North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District election, 2016
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November 8, 2016 |
June 7, 2016 |
George Holding  |
Renee Ellmers |
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Cook Political Report: Solid R[1] Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe R[2] Rothenberg & Gonzales: Safe R[3] |
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The 2nd Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent George Holding (R) from District 13 defeated incumbent Renee Ellmers and Greg Brannon in the District 2 Republican primary on June 7, 2016. This primary was rated by Ballotpedia as a 2016 U.S. House primary to watch. John McNeil defeated Elton Brewington, Jane Watson, Ron Sanyal, and Steven Hight in the Democratic primary and was defeated by Holding in the general election. The general election took place on November 8, 2016.[4]
Holding's decision to run in District 2 came after redistricting in North Carolina in February 2016 substantially changed the constituency of both districts.[5][6][7][8][9][4]
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. North Carolina utilizes a semi-closed primary system. Parties decide who may vote in their respective primaries. Voters may choose a primary ballot without impacting their unaffiliated status.[11][12]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Renee Ellmers (R), who was first elected in 2010.
North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District is located in the central portion of the state and includes all of Franklin, Harnett, and Nash counties and portions of Johnston, Wake, and Wilson counties.[13]
Election results
General election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  George Holding Incumbent |
56.7% | 221,485 | |
| Democratic | John McNeil | 43.3% | 169,082 | |
| Total Votes | 390,567 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary election
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
George Holding Incumbent |
53.4% | 17,084 | ||
| Renee Ellmers Incumbent | 23.6% | 7,552 | ||
| Greg Brannon | 23% | 7,359 | ||
| Total Votes | 31,995 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
John McNeil |
46.1% | 7,613 | ||
| Jane Watson | 23.5% | 3,875 | ||
| Steven Hight | 11.3% | 1,870 | ||
| Ron Sanyal | 10.7% | 1,761 | ||
| Elton Brewington | 8.4% | 1,387 | ||
| Total Votes | 16,506 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections |
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Candidates
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General election candidates: George Holding   John McNeil |
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Primary candidates:[14] |
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Democratic Jane Watson[4] John McNeil [15][4]Ron Sanyal[4] Steven Hight[4] |
Republican George Holding - Incumbent of District 13 [16] [4]Greg Brannon[4] |
Race background
Incumbent battle
Due to redistricting, incumbent Renee Ellmers faced fellow House incumbent George Holding of District 13 in the Republican primary. Holding was a favorite in the race, due to Ellmers being opposed by both the Club for Growth and Koch-funded 501(c)(4) Americans for Prosperity (AFP). This was the first time that AFP targeted a Republican member of Congress in the primary. In another first, the Susan B. Anthony List endorsed Holding over Ellmers as well, marking the first time the organization has endorsed a male candidate over a female pro-life candidate.[17][18] However, Ellmers was endorsed by Donald Trump, marking Trump's first congressional endorsement in 2016.[19]
Endorsements
Renee Ellmers
- Donald Trump - "I need her help in Washington so we can work together to defeat ISIS, secure our border, and bring back jobs and frankly, so many other things. And Renee knows how to do it. She gets it. And together, we will make America great again."
- Ellmers was Trump's first 2016 congressional endorsement.[19]
George Holding
- Americans for Prosperity - "Rep. Renee Ellmers has sadly become a part of the very Washington she once claimed she wanted to fix. After giving Rep. Ellmers every chance to match her votes to her prior rhetoric, she’s demonstrated an unacceptable pattern of supporting wasteful government spending and corporate welfare. North Carolinians deserve a true conservative who will fight for them, not special interests."[20]
- FreedomWorks - "Far too many Republicans go to Washington pledging to shake up the status quo, only to become part of it. There is no greater example of that than Renee Ellmers, who has been a constant disappointment to conservatives. We hope that conservatives in the district will rally around George Holding’s campaign and send a message to the Washington political establishment."[21]
Media
Renee Ellmers
Opposition
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George Holding
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Redistricting
North Carolina's congressional district plan was subject to litigation following its adoption in 2011. Two challenges to the plan were heard by the Supreme Court of the United States: Cooper v. Harris, which was decided in 2017, and Rucho v. Common Cause, which decided on June 27, 2019. As a result of Rucho, North Carolina's congressional district plan was upheld. For more complete information, see this article.
