North Carolina Secretary of State election, 2012
The North Carolina secretary of state election took place on November 6, 2012. Primaries took place on May 8, 2012. Election day polling hours were from 6:30 am until 7:30 pm.
Without any Democratic challengers in the primary, incumbent Elaine Marshall sailed through to the general election. Marshall ran on her strong record leading the office over her 4 terms as secretary of state. When Marshall was first elected in 1996, she was the first woman to be elected North Carolina secretary of state and the first woman elected to statewide executive office in North Carolina. One focus of her 2012 campaign was her efforts to foster job growth and a friendlier, more open climate for investors and oft-exploited groups such as the elderly in the state of North Carolina. As part of the push to crack down on business identity theft through closer monitoring and greater transparency of information, Marshall initiated the office's creation of an online database for enabling potential investors to personally vet state enterprises. She boasts the office's successful restoring of "$1 billion to North Carolina investors since 2009 and shutting down of operations selling about $11 million in counterfeit goods" in the last year. She referred to the latter fight, against counterfeit of trademark goods, as her "personal mission."[1]
On the Republican end, four candidates launched campaigns in hope of securing their party's nomination. Mike Beitler, a Business Professor and Consultant with a Libertarian record, having run unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in 2010 on the Libertarian ticket, officially filed for the election on February 28th. He was joined by ex-Wake County Commissioner Kenn Gardner, and Chowan Commissioner/Farmer Ed Goodwin. The following day, just before the deadline, funeral home owner/former law enforcement officer AJ Daoud certified his candidacy, completing the list of Republicans who would compete in May.
To win the Republican nomination, one of the four candidates had to receive a minimum of 40% of the total vote in the primary- an improbable occurrence given the crowded ballot.[2] As anticipated, no single candidate reached the automatic advancement vote-threshold on May 8, therefore the top two vote-getters - Ed Goodwin and Kenn Gardner - had to compete in a runoff on July 17 to determine who would challenge Marshall in November.[3] The runoff resulted in Goodwin scoring a 9 point victory over Gardner and the Republican nomination for secretary of state.[4]
Marshall defeated Goodwin in the general election on November 6, 2012.
Results
General
| North Carolina Secretary of State General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Elaine Marshall Incumbent |
53.8% | 2,331,173 | |
| Republican | Ed Goodwin | 46.2% | 2,003,026 | |
| Total Votes | 4,334,199 | |||
| Election results via NC State Board of Elections | ||||
Primary
July 17 Runoff Results
Goodwin defeated Gardner in the primary runoff contest on July 17, 2012, earning 54.5% of the party's vote. He will face incumbent Elaine Marshall (D) in the general election on Novemeber 6.
| North Carolina Secretary of State - Republican Primary Runoff, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Ed Goodwin |
54.5% | 74,252 | ||
| Kenn Gardner | 45.5% | 62,044 | ||
| Total Votes | 136,296 | |||
| Election results via The North Carolina Board of Elections. | ||||
**Results are unofficial**
May 8 Primary Results
The May 8th primary vote was split such that no one of the four candidates received the 40% share of the vote required to take the nomination and proceed to the general election. Per North Carolina rules, the top two vote-getters from the race - Ed Goodwin and Kenn Gardner - will compete in a runoff on July 17th. Below are the May 8th vote tallies which resulted in the elimination of the bottom two finishers, Mike Beitler and AJ Daoud:
| North Carolina Secretary of State Republican Primary, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Ed Goodwin |
35.9% | 246,641 | ||
| Kenn Gardner |
29.8% | 204,630 | ||
| Mike Beitler | 24.2% | 166,061 | ||
| AJ Daoud | 10% | 68,834 | ||
| Total Votes | 686,166 | |||
| Election results via The North Carolina Board of Elections. | ||||
Candidates
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 General election candidates |
| 2 Primary Candidates |
| 2.1 Democratic primary candidates |
| 2.2 Republican primary candidates |
| 2.3 Other |
| 3 Endorsements |
General Election Candidates
Elaine Marshall (incumbent)
Ed Goodwin
Primary Candidates
Democratic primary candidates
- Elaine Marshall is the Democratic incumbent secretary of state. She was first elected to the position in 1996, becoming the first woman to elected to a statewide office in North Carolina.
Republican primary candidates
- Mike Beitler is a business professor, consultant, and author. He was a Libertarian candidate in the 2010 U.S. Senate race.
- AJ Daoud is a Funeral Home Owner, former police officer, and a community activist.
- Kenn Gardner is an architect and former Wake County Commissioner.
- Ed Goodwin
is the Chairman of the Chowan County Board of Commissioners.
Endorsements
On June 7, 2012, one month after being eliminated from the Republican primary race, former candidate Mike Beitler endorsed Gardner for the runoff election. In Beitler's statement of endorsement, which was released on Gardner's campaign facebook page, he invited North Carolina's Republican voters to join him in supporting Gardner's continuing pursuit of the party's nomination for secretary of state. “Kenn is the clear choice, with a record of creating jobs in Wake County and reducing government spending he is a strong business advocate for our state,” Beitler wrote of his one-time opponent.[5]
Polls
General election polls
| Secretary of State of North Carolina | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Elaine Marshall | Ed Goodwin | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (dead link) October 23-25, 2012 | 43% | 38% | 19% | +/-3.3 | 880 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling September 27-30 | 41% | 34% | 25% | +/-3.1 | 981 | ||||||||||||||
| National Research, Inc. September 18-19 | 47% | 37% | 16% | +/-4.0 | 600 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling August 2-5, 2012 | 43% | 37% | 19% | +/-3.4 | 813 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43.5% | 36.5% | 19.75% | +/-3.45 | 818.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. | |||||||||||||||||||
Primary polls
Public Policy Polling
- Q. The Republican candidates for Secretary of State are Michael Beitler, A.J. Daoud, Kenn Gardner, and Ed Goodwin. If the election was today, who would you vote for?
