Tillis Stuns Hagan, Joins New GOP Senate Majority | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Rick Henderson, who is managing editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.

Sales tax hikes have tough night as bonds pass easily

    RALEIGH     In one of the most closely watched U.S. Senate contests nationally, Republican House Speaker Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County knocked off incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan in a race capping a night that saw the GOP seize the majority in the upper chamber, unifying control of Congress.

    Unofficial results show Tillis winning 48.84 percent, Hagan 47.23 percent, and Libertarian Sean Haugh 3.74 percent of the 2.9 million ballots cast.

    More than $109 million was spent by candidates, parties, and independent groups on the race, making it the costliest of this election cycle, pending a Dec. 6 runoff for the Louisiana Senate seat held by incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu.

    Hagan appeared to be in good shape at the end of the early voting period. Of the 1.1 million voters who took advantage of one-stop or mail-in absentee voting, 48 percent of the ballots were cast by Democrats, 32 percent by Republicans, and 20 percent by unaffiliated voters.

    Moreover, she entered election day with a slim lead in the polls. The Real Clear Politics average of the 32 polls taken since the May 6 primary showed Hagan edging Tillis by 0.7 percentage points, 44.1 percent to 43.4 percent. Tillis led in only four of those polls.

    But Hagan never had surpassed 50 percent in any election survey, which can signal danger for incumbents.

    When election-day tallies started coming in, Tillis slipped into the lead and maintained a margin ranging between 1 and 3 percentage points until media organizations called the race around 10:30 p.m.

    Hagan gave her concession speech just before midnight in Greensboro, telling supporters she had called Tillis to congratulate him and vowed to aid him during the transition.

    Tillis gave his victory speech around 12:15 a.m. "You all refused to lose, and that's why I'm standing here before you," Tillis said to supporters in Charlotte.

    Roughly an hour before the race was called, Democratic political consultant Thomas Mills told WPTF radio in Raleigh that he thought Hagan would not be able to catch Tillis. Given the public's dissatisfaction with the direction of the country, and Democrats' lack of enthusiasm, Mills said this year's turnout would need to meet or surpass the 44 percent level of the 2010 election for Hagan to win a second term. He said he had hoped for turnout of 45 percent or higher.

    Unofficial results show turnout at 43.8 percent.

    Tillis becomes part of a freshly minted Republican Senate majority. As of 2:00 a.m., Republicans held 52 seats in the Senate — a net gain of seven — with Democratic-held seats in Alaska, Louisiana, and Virginia undecided. Alaska's polls had closed only an hour earlier and votes were being counted; Virginia's race was too close to call; and none of the three candidates in Louisiana won a majority, so the Pelican State will hold a runoff election Dec. 6. Republicans could have as many as 55 seats in the 114th Congress convening in January.


    Voters decided a host of other issues Tuesday.

    A measure on the ballot allowing criminal defendants in non-capital felony cases to waive their rights to a jury trial won 53-47. Defendant and their attorneys, with the consent of a judge, can choose a bench trial in which the judge determines the defendant's guilt or innocence. The amendment aligns North Carolina's handling of non-capital felony cases with the laws of every other state and the procedures in federal law.


    Residents of 10 counties considered 0.25-cent sales tax hikes. Only two passed, both by narrow margins — 52-48 in Anson County and 53-47 in Ashe County. It marked the first time residents of those counties have increased their sales tax rates since the 2007 session of the General Assembly provided that local option.

    Meantime, tax increases failed in Bertie, Bladen, Carteret, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Richmond, Rockingham, and Stanly counties. The Guilford measure, which failed by a margin of 43 percent to 57 percent, was the fourth unsuccessful attempt by the county to raise the sales tax rate locally.


    Referendums to expand local indebtedness fared much better than tax increases. In fact, every bond issue passed, adding slightly more than $1 billion in cumulative debt to local government balance sheets.

• Cabarrus County enacted a $9 million community college bond by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent and an $11 million school bond, 65-35.
• Harnett County passed a $100 million school bond measure, 52 percent to 48 percent.
• Iredell County authorized $119.5 million in school bonds by a 56 percent to 44 percent majority and a $12 million community college bond by a 54 percent to 46 percent vote.
• Lee County passed four bond measures for Central Carolina Community College: $9 million for a health science building (70 percent to 30 percent); $5 million for a veterinary medical technology building (69-31); $4 million for emergency services and campus facilities (71-29); and $5 million for a civic center and business incubator (64-36).
• New Hanover County endorsed a $160 million school bond measure by a 64-36 margin.
• Pender County passed a $75 million school bond referendum, 57-43.

• Blowing Rock authorized four bond measures: $2 million for water systems (80 percent to 20 percent); $1 million for sanitary sewer systems (81-19); $9 million for streets and sidewalks (73-27); and $1 million for parks and recreation (72-28).
• Charlotte endorsed three referendums: $111 million for public improvements (70 percent to 30 percent); $15 million for housing (64-36); and $20 million for neighborhood improvement (71-29).
• Hickory passed a $25 million streets and sidewalk bond issue by a 60-40 vote and a $15 million economic development measure, 55-45.
• Raleigh enacted $92 million in bonds for parks and recreational facilities by a margin of 67 percent to 33 percent.
• Wake Forest passed three bond measures: $6.3 million for street and sidewalk improvement (70 percent to 30 percent); $14.2 million for parks and recreation (66-34); and $4.6 million for greenway improvement (65-35).
• Wilmington passed a $44 million street and sidewalk bond referendum 65-35.