Your Public Square Disclosing what is True, what is Real
Council of State Taking on Republican Hue
Publisher's note: The author of this post is Dan Way, who is an associate editor for the Carolina Journal, John Hood Publisher.
Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper claims to have won the governor's race, incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory says votes remain uncounted that could reverse Cooper's razor-thin margin, and several Council of State races swung from Democratic to GOP control in Tuesday's historic general election.
"We have won this race," Cooper told his supporters Tuesday night. He led McCrory by roughly 4,300 votes of more than 4.7 million ballots cast - 49 percent to 48.9 percent. He was calling for campaign donations Wednesday to help preserve his victory.
"Currently, there are tens of thousands of outstanding absentee, military, and provisional ballots across the state" that have yet to be counted, said McCrory campaign strategist Chris LaCivita.
"Claiming an outcome before the process has concluded is irresponsible, and disrespectful to the voters of North Carolina whose voices have yet to be heard," LaCivita said. "We also have grave concerns over potential irregularities in Durham County, including the sudden emergence of over 90,000 ballots at the end of the night."
"This is far from over," Joe Stewart, executive director of the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation, which tracks state elections, said at a post-election briefing Wednesday. "It's close enough that McCrory could call for a recount. It may be weeks and weeks before we have a final resolution."
Narrow losses in the attorney general and auditor races also might spark a recount call from the losers, Stewart said.
Democrats hold a 6-4 advantage on the Council of State, which traditionally has been dominated by Democrats. Most polls and pundits projected prior to the election that the most likely GOP pickup would be the open treasurer's seat held by Democrat Janet Cowell, who chose not to run for re-election.
But if Tuesday's unofficial returns hold up after the vote canvass, that could flip to a 6-4 Republican majority, including Republican Dale Folwell's wresting the treasurer's post from Democrat Dan Blue III, flipping that seat. Folwell had 2,349,527 votes (52.74 percent) to Blue's 2,105,522 (47.26 percent).
Republican Dale Folwell, who holds a 240,000-vote lead over Dan Blue III in the contest for state treasurer (and pictured here at the candidates' late-September debate), said Tuesday he would make the office more efficient, responsive, and transparent. (CJ photo by Dan Way)
Two-term Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and three-term Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson, both Democrats, lost in the unofficial returns.
Republican Mike Causey led Goodwin 2,248,352 (50.43) to 2,209,668 (49.57), and GOP candidate Mark Johnson bested Atkinson 2,262,909 (50.63) to 2,206,975 (49.37).
David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College, said the majority swing on the Council of State was unexpected.
"A lot of times people don't know the Council of State members, and to see someone like June Atkinson go down was kind of surprising," McLennan said. "To see the Treasurer's Office flip to Republican - I know Cowell wasn't on the ballot - was kind of interesting."
An oddity is that "You normally think that the governor is the one who has the coattails down the ballot, but it didn't appear that way" with Cooper's potential victory.
The flip might have something to do with the General Assembly's elimination of straight party ticket voting in 2013. "That's why I think straight ticket voting was popular in North Carolina," McLennan said, because unknown candidates for unfamiliar positions automatically could receive their party members' votes.
Eliminating that provision "forced more people to go race by race. It appears to have hurt some incumbents," McLennan said.
"It was a good night for Republicans," said N.C. State University political science professor Andy Taylor. But it's "really interesting down ballot."
Democrats won the two biggest statewide races in governor and attorney general, while Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump outperformed McCrory in their wins.
"It's unclear to me what this message means for state politics. It's pretty clear what it means nationally," Taylor said.
A rematch of the 2012 battle for lieutenant governor, in which Republican Dan Forest defeated Democrat Linda Coleman by 7,000 votes, was not much of a contest. Forest won a second term, 52 percent to 45 percent.
Incumbent Republicans Steve Troxler and Cherie Berry easily won new terms for agriculture commissioner and commissioner of labor, respectively.
Troxler, who has been in office since 2005, received 2,499,828 votes (55.61) to 1,995,302 for Democrat Walter Smith. Berry outpolled Democrat Charles Meeker 2,480,278 (55.22) to 2,006,341 (44.67) to win her fifth term.
Incumbent Democrat Elaine Marshall won a sixth term as secretary of state, while two-term incumbent Democrat State Auditor Beth Wood held a slim 2,500-vote lead over Republican challenger Chuck Stuber. Marshall had 2,341,413 votes (52.23) to 2,141,831 (47.77) for Republican Michael LaPaglia.
In the race to replace Cooper as attorney general, Democrat Josh Stein led Republican Buck Newton 2,277,288 (50.23) to 2,256,495 (49.77).
"I'm excited for the opportunity to go make a change," Johnson said at U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's victory party in Winston-Salem. "More of the same is not the only option, and North Carolinians spoke loud and clear."
Johnson said he was "humbled and honored by their choice, and I'm excited to get to work. I thank June Atkinson for all the work she's done, and I'm ready to go to Raleigh and go to work."
Stewart said one theory he heard about Atkinson's loss "was the manifestation of the Democratic strategy that talked so insistently that public education was so poor in the state that what they actually did was cost Atkinson her job" in an anti-incumbent backlash.
Johnson declined to answer when asked whether there was a Trump factor that aroused Republican voters, or some other reason for the GOP Council of State wins.
Folwell didn't address whether there were Trump coattails in North Carolina elections either.
"I just know that people understood that they need someone to attack problems, and my reputation is to attack problems," said Folwell, who also was at Burr's election night celebration at the Forsyth Country Club.
"The next state treasurer's going to make a generational difference in North Carolina, and it's not because of politics, it's because of mathematics," Folwell said.
"The state treasurer is the keeper of the public purse, and inside that purse is the health care and the pension for almost a million North Carolinians, and it really highly impacts the rest of the taxpayers in North Carolina also," he said.
"The mood of the people was that they didn't realize that there were tens of billions of dollars' worth of IOUs in a can that had been kicked down the road regarding these pension and health care liabilities, and I brought sunshine to that issue," Folwell said.
While noting that the last time a Republican was elected treasurer was in 1876, Folwell downplayed party affiliation. The state treasury belongs to all people regardless of political party, he said.
He said when he assumes office he will keep a campaign promise to meet immediately with investment managers responsible for large portions of the pension and health plan portfolios "to find out where the money is, who's managing it, how good they are at what they do, and how much they get paid. These are all going to be open meetings."
Folwell said another priority will be to determine how to make the state's health plan more affordable, especially for young families.
"I think they're solvable," he said of problems in the Treasurer's Office.
He also plans to strengthen the Local Government Commission with resources to work with cities and counties to "look at their ability to issue and repay debt." That is vital in a zero interest rate environment, Folwell said. "You've got to be very cautious about what you're doing, and we want to preserve and strengthen that."
Folwell also plans to increase transparency in the Treasurer's Office by holding an open dialogue once a month with reporters, extending to them an opportunity to ask him about any issue they desire.
County election boards will conduct a random survey, or "canvass," on Nov. 18, verifying that the vote count was accurate in the sampled voting devices. Canvasses are open to the public. The results then will be reported to the State Board of Elections and the results will be certified Nov. 29 at a public meeting in Raleigh.
Results in Council of State races (as of Nov. 10)
*Incumbents
(Percentages may not add to 100 because of third-party or write-in candidates)
Go Back
Even though McCrory trails, at least two Democratic incumbents stand to lose in rare show of strength by GOP in Council of State races
Democratic Attorney General Roy Cooper claims to have won the governor's race, incumbent Republican Gov. Pat McCrory says votes remain uncounted that could reverse Cooper's razor-thin margin, and several Council of State races swung from Democratic to GOP control in Tuesday's historic general election.
"We have won this race," Cooper told his supporters Tuesday night. He led McCrory by roughly 4,300 votes of more than 4.7 million ballots cast - 49 percent to 48.9 percent. He was calling for campaign donations Wednesday to help preserve his victory.