| 2012 Republican Candidates for Secretary of State | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Mike Beitler | AJ Daoud | Kenn Gardner | Ed Goodwin | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||
| [1] May 6, 2012 | 8% | 11% | 23% | 14% | 45% | +/-4.5 | 469 | ||||||||||||
| [2] March 27, 2012 | 3% | 8% | 13% | 9% | 68% | +/-4.1 | 561 | ||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 5.5% | 9.5% | 18% | 11.5% | 56.5% | +/-4.3 | 515 | ||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]. | |||||||||||||||||||
- Among those who identified as having already cast their ballot, Beitler jumped to 17%, going from 4th place to 2nd place among the candidates.[6]
Campaign Sites/Media
Campaign sites
Democrats
Republicans
Advertisements
|
|
|
|
Campaign finance
| Contents |
|---|
| 1 Due dates for reports |
| 2 Candidates |
Due dates for reports
The North Carolina State Board of Elections administers campaign finance laws and maintains all records online.
Candidates
Democrats
Elaine Marshall
| Elaine Marshall Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Quarterly | June 1, 2012 | $98,142.32 | $104,479.16 | $(62,656.30) | $135,146.10 | ||||
| Second Quarterly | July 13, 2012 | $135,146.10 | $79,197.27 | $(38,526.57) | $174,216.80 | ||||
| Third Quarter Report[7] | October 20, 2012 | $173,111.46 | $211,452.67 | $(335,959.42) | $48,604.71 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $395,129.1 | $(437,142.29) | ||||||||
Republicans
Ed Goodwin
| Ed Goodwin Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Quarterly | April 30, 2012 | $0.00 | $22,785.00 | $(21,576.94) | $21,208.06 | ||||
| Second Quarterly | July 10, 2012 | $21,208.06 | $11,065.07 | $(30,710.34) | $1,562.79 | ||||
| Third Quarter Report[8] | October 20, 2012 | $1,562.79 | $39,201.11 | $(27,613.92) | $13,149.98 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $73,051.18 | $(79,901.2) | ||||||||
Mike Beitler
| Mike Beitler Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Quarterly | April 30, 2012 | $20,211.41 | $4,280.00 | $(13,273.26) | $11,218.15 | ||||
| Final | June 26, 2012 | $11,408.15 | $125.00 | $(11,533.15) | $0.00 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $4,405 | $(24,806.41) | ||||||||
AJ Daoud
| AJ Daoud Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Quarterly | April 30, 2012 | $103,693.13 | $18,405.46 | $(69,243.41) | $2,129.39 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $18,405.46 | $(69,243.41) | ||||||||
Kenn Gardner
| Kenn Gardner Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| First Quarterly | April 28, 2012 | $2,819.48 | $11,743.38 | $(11,375.87) | $2,129.39 | ||||
| Second Quarterly | July 11, 2012 | $2,129.39 | $11,410.00 | $(9,335.19) | $4,074.20 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $23,153.38 | $(20,711.06) | ||||||||
News
- Five state executive races on tomorrow's primary runoff ballot in North Carolina July 16
- Five state executive hopefuls advance to the general in North Carolina July 18
- 68 days and counting until the North Carolina primary election: Do you know your state executive candidates?
- Six of North Carolina's state executive races headed to a primary runoff
- State executive primary preview: More than Amendment One on the ballot in North Carolina tomorrow
Key dates
Key dates
- Administrative deadlines are at close of business (5:00) unless otherwise noted.
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| Feb. 13 - Feb. 29 | Statewide candidate filing |
| Apr. 13 | Voter registration for primary election |
| May 8 | Primary election |
| Oct. 12 | Voter registration for general election |
| Nov. 6 | General election |
See also
Articles
- Five state executive races on tomorrow's primary runoff ballot in North Carolina July 16
- Five state executive hopefuls advance to the general in North Carolina July 18
- 68 days and counting until the North Carolina primary election: Do you know your state executive candidates?
- Six of North Carolina's state executive races headed to a primary runoff
- State executive primary preview: More than Amendment One on the ballot in North Carolina tomorrow
External links
- Politics1.com
- North Carolina Secretary of State Website
- USelections.com-2012 elections-North Carolina
- Republican candidate profiles (dead link)
Footnotes
- ↑ Blue Ridge Times, "Secretary of state notes more ventures as recession fades out," May 25, 2012
- ↑ The Charlotte Observer, "Republicans want to make secretary of state a business diplomat," May 1, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ Clarity Elections-North Carolina, "Results," May 9, 2012
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Unofficial Results," July 17, 2012
- ↑ Kenn Gardner for NC Secretary of State-Facebook, "Mike Beitler endorses Kenn Gardner for Secretary of State," June 7, 2012
- ↑ Uncovered Politics, "Former Libertarian Beitler could make runoff for North Carolina secretary of state," May 7, 2012 (dead link)
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Elaine Marshall: Political Committee Disclosure Second Report," accessed October 31, 2012
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Ed Goodwin: Political Committee Disclosure Second Report," accessed October 31, 2012
 |
State of North Carolina Raleigh (capital) |
|---|---|
| Elections |
What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures |
| Government |
Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy |
