Ronnie_Chatterji
The North Carolina Council of State elections of 2020 were held on November 3, 2020, to select the ten officers of the North Carolina Council of State. These elections coincided with the presidential election, elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the Senate and elections to the North Carolina General Assembly and top state courts. Primary elections were held on March 3, 2020, for offices for which more than one candidate filed per party.
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All 10 members of the North Carolina Council of State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The ten members of the North Carolina Council of State are statewide-elected officers serving four-year terms.[1]
The result of the 2020 elections was a Council of State consisting of 4 Democrats and 6 Republicans, just as it had been before the elections.[2] Three seats (Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Commissioner of Labor) were open, but in each case, a Republican succeeded a fellow Republican.
Incumbent governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ran for a second term. The Republican Party nominated Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest. The Libertarian Party nominated Steven J. DiFore and the Constitution Party nominated Al Pisano. Cooper won re-election to a second term with 51.5% of the vote. Cooper received the most votes of any Democrat on the ballot in North Carolina in 2020.
Incumbent lieutenant governor Dan Forest, a Republican, was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits set by the North Carolina Constitution. Forest ran for the governorship.
The Republican Party nominated Mark Robinson, a businessman and first-time political candidate. The Democratic party nominated State Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley. Robinson defeated Holley, winning 51.6% of the vote to Holley's 48.4%. Robinson thus became North Carolina's first African-American lieutenant governor.
Incumbent attorney general Josh Stein, a Democrat, ran for a second term. He faced Republican nominee Jim O'Neill in the general election. Stein defeated O'Neill by just over 13,000 votes out of over 5.4 million cast.
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Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, was first elected to the position of secretary of state in 1996 and has held the position since then. She is currently the longest-tenured member of the Council of State. She was unopposed in the primary. The Republican Party nominated businessman E.C. Sykes. Marshall won with 51.2% of the vote, a slightly smaller percentage of the vote than what she received in 2016. She was elected to her seventh term as secretary of state. No Republican has won election to this office since 1872, the longest streak for any state office in the country.[3]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Elaine Marshall, incumbent secretary of state[4]
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Chad Brown, Gaston County commissioner[4]
- Michael LaPaglia, business consultant and nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State in 2016[5]
- E.C. Sykes, businessman[6]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Chad Brown |
Michael LaPaglia |
E.C. Sykes |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper Polling/Civitas Institute | December 2–4, 2019 | 500 (LV) | ± 4.38% | 20% | 4% | 5% | 71% |
Results
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
- 50–60%
- 60–70%
- 30–40%
- 40–50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | E.C. Sykes | 296,457 | 42.9 | |
| Republican | Chad Brown | 262,595 | 38.0 | |
| Republican | Michael LaPaglia | 131,832 | 19.1 | |
| Total votes | 690,884 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[8] | Likely D | June 25, 2020 |
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Elaine Marshall (D) |
E.C. Sykes (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Point Analytics (R) | July 22–24, 2020 | 735 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 44% | 42% | 14% |
| Cardinal Point Analytics (R) | July 13–15, 2020 | 547 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 47% | 39% | 14% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Elaine Marshall (incumbent) | 2,755,571 | 51.16% | -1.10% | |
| Republican | E.C. Sykes | 2,630,559 | 48.84% | +1.10% | |
| Total votes | 5,386,130 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
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Incumbent Auditor Beth Wood, a Democrat, ran for a fourth term. She was narrowly re-elected in 2016, winning by just over six thousand votes. Wood was challenged in the Democratic primary by Luis Toledo, a former Assistant State Auditor. Toledo argued that change was needed in the Auditor's office.[10] Beth Wood won the primary by a large margin. Anthony Street, a small business owner and member of the Brunswick County Soil and Water Board, won the Republican primary.[11] Wood won the general election with 50.9% of the vote.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
Results
- 70–80%
- 80–90%
- >90%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Beth A. Wood (incumbent) | 895,610 | 77.7 | |
| Democratic | Luis A. Toledo | 257,433 | 22.3 | |
| Total votes | 1,153,043 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Tim Hoegemeyer, general counsel for the Office of State Auditor and U.S. Marine Corps veteran[13]
- Tony Wayne Street, Brunswick County Soil and Water Board member[14][6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Anthony Wayne (Tony) Street | 379,051 | 56.2 | |
| Republican | Tim Hoegemeyer | 295,903 | 43.8 | |
| Total votes | 674,954 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Beth A. Wood (incumbent) | 2,730,175 | 50.88% | +0.81% | |
| Republican | Anthony Wayne (Tony) Street | 2,635,825 | 49.12% | -0.81% | |
| Total votes | 5,366,000 | 100.0% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
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Incumbent Treasurer Dale Folwell, a Republican, ran for a second term.
Duke University professor Ronnie Chatterji won the nomination of the Democratic Party by receiving 36% of the vote in the primary. He defeated Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera and Matt Leatherman, who served as policy director for former state treasurer Janet Cowell.
Folwell defeated Chatterji in the general election. Folwell won 52.6% of the vote to Chatterji's 47.4%.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Dimple Ajmera, Charlotte city councilwoman[15]
- Ronnie Chatterji, professor at Duke University[16]
- Matt Leatherman, policy director for former North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell[17]
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Dimple Ajmera |
Ronnie Chatterji |
Matt Leatherman |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | February 2–4, 2020 | 604 (LV) | - | 9% | 4% | 8% | 80% |
| Public Policy Polling | January 10–12, 2020 | 509 (LV) | - | 10% | 5% | 6% | 80% |
Results
- Chatterji—61-70%
- Chatterji—51-60%
- Chatterji—41-50%
- Chatterji—31-40%
- Ajmera—61-70%
- Ajmera—51-60%
- Ajmera—41-50%
- Ajmera—31-40%
- Leatherman—51-60%
- Leatherman—41-50%
- Leatherman—31-40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ronnie Chatterji | 411,732 | 35.8 | |
| Democratic | Dimple Ajmera | 390,888 | 34.0 | |
| Democratic | Matt Leatherman | 347,226 | 30.2 | |
| Total votes | 1,149,846 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Dale Folwell, incumbent state treasurer
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Dale Folwell (R) |
Ronnie Chatterji (D) |
Other | Undecided |
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| East Carolina University | October 27–28, 2020 | 1,103 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 48% | 44% | 3%[lower-alpha 2] | 5% |
| Meeting Street Insights (R) Archived October 31, 2020, at the Wayback Machine | October 24–27, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 44% | 45% | – | 8% |
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | October 22–25, 2020 | 504 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 43% | 44% | – | 13% |
| East Carolina University | October 15–18, 2020 | 1,155 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 47% | 43% | 3%[lower-alpha 3] | 7% |
| East Carolina University | October 2–4, 2020 | 1,232 (LV) | ± 3.2% | 44% | 44% | 1%[lower-alpha 4] | 11% |
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | September 17–20, 2020 | 612 (LV) | ± 3.96% | 39% | 39% | – | 22% |
| East Carolina University | August 29–30, 2020 | 1,101 (LV) | ± 3.4% | 41% | 40% | 5%[lower-alpha 5] | 14% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Dale Folwell (incumbent) | 2,812,799 | 52.58% | -0.12% | |
| Democratic | Ronnie Chatterji | 2,537,019 | 47.42% | +0.12% | |
| Total votes | 5,349,818 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
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Mark Johnson was elected to the position of State Superintendent in 2016, defeating incumbent June Atkinson by a narrow margin. Johnson opted not to run for a second term as Superintendent, instead declaring his candidacy for lieutenant governor.[18] Johnson's candidacy was unsuccessful, placing third in the Republican primary.
Jen Mangrum, an associate professor at UNC Greensboro, received the most votes out of the five candidates in the Democratic primary. Catherine Truitt, chancellor of Western Governors University North Carolina and a former education advisor to Governor Pat McCrory, ran for the Republican nomination. She defeated State Representative D. Craig Horn in the primary. This was the only Council of State election in which both candidates were women.
On Election Day, Truitt defeated Magnum by 2.76 percentage points. She won a slightly higher percentage of the vote than Mark Johnson did in 2016.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- James Barrett, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school board member[19]
- Constance Lav Johnson, educator and activist[19]
- Michael Maher, assistant dean of professional education at North Carolina State University[19]
- Jen Mangrum, associate professor at UNC Greensboro and candidate for North Carolina Senate in 2018[19]
- Keith Sutton, Wake County School board member[19]
Withdrawn
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jen Mangrum | 378,396 | 33.2 | |
| Democratic | Keith Sutton | 303,592 | 26.6 | |
| Democratic | Constance Lav Johnson | 240,710 | 21.1 | |
| Democratic | James Barrett | 122,855 | 10.8 | |
| Democratic | Michael Maher | 95,239 | 8.3 | |
| Total votes | 1,140,072 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- D. Craig Horn, state representative[21][6]
- Catherine Truitt, chancellor of Western Governors University in North Carolina and former senior education advisor to Pat McCrory[22]
Declined
- Mark Johnson, incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction[18]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Catherine Truitt | 391,915 | 56.7 | |
| Republican | D. Craig Horn | 299,578 | 43.3 | |
| Total votes | 691,493 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Catherine Truitt (R) |
Jen Mangrum (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | October 22–25, 2020 | 504 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 42% | 45% | 13% |
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | September 17–20, 2020 | 612 (LV) | ± 3.96% | 38% | 38% | 22% |
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | August 6–10, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 35% | 35% | 31% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Catherine Truitt | 2,753,220 | 51.38% | +0.78% | |
| Democratic | Jen Mangrum | 2,605,169 | 48.62% | -0.78% | |
| Total votes | 5,358,389 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
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Incumbent Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican, was first elected in 2004. He was unopposed in the primary.
Three Democrats ran to challenge Troxler: Walter Smith, who ran for the office in 2012 and 2016 (losing to Troxler both times), Jenna Wadsworth, a Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, and Donovan Alexander Watson, a businessman from Durham. Wadsworth came in first place in the primary.
On election day, Troxler won a fifth term as Agriculture Commissioner. He won 53.9% of the statewide vote, a slightly smaller percentage than he received in 2016, when he won 55.6%. Despite this, Troxler still won the largest percentage of the vote of statewide candidate in North Carolina in 2020.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
Results
- Wadsworth—71-80%
- Wadsworth—61-70%
- Wadsworth—51-60%
- Wadsworth—41-50%
- Smith—71-80%
- Smith—61-70%
- Smith—51-60%
- Smith—41-50%
- Smith—31-40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jenna Wadsworth | 609,910 | 54.0 | |
| Democratic | Walter Smith | 344,111 | 30.5 | |
| Democratic | Donovan Alexander Watson | 175,207 | 15.5 | |
| Total votes | 1,129,228 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Steve Troxler, incumbent Agriculture Commissioner (unopposed in the primary)
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size |
Margin of error |
Steve Troxler (R) |
Jenna Wadsworth (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting Street Insights (R) Archived October 31, 2020, at the Wayback Machine | October 24–27, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 50% | 42% | 6% |
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | October 22–25, 2020 | 504 (LV) | ± 4.4% | 47% | 44% | 9% |
| Harper Polling/Civitas (R) | August 6–10, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 42% | 34% | 24% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Steve Troxler (incumbent) | 2,901,849 | 53.86% | -1.60% | |
| Democratic | Jenna Wadsworth | 2,485,722 | 46.14% | +1.60% | |
| Total votes | 5,387,571 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
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Cherie Berry was first elected to the position of Commissioner of Labor in 2000 and took office as only the second Republican Labor Commissioner in the history of North Carolina. On April 2, 2019, Berry announced that she would not seek re-election, and would retire from politics. Josh Dobson, a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2013, won the Republican primary over Chuck Stanley, a construction safety manager, and former State Rep. Pearl Burris-Floyd. Wake County commissioner Jessica Holmes was the only Democrat to run. Dobson won the general election with 50.8% of the vote.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Jessica Holmes, Wake County commissioner[19] (unopposed in the primary)
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Pearl Burris-Floyd, former state representative[23]
- Josh Dobson, state representative[24]
- Chuck Stanley, construction safety manager[6]
Declined
- Cherie Berry, incumbent State Labor Commissioner[25]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Josh Dobson | 274,379 | 40.3 | |
| Republican | Chuck Stanley | 257,883 | 37.9 | |
| Republican | Pearl Burris-Floyd | 148,710 | 21.8 | |
| Total votes | 680,972 | 100.0 | ||
General election
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Josh Dobson (R) |
Jessica Holmes (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Meeting Street Insights (R) Archived October 31, 2020, at the Wayback Machine | October 24–27, 2020 | 600 (LV) | ± 4% | 43% | 47% | 7% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Josh Dobson | 2,726,619 | 50.83% | -4.36% | |
| Democratic | Jessica Holmes | 2,637,528 | 49.17% | +4.47% | |
| Total votes | 5,364,147 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
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Incumbent Commissioner Mike Causey, a Republican, ran for a second term.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Declared
- Wayne Goodwin, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party and former State Insurance Commissioner (2009–2017)[26]
Republican primary
Candidates
Declared
- Mike Causey, incumbent State Insurance Commissioner
- Ronald Pierce, candidate for North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance in 2016[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Causey (incumbent) | 448,066 | 64.6 | |
| Republican | Ronald Pierce | 245,851 | 35.4 | |
| Total votes | 693,917 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[lower-alpha 1] |
Margin of error |
Mike Causey (R) |
Wayne Goodwin (D) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal Point Analytics (R) | July 22–24, 2020 | 735 (LV) | ± 3.6% | 45% | 37% | 8% |
| Cardinal Point Analytics (R) | July 13–15, 2020 | 547 (LV) | ± 4.2% | 41% | 39% | 20% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Mike Causey (incumbent) | 2,775,488 | 51.76% | +1.36% | |
| Democratic | Wayne Goodwin | 2,586,464 | 48.24% | -1.36% | |
| Total votes | 5,361,952 | 100.0% | |||
| Republican hold | |||||
The Council of State was sworn in on January 9, 2021.[27]
- "Article III". North Carolina Constitution. State of North Carolina. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- State Board of Elections: General Election results for Council of State. Accessed Nov. 14, 2020.