District history
2014
The 2nd Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent Renee Ellmers (R) defeated Clay Aiken (D) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Renee Ellmers Incumbent |
58.8% | 122,128 | |
| Democratic | Clay Aiken | 41.2% | 85,479 | |
| Total Votes | 207,607 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
2012
The 2nd Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Renee Ellmers (R) defeated Steve Wilkins (D) and Brian Irving (L) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Steve Wilkins | 41.4% | 128,973 | |
| Republican | Renee Ellmers Incumbent |
55.9% | 174,066 | |
| Libertarian | Brian Irving | 2.7% | 8,358 | |
| Total Votes | 311,397 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
Important dates and deadlines
- See also: North Carolina elections, 2016
The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in North Carolina in 2016.
| Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Event type | Event description | |
| December 1, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing period for partisan candidates opens | |
| December 21, 2015 | Ballot access | Filing period for partisan candidates closes | |
| March 7, 2016 | Campaign finance | First quarter report due | |
| March 15, 2016 | Election date | Primary election (non-congressional offices) | |
| June 7, 2016 | Election date | Congressional primary | |
| June 9, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit petitions to county boards of election for verification | |
| June 24, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit petitions to the state board of elections | |
| June 24, 2016 | Ballot access | Unaffiliated candidates for state legislative offices that span only one county must submit petitions to the appropriate county board of elections | |
| July 12, 2016 | Campaign finance | Second quarter report due | |
| July 26, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit their petitions to county boards of election for verification | |
| July 29, 2016 | Campaign finance | Mid-year semi-annual report due | |
| August 10, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidates for federal, statewide, and state legislative offices that span more than one county must submit their petitions to the state board of elections | |
| August 10, 2016 | Ballot access | Write-in candidates for state legislative offices that span only one county must submit their petitions to the appropriate county board of elections | |
| October 21, 2016 | Campaign finance | Third quarter report due | |
| November 8, 2016 | Election date | General election | |
| January 11, 2017 | Campaign finance | Fourth quarter report due | |
| January 27, 2017 | Campaign finance | Year-end semi-annual report due | |
| Sources: North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Filing," accessed June 12, 2015 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Fact Sheet: Unaffiliated Candidates, 2016 Election," accessed June 12, 2015 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Fact Sheet: Write-in Candidates, 2016 Election," accessed June 12, 2015 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Reporting Schedules," accessed November 25, 2015 | |||
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2016
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2016 House Race Ratings for July 11, 2016," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "2016 House," accessed July 18, 2016
- ↑ Rothenberg & Gonzales Political Report, "House Ratings," accessed July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "June Primary Candidates," accessed March 27, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate_Listing_20160315," December 21, 2015
- ↑ Twitter, "Colin Campbell," accessed February 22, 2016
- ↑ News Observer, "NC Sen. Andrew Brock to run for Congress under new map," February 22, 2016
- ↑ Statesville Record and Landmark, "As primary nears, candidates meet Thursday in Mooresville," February 23, 2016
- ↑ Rhino Times, "Greensboro State Rep. Blust announces run for Congress," March 2, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina's congressional primary was pushed back following court-ordered redistricting
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Election Information," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "2016 Contingent Congressional Plan - Corrected," accessed September 28, 2018
- ↑ Candidates are listed by party and alphabetically within each party.
- ↑ Politico, “North Carolina House Primary Results,” June 7, 2016
- ↑ Politico, “North Carolina House Primary Results,” June 7, 2016
- ↑ Roll Call, "The Unprecedented Action of One Anti-Abortion Group," May 11, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Koch-backed group targets first GOP incumbent in primary," May 12, 2016
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 The New York Times, "Donald Trump Makes His First Congressional Endorsement," June 6, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "Koch-backed group targets first GOP incumbent in primary," May 12, 2016
- ↑ The News & Observer, "FreedomWorks PAC backs Holding," April 26, 2016
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For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!
