A shift of power in the General Assembly, split votes on six North Carolina constitutional amendments, and a night for incumbents – North Carolina voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, and the results are in.
Democrats Break The Republican Supermajority In Raleigh
The Democrats needed to pick up four House seats in order to break that supermajority. They did that easily winning at least eight, and in the Senate, we still don't know yet as there are some races that are too close to call, but there is a possibility that they could also break the supermajority in the Senate.
Constitutional Amendments
We had six potential changes to the constitution, and four of them passed. Those include voter ID, the right to hunt and fish, victim's rights, and a cap on the income tax rate.
But notably the two that didn't pass had to do with how much power Governor Cooper has compared to the legislature. One of the measures would have given legislatures the lead role in picking judges when those seats become vacant. That failed. And the other one would have given lawmakers more say on the makeup of the State Board of Elections. That also failed.
Congressional Races
In the 5th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Virginia Foxx beat Democratic challenger D.D. Adams, a well-known Winston-Salem City Councilwoman. The 13th district was a contest between incumbent Republican Ted Budd versus Kathy Manning, Greensboro's well-known attorney and businesswoman. Budd did prevail in that race which received a lot of attention and a lot of money, and ultimately the seat is retained by the Republicans. Incumbent Republican Mark Walker defeated Democratic challenger Ryan Watts in the race for the U.S. 6th District seat.
North Carolina Supreme Court
Democrat Anita Earls unseated Associate Justice Barbara Jackson in the lone race for North Carolina's Supreme Court. The win gives Democrats five of the seven seats on the court. Republicans had the majority just two years ago.