2018 North Carolina Senate Election

The 2018 North Carolina Senate elections elected 50 members to serve in the North Carolina Senate for a two-year term starting in January 2019. The Democratic Party gained six seats in this election, ending the Republican supermajority that they had held since 2011 in the state senate.

52.98% of registered voters cast ballots in this election, marking the highest turnout for a midterm election in North Carolina since 1990.

Results summary

† - Incumbent not seeking re-election

Close races

''Districts where the margin of victory was under 10%:''
#District 9, 0.27% (gain)
#District 19, 0.74% (gain)
#District 27, 1.04% (gain)
#District 18, 2.55%
#District 17, 4.25% (gain)
#District 39, 5.78%
#District 1, 6.42%
#District 3, 7.72%
#District 24, 7.72%
#District 7, 7.8%

Incumbents defeated in primary election

* Shirley B. Randleman (R-District 30), lost a redistricting race to Deanna Ballard (R-District 45)
* Dan Barrett (R-District 34), lost a redistricting race to Joyce Krawiec (R-District 31)
* Joel Ford (D-District 38), defeated by Mujtaba Mohammed (D)
*David L. Curtis (R-District 44), defeated by Ted Alexander (R)

Incumbents defeated in general election

* Michael V. Lee (R-District 9), defeated by Harper Peterson (D)
* Tamara P. Barringer (R-District 17), defeated by Sam Searcy (D)
* Wesley Meredith (R-District 19), defeated by Kirk deViere (D)
*Trudy Wade (R-District 27), defeated by Michael Garrett (D)
* Jeff Tarte (R-District 41), defeated by Natasha Marcus (D)

Open seats that changed parties

* Jay Chaudhuri (D-District 16), instead ran in the 15th district, seat won by Wiley Nickel (D)

Predictions

Detailed results

Districts 1–25

District 1

Incumbent Republican Bill Cook had represented the 1st district since 2013. Cook did not seek re-election. Representative Bob Steinburg won the open seat.

District 2

Incumbent Republican Norman W. Sanderson had represented the 2nd district since 2013.

District 3

Incumbent Democrat Erica Smith had represented the 3rd district since 2015.

District 4

Incumbent Democrat Toby Fitch had represented the 4th district since 2018. Fitch won his first full term.

District 5

Incumbent Democrat Don Davis had represented the 5th district since 2013 and previously from 2009 to 2011.

District 6

Incumbent Republican Majority Leader Harry Brown had represented the 6th district since 2004. District 6 had the lowest number of votes cast in any district election in 2018.

District 7

Incumbent Republican Louis M. Pate Jr. had represented the 7th district and its predecessors since 2011.

District 8

Incumbent Republican Bill Rabon had represented the 8th district since 2011.

District 9

Incumbent Republican Michael Lee had represented the 9th district since 2014. Lee was defeated for re-election by Democrat Harper Peterson.

District 10

Incumbent Republican Brent Jackson had represented the 10th district since 2011.

District 11

Incumbent Republican Rick Horner had represented the 11th district since 2017.

District 12

Incumbent Republican Ronald Rabin had represented the 12th district since 2013. Rabin did not seek re-election. Republican Jim Burgin won the open seat.

District 13

Incumbent Republican Danny Britt had represented the 13th district since 2017.

District 14

Incumbent Democrat Dan Blue had represented the 14th district since 2009.

District 15

Following redistricting, the old 16th district became the new 15th district. Incumbent Democrat Jay Chaudhuri who had represented the 16th district since 2016, successfully sought re-election. Brian Lewis won the highest percentage vote of any Libertarian State Senate candidate in 2018, with 3.61%.

District 16

Following redistricting, the new 16th district is an open seat which is expected to favor Democrats.
Brian Irving won the highest number of votes of any Libertarian State Senate candidate in 2018 with 3,382 votes.

District 17

Incumbent Republican Tamara P. Barringer had represented the 17th district since 2013. Following redistricting, this seat was made more competitive. Barringer lost re-election to Democrat Sam Searcy.

District 18

Following redistricting, Incumbent Republicans Chad Barefoot and John M. Alexander Jr. had their homes both drawn into the new 18th district. The new 18th district, unlike the former 15th and 18th districts, is a competitive district which isn't safe for either party. Chad Barefoot retired, while John M. Alexander Jr. narrowly won re-election.
The election in District 18 had the highest number of votes cast of any district election in the 2018 elections.

District 19

Incumbent Republican Wesley Meredith had represented the 19th district since 2011. Meredith lost re-election to Democrat Kirk deViere.

