
For the third time in eight years, North Carolina voters elected a Republican candidate for President and a Democratic candidate for Governor. Democrat Josh Stein (current NC Attorney General) was elected to serve as Governor of North Carolina, defeating Republican candidate Mark Robinson (current NC Lieutenant Governor). Council of State race results include:
–Lieutenant Governor: Rachel Hunt (D)
–Attorney General: Jeff Jackson (D)
–Secretary of State: Elaine Marshall (D – Incumbent)
–State Treasurer: Brad Briner (R)
–Superintendent of Public Instruction: Maurice “Mo” Green (D)
–State Auditor: Dave Boliek (R)
–Commissioner of Agriculture: Steve Troxler (R – Incumbent)
–Commissioner of Labor: Luke Farley (R)
–Commissioner of Insurance: Mike Causey (R – Incumbent)
NC General Assembly
Republicans currently hold a supermajority in both the House and Senate, but results and projections suggest that Democrats have narrowly broken through the supermajority in the House by gaining one seat (likely 71-49), meaning that any attempts to override a gubernatorial veto will require bipartisan support. Senate Republicans will maintain their supermajority in the Senate (likely 31-19). With all precincts reported, some results still remain too close to call and may be eligible for a recount.
Durham County will have one new member of the delegation with the election of Sophia Chitlik (D – Senate District 22), who will replace longtime legislator Mike Woodard. All other members of the Durham delegation were re-elected, including:
–Natalie Murdock (D – Incumbent), Senate District 20
–Vernetta Alston (D – Incumbent), House District 29 –
Zack Hawkins (D – Incumbent), House District 31
–Ray Jeffers (D – Incumbent), House District 2
–Marcia Morey (D – Incumbent), District 30
In Wake County, Democrats will continue to hold a majority of the seats with the exceptions of incumbent Rep. Erin Pare (R) and newcomer Mike Schietzelt (R). It’s possible Republicans will pick up one additional seat in Senate District 18. Other race results include:
–Lisa Grafstein (D – Incumbent), Senate District 13
–Dan Blue (D – Incumbent), Senate District 14
–Jay Chaudhuri (D – Incumbent), Senate District 15
–Gale Adcock (D – Incumbent), Senate District 16
–Sydney Batch (D – Incumbent), Senate District 17
–Ashlee Adams (R) currently leads Senate District 18 (too close to call)
–Allison Dahle (D – Incumbent), House District 11
–Ya Liu (D – Incumbent), House District 21
–Monika Johnson-Hostler (D), House District 33
–Tim Longest (D – Incumbent), House District 34
–Mike Schietzelt (R), House District 35
–Julie Von Haefen (D – Incumbent), House District 36
–Erin Pare (R – Incumbent), House District 37
–Abe Jones (D – Incumbent), House District 38
–James Roberson (D – Incumbent), House District 39
–Joe John (D – Incumbent), House District 40
–Maria Cervania (D – Incumbent), House District 41
–Cynthia Ball (D – Incumbent), House District 49
–Sarah Crawford (D – Incumbent), House District 66
The Duke LifePoint Delegation in North Carolina (Wilson, Franklin, Vance, Lee, Person, Catawba, Rutherford, Haywood, Jackson, and Swain counties) will remain predominantly Republican, with the exception of Person County. Democrats also appear to have picked up two key seats, including in Wilson County where Ken Fontenot (R – Incumbent) was narrowly defeated by Democrat Dante Pittman. In Vance County, Frank Sossamon (R – Incumbent) is slightly trailing Democrat Bryan Cohn (not officially called).
Senator Phil Berger (R – Senate District 26) won his re-election and is poised to continue as the Senate President Pro Tempore in 2025. Rep. Destin Hall (R – House District 87) also won re-election and is the presumptive new Speaker of the House in 2025 with current Speaker Tim Moore heading to Congress.
NC Judicial Races
One seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court and three seats on the North Carolina Court of Appeals were on the ballot yesterday. The NC Supreme Court race remains too close to call with incumbent Justice Allison Riggs (D) slightly trailing her opponent, Jefferson Griffin (R). Republicans also won three seats on the Court of Appeals.
What’s Next?
We will continue to closely monitor election results and provide additional updates as needed. The NC General Assembly is scheduled to convene again in late November and it is unclear what issues they will choose to address given the election results. Looking ahead to 2025, the House and Senate will swear in legislators in early January, with business for the long session beginning in earnest in late January.
Post-Election Briefings
Duke State Relations will join the Duke University Government Relations and Duke Health Government Relations team to recap election results at two upcoming events. On Wednesday, November 13 from 1pm-2pm, members of the Duke University community are invited to attend a virtual post-election briefing. Register here. On Monday, November 18 from 12pm-1pm, members of the Duke Health community are invited to attend a virtual post-election lunch and learn. Register here.