- "Our Campaigns - Container Detail Page". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- Coleman, Dashiell (January 18, 2019). "Gaston's Chad Brown to run for N.C. secretary of state". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- Dunn, Andrew (January 7, 2019). "Michael LaPaglia to run again for N.C. Secretary of State". Longleaf Politics. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- "03/03/2020 OFFICIAL LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections.
- "An Updated Look at Handicapping the 2020 Secretary of State Elections". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- "State Composite Abstract Report - Contest.pdf" (PDF). North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- "Candidate Questionnaire: Luis Toledo, State Auditor". INDY Week. February 11, 2020.
- "Meet the candidates vying to protect taxpayer funds as N.C.'s state auditor". The Daily Tar Heel.
- Fain, Travis (June 7, 2019). "State auditor raffles off car for re-election campaign". WRAL. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- Campbell, Colin (September 20, 2019). "The state auditor's top attorney is running against her in 2020". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
- "Charlotte Councilwoman announces she's running for NC State Treasurer". WSOCTV. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- "Indian American Economist Ronnie Chatterji Announces Candidacy for Treasurer in North Carolina". India West. May 23, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- Moomey, Liz (July 26, 2019). "Rowan native Matt Leatherman announces bid for NC treasurer". Salisbury Post. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- Bonner, Lynn; Thompson, Elizabeth (March 10, 2019). "Who's running in North Carolina's 2020 statewide races?". The News & Observer.
- Bell, Liz (November 25, 2019). "State superintendent candidates talk about early learning, race in North Carolina schools". EDNC. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
- Hinchcliffe, Kelly (October 18, 2019). "Republican lawmaker considering running for state superintendent in 2020". WRAL. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
- "Former Johnston County School Teacher Announces Candidacy For NC Superintendent Of Public Instruction". The Johnston County Report. November 26, 2019. Retrieved December 13, 2019.
- Stewart, Gavin (September 10, 2019). "Gaston Republican running for state labor commissioner". Gaston Gazette. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
- "Dobson plans run for Labor commissioner". The McDowell News. May 6, 2019.
- De La Canal, Nick (April 2, 2019). "NC Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry Won't Run In 2020". WFAE 90.7.
- Amy O'Connor (November 5, 2020). "Causey Re-Elected as North Carolina Insurance Commissioner". Insurance Journal.
- Web Staff (January 9, 2021). "North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, state officials sworn in during inauguration ceremony". WXII 12. Archived from the original on January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
- NC State Board of Elections
- NC State Board of Elections: Council of State Primary Election Results
- NC State Board of Elections: General Election results for Council of State
- Government Documents Round Table of the American Library Association, "North Carolina", Voting & Elections Toolkits
- "North Carolina: Election Tools, Deadlines, Dates, Rules, and Links", Vote.org, Oakland, CA
- "League of Women Voters of North Carolina". (State affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
- North Carolina at Ballotpedia
- Official campaign websites for Secretary of State
- Official campaign websites for Auditor
- Official campaign websites for Treasurer
- Official campaign websites for Superintendent
- Official campaign websites for Ag Commissioner
- Official campaign websites for Labor Commissioner
- Official campaign websites for Insurance Commissioner