District 20

Incumbent Democrat Floyd McKissick Jr. had represented the 20th district since 2007.

District 21

Incumbent Democrat Ben Clark had represented the 21st district since 2013.

District 22

Incumbent Democrat Mike Woodard had represented the 22nd district since 2013.

District 23

Incumbent Democrat Valerie Foushee had represented the 23rd district since 2013.

District 24

Incumbent Republican Rick Gunn had represented the 24th district since 2011.

District 25

Incumbent Republican Tom McInnis had represented the 25th district since 2015.

Districts 26–50

District 26

Following redistricting, the old 29th district became the new 26th district. Incumbent Republican Jerry W. Tillman, who had represented the 29th district since 2003, successfully sought re-election here.

District 27

Incumbent Republican Trudy Wade had represented the 27th district since 2013. Wade lost re-election to Democrat Michael Garrett.

District 28

Incumbent Democrat Gladys A. Robinson had represented the 28th district since 2011. This district had the largest margin of any district election in 2018.

District 29

Following redistricting, the new 29th district overlaps with much of the former 33rd district. Incumbent Republican Cathy Dunn, who had represented the 33rd district since 2017, did not seek re-election. Eddie Gallimore defeated representative Sam Watford to win the Republican nomination, and easily won the general election.

District 30

Following redistricting, most of the old 26th district became the new 30th district. Incumbent Republican president pro tempore Phil Berger, who had represented the 26th district and its predecessors since 2001, successfully sought re-election here.

District 31

Incumbent Republicans Joyce Krawiec, who had represented the 31st district since 2014, and Dan Barrett, who had represented the 34th district since his appointment in August 2017, sought re-election here. Krawiec narrowly defeated Barrett in the Republican primary, and easily won the general election.

District 32

Incumbent Democrat Paul A. Lowe Jr. had represented the 32nd district since 2015.

District 33

After redistricting, the old 33rd district became the new 29th district, and a new 33rd district was created.
The new district includes Rowan County and Stanly County. State representative Carl Ford was the Republican nominee.

District 34

Incumbent Republican Dan Barrett had represented the 34th district since his appointment in August 2017. Barrett chose to seek re-election in the 31st district after his home in Davie County was drawn into that district. The new 34th district includes Iredell and Yadkin counties, and was expected to favor Republicans. Republican Vickie Sawyer was elected to a full term here, though after already winning the GOP primary for this seat, she had been appointed to serve the balance of David L. Curtis's term in the 44th district.

District 35

Incumbent Republican Tommy Tucker had represented the 35th district since 2011. Tucker did not seek re-election.

District 36

Incumbent Republican Paul Newton had represented the 36th district since 2017.

District 37

Incumbent Democrat Jeff Jackson had represented the 37th district since 2014.

District 38

Incumbent Democrat Joel D. M. Ford had represented the 38th district since 2013. Ford lost the Democratic primary to Mujtaba Mohammed, who easily won the general election.

District 39

Incumbent Republican Dan Bishop had represented the 39th district since 2017.

District 40

Incumbent Democrat Joyce Waddell had represented the 40th district since 2015.

District 41

Incumbent Republican Jeff Tarte had represented the 41st district since 2013. Tarte lost re-election to Democrat Natasha Marcus.

District 42

Incumbent Republican Andy Wells had represented the 42nd district since 2015.

District 43

Incumbent Republican Kathy Harrington had represented the 43rd district since 2011.

District 44

Incumbent Republican David L. Curtis had represented the 44th district since 2013. Curtis lost re-nomination to fellow Republican Ted Alexander. Curtis resigned before the end of his term, and Vickie Sawyer was appointed to replace him. Alexander easily won the open seat here, while Sawyer was simultaneously elected to the newly created 34th district which contained her home.

District 45

Following redistricting, incumbent Republicans Deanna Ballard and Shirley B. Randleman had both of their homes drawn into the 45th district. The district was more Ballard's district than Randleman's, and Ballard defeated Randleman in the Republican primary. Ballard easily won the general election.

District 46

Incumbent Republican Warren Daniel had represented the 46th district and its predecessors since 2011.

District 47

Incumbent Republican Ralph Hise had represented the 47th district since 2011.

District 48

Incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards had represented the 48th district since 2016.

District 49

Incumbent Democrat Terry Van Duyn had represented the 49th district since 2014.

District 50

Incumbent Republican Jim Davis had represented the 50th district since 2011.

See also

* List of North Carolina state legislatures

Notes

References

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North Carolina Senate elections
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