Recounts are in the mix after neither candidate gained a decisive majority of votes Tuesday in five races for the N.C. General Assembly — one in the Senate, four in the House.
Candidates automatically are entitled to a recount if the vote difference is less than 1 percent of total votes cast, but they still must request it. If Republicans prevail in all five races, they would have a 31-19 majority in the Senate and 68-51 majority in the House (plus one unaffiliated most likely to caucus with Republicans).
David McLennan, a political science professor at Peace College in Raleigh, said the tight results in these and other districts were a result of three trends.
“First, the Republican tide has made Democrat-held districts more competitive,” he said. “Second, fundraising by Republicans was much stronger, so sometimes the races had more money in them. And third, the candidates themselves. The state GOP was much better at finding Republicans and running them in select races.”
A breakdown of the races:
• Senate District 50: Republican challenger Jim Davis has a 187-vote lead over incumbent Democrat John Snow out of over 61,000 votes cast.
• House District 9: Democratic incumbent Marian McLawhorn has a 229-vote lead over Republican challenger Stan Larson out of nearly 23,000 votes cast.
• House District 44: Democrat Diane Parfitt has a 70-vote lead over Republican Johnny Dawkins out of 16,000 votes cast.
• House District 45: Democratic incumbent Rick Glazier has a 24-vote lead over Republican challenger Jackie Warner out of 19,000 votes cast.
• House District 77: Republican challenger Harry Warren has a 169-vote lead over Democratic incumbent Lorene Coates out of 18,000 votes cast.
David N. Bass is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.