"Currently, there are tens of thousands of outstanding absentee, military, and provisional ballots across the state" that have yet to be counted, said McCrory campaign strategist Chris LaCivita.
"Claiming an outcome before the process has concluded is irresponsible, and disrespectful to the voters of North Carolina whose voices have yet to be heard," LaCivita said. "We also have grave concerns over potential irregularities in Durham County, including the sudden emergence of over 90,000 ballots at the end of the night."
"This is far from over," Joe Stewart, executive director of the North Carolina Free Enterprise Foundation, which tracks state elections, said at a post-election briefing Wednesday. "It's close enough that McCrory could call for a recount. It may be weeks and weeks before we have a final resolution."
Narrow losses in the attorney general and auditor races also might spark a recount call from the losers, Stewart said.
Democrats hold a 6-4 advantage on the Council of State, which traditionally has been dominated by Democrats. Most polls and pundits projected prior to the election that the most likely GOP pickup would be the open treasurer's seat held by Democrat Janet Cowell, who chose not to run for re-election.
But if Tuesday's unofficial returns hold up after the vote canvass, that could flip to a 6-4 Republican majority, including Republican Dale Folwell's wresting the treasurer's post from Democrat Dan Blue III, flipping that seat. Folwell had 2,349,527 votes (52.74 percent) to Blue's 2,105,522 (47.26 percent).
Republican Dale Folwell, who holds a 240,000-vote lead over Dan Blue III in the contest for state treasurer (and pictured here at the candidates' late-September debate), said Tuesday he would make the office more efficient, responsive, and transparent. (CJ photo by Dan Way)
Two-term Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin and three-term Superintendent of Public Instruction June Atkinson, both Democrats, lost in the unofficial returns.
Republican Mike Causey led Goodwin 2,248,352 (50.43) to 2,209,668 (49.57), and GOP candidate Mark Johnson bested Atkinson 2,262,909 (50.63) to 2,206,975 (49.37).
David McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College, said the majority swing on the Council of State was unexpected.
"A lot of times people don't know the Council of State members, and to see someone like June Atkinson go down was kind of surprising," McLennan said. "To see the Treasurer's Office flip to Republican - I know Cowell wasn't on the ballot - was kind of interesting."
An oddity is that "You normally think that the governor is the one who has the coattails down the ballot, but it didn't appear that way" with Cooper's potential victory.
The flip might have something to do with the General Assembly's elimination of straight party ticket voting in 2013. "That's why I think straight ticket voting was popular in North Carolina," McLennan said, because unknown candidates for unfamiliar positions automatically could receive their party members' votes.
Eliminating that provision "forced more people to go race by race. It appears to have hurt some incumbents," McLennan said.
"It was a good night for Republicans," said N.C. State University political science professor Andy Taylor. But it's "really interesting down ballot."
Democrats won the two biggest statewide races in governor and attorney general, while Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr and GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump outperformed McCrory in their wins.
"It's unclear to me what this message means for state politics. It's pretty clear what it means nationally," Taylor said.
A rematch of the 2012 battle for lieutenant governor, in which Republican Dan Forest defeated Democrat Linda Coleman by 7,000 votes, was not much of a contest. Forest won a second term, 52 percent to 45 percent.
Incumbent Republicans Steve Troxler and Cherie Berry easily won new terms for agriculture commissioner and commissioner of labor, respectively.
Troxler, who has been in office since 2005, received 2,499,828 votes (55.61) to 1,995,302 for Democrat Walter Smith. Berry outpolled Democrat Charles Meeker 2,480,278 (55.22) to 2,006,341 (44.67) to win her fifth term.
Incumbent Democrat Elaine Marshall won a sixth term as secretary of state, while two-term incumbent Democrat State Auditor Beth Wood held a slim 2,500-vote lead over Republican challenger Chuck Stuber. Marshall had 2,341,413 votes (52.23) to 2,141,831 (47.77) for Republican Michael LaPaglia.
In the race to replace Cooper as attorney general, Democrat Josh Stein led Republican Buck Newton 2,277,288 (50.23) to 2,256,495 (49.77).
