N.C. Congressional Delegation has Familiar Post-Election Look | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Barry Smith, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Burr gained momentum in Senate race as election drew near; House delegation retains its 10-3 partisan split

    Incumbents ruled the day in the North Carolina congressional delegation as the state's voters sent Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr back to Washington for a third term and kept the GOP's 10-3 U.S House majority intact.

    "In a night of surprises, that was probably one of the least of them," said Andy Taylor, professor of political science at N.C. State University, of Burr's victory. "Burr was always running ahead of [Gov. Pat] McCrory and [President-elect Donald] Trump in the polls."

    Taylor said when polling showed the U.S. Senate race tightening, Democrats thought pouring money into it might be a good investment. "All that did was wake the Burr campaign out of its slumber," Taylor said.

    During his victory speech Tuesday night in Winston-Salem, Burr noted that he was only the third North Carolinian to hold that Senate seat for more than two terms, joining state political icons Sam Ervin and Jesse Helms.


Sen. Richard Burr thanks supporters at his victory speech Tuesday night in Winston-Salem. (CJ photo by Dan Way)

    The makeup of the U.S. House delegation from North Carolina was no surprise, Taylor said. "It's largely a function of the districts being drawn as safe Republican and Democratic districts," he said.

    The one race of interest was the newly drawn 13th Congressional District, where political newcomer Ted Budd, a Republican from Davie County, defeated Democrat Bruce Davis of Guilford County, 56 percent to 44 percent.

Three Democrats easily held on to their safe seats:

• Rep. G.K. Butterfield garnered 69 percent of the vote in his race against Republican H. Powell Dew Jr. (29 percent) and Libertarian J.J. Summerell (2 percent) in the 1st Congressional District.
• Rep. David Price, the dean of the North Carolina delegation, claimed 68 percent of the vote against Sue Googe, who had 32 percent, in the 4th Congressional District.
• Rep. Alma Adams defeated Republican Leon Threatt 67 percent to 33 percent in the 12th Congressional District.

    The remaining nine Republican candidates won by comfortable margins over their Democratic opponents:

• Rep. George Holding defeated John McNeil 57 percent to 43 percent in the 2nd Congressional District. Holding currently holds the 13th District seat, but he chose to pursue the 2nd District after the General Assembly, under court order, drew new congressional maps and shifted the 13th District roughly 100 miles west.
• Rep. Walter B. Jones defeated Ernest Reeves 67 percent to 33 percent in the 3rd Congressional District.
• Rep. Virginia Foxx defeated Josh Brannon 58 percent to 42 percent in the 5th Congressional District.
• Rep. Mark Walker defeated Pete Glidewell 59 percent to 41 percent in the 6th Congressional District.
• Rep. David Rouzer defeated Wesley Casteen 61 percent to 39 percent in the 7th Congressional District.
• Rep. Richard Hudson defeated Thomas Mills 59 percent to 41 percent in the 8th Congressional District.
• Rep. Robert Pittenger defeated Christian Cano 58 percent to 42 percent in the 9th Congressional District.
• Rep. Patrick McHenry defeated Andy Millard 63 percent to 37 percent in the 10th Congressional District.
• Rep. Mark Meadows defeated R
   

ick Bryson 64 percent to 36 percent in the 11th Congressional District.