"I'm excited for the opportunity to go make a change," Johnson said at U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's victory party in Winston-Salem. "More of the same is not the only option, and North Carolinians spoke loud and clear."
Johnson said he was "humbled and honored by their choice, and I'm excited to get to work. I thank June Atkinson for all the work she's done, and I'm ready to go to Raleigh and go to work."
Stewart said one theory he heard about Atkinson's loss "was the manifestation of the Democratic strategy that talked so insistently that public education was so poor in the state that what they actually did was cost Atkinson her job" in an anti-incumbent backlash.
Johnson declined to answer when asked whether there was a Trump factor that aroused Republican voters, or some other reason for the GOP Council of State wins.
Folwell didn't address whether there were Trump coattails in North Carolina elections either.
"I just know that people understood that they need someone to attack problems, and my reputation is to attack problems," said Folwell, who also was at Burr's election night celebration at the Forsyth Country Club.
"The next state treasurer's going to make a generational difference in North Carolina, and it's not because of politics, it's because of mathematics," Folwell said.
"The state treasurer is the keeper of the public purse, and inside that purse is the health care and the pension for almost a million North Carolinians, and it really highly impacts the rest of the taxpayers in North Carolina also," he said.
"The mood of the people was that they didn't realize that there were tens of billions of dollars' worth of IOUs in a can that had been kicked down the road regarding these pension and health care liabilities, and I brought sunshine to that issue," Folwell said.
While noting that the last time a Republican was elected treasurer was in 1876, Folwell downplayed party affiliation. The state treasury belongs to all people regardless of political party, he said.
He said when he assumes office he will keep a campaign promise to meet immediately with investment managers responsible for large portions of the pension and health plan portfolios "to find out where the money is, who's managing it, how good they are at what they do, and how much they get paid. These are all going to be open meetings."
Folwell said another priority will be to determine how to make the state's health plan more affordable, especially for young families.
"I think they're solvable," he said of problems in the Treasurer's Office.
He also plans to strengthen the Local Government Commission with resources to work with cities and counties to "look at their ability to issue and repay debt." That is vital in a zero interest rate environment, Folwell said. "You've got to be very cautious about what you're doing, and we want to preserve and strengthen that."
Folwell also plans to increase transparency in the Treasurer's Office by holding an open dialogue once a month with reporters, extending to them an opportunity to ask him about any issue they desire.
County election boards will conduct a random survey, or "canvass," on Nov. 18, verifying that the vote count was accurate in the sampled voting devices. Canvasses are open to the public. The results then will be reported to the State Board of Elections and the results will be certified Nov. 29 at a public meeting in Raleigh.
Results in Council of State races (as of Nov. 10)
- Governor: Roy Cooper (D) leads Pat McCrory* (R), 48.97 percent to 48.86 percent
- Lt. Governor: Dan Forest* (R) leads Linda Coleman (D), 51.9 percent to 45.3 percent
- Attorney General: Josh Stein (D) leads Buck Newton (R), 50.23 percent to 49.77 percent
- Auditor: Beth Wood* (D) leads Chuck Stuber (R), 50.03 percent to 49.97 percent
- Commissioner of Agriculture: Steve Troxler* (R) leads Walter Smith (D), 55.6 percent to 44.4 percent
- Commissioner of Insurance: Mike Causey (R) leads Wayne Goodwin* (D), 50.43 percent to 49.57 percent
- Commissioner of Labor: Cherie Berry* (R) leads Charles Meeker (D), 55.2 percent to 44.7 percent
- Secretary of State: Elaine Marshall* (D) leads Michael LaPaglia, 52.2 percent to 47.8 percent
- Superintendent of Public Instruction: Mark Johnson (R) leads June Atkinson* (D), 50.6 percent to 49.4 percent
- Treasurer: Dale Folwell (R) leads Dan Blue III (D), 52.7 percent to 47.3 percent.
*Incumbents
(Percentages may not add to 100 because of third-party or write-in candidates)
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