Primary elections were originally scheduled for March 15, but were moved to June 7, due to successful challenges to the 1st and 12th congressional districts in federal court and the drawing of new maps affecting almost all of the state's districts.[1]
Long before the court had ruled, candidates had filed for the March 15 party primaries for each district under the old maps in December 2015, per the North Carolina State Board of Elections.[2] After the court ruled and the North Carolina General Assembly passed new district maps, the State Board established a filing period for the new primary date for candidates of major parties, March 16–25. Candidates had to refile for the June 7 primary, if they still chose to run, in any district they chose. The results of the March 15 primary, which went ahead because ballots had already been printed and mailed to absentee voters by the time of the ruling, were not counted.[1]
The 1st district is located in Northeastern North Carolina. The new map made the 1st district somewhat more compact.[5] Incumbent Democrat G. K. Butterfield, who had represented the district since 2004, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 73% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of D+15.
No candidates filed for the Republican primary for this seat under the old map, but Powell Dew Jr filed under the new map and was unopposed for his party's nomination.
C. L. Cooke was running unopposed for the Libertarian nomination under the old map. J. J. Summerell was the only Libertarian candidate to file under the new map.[7]
The 2nd district is located in central North Carolina. The new map moved the 2nd district to the east and the north.[5] Incumbent Republican Renee Ellmers, who had represented the district since 2011, ran for re-election.[12] She was re-elected with 59% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+8.
Ellmers had faced a primary challenge from radio host Frank Roche in 2014. Despite Roche's weak fundraising, she only won the primary 59% to 41%. Her role in a 20-week abortion ban bill being pulled intensified calls from the conservative wing to challenge her in 2016.[13]
Jim Duncan,[14] the former chair of the Chatham County Republican Party and co-founder of the grassroots organization The Coalition for American Principles, challenged Ellmers for the Republican nomination at first but dropped out after the district lines changed.[15] 2014 candidate Frank Roche also ran again at first but likewise did not file in the new 2nd district.[16] Businessman Tim D'Annunzio and former North Carolina Republican Party communications director Kay Daly also ran before the district map changed and then switched to other districts.[17][18]
The new district incorporated much of what had been the 13th district, leading that district's representative, George Holding, to file as a candidate in the 2nd, although his home was now in the 4th district.[19] Meanwhile, Greg Brannon entered the 2nd district GOP primary as well, after losing the primary for U.S. Senate to incumbent Richard Burr.[20]
Ellmers was subject to a high level of campaign spending by outside groups aligning themselves with the Tea Party movement, including Americans for Prosperity, which spent in the "low six figures" to defeat her.[21] They opposed Ellmers for her votes on a bill related to abortion[13][21] as well as votes on spending and budget bills, and to support the continuation of the Export-Import Bank.[21]
Tim D'Annunzio, businessman, nominee for North Carolina's 4th congressional district in 2012 and candidate for North Carolina's 8th congressional district in 2010. (running in the 8th district)
Jim Duncan, chair of the Chatham County Republican Party, co-founder of the grassroots organization The Coalition for American Principles[22]
Frank Roche, conservative internet talk show host and lecturer in economics at Elon University, candidate for this seat in 2012, candidate for North Carolina's 4th congressional district in 2010 and candidate for State Treasurer in 2012[23]
Adam Coker was running unopposed for the Democratic nomination under the previous district map. After the new map was adopted, two candidates who had previously filed to run in the 13th district, like Holding, filed in the 2nd: John McNeil and Ron Sanyal.[30] They were joined by three other candidates who had previously not filed for any seat.
The 3rd district is located on the Atlantic coast of North Carolina. It covers the Outer Banks and the counties adjacent to the Pamlico Sound. The new map made the district somewhat more compact, removing some of its more southern and western areas.[5] Incumbent Republican Walter B. Jones Jr., who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election.[36] He was re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+11.
Jones, who has a reputation as a maverick, ran for re-election, saying "I like to be a thorn in people's ass". Taylor Griffin, a one-time aide to United States Senator Jesse Helms and to President George W. Bush, ran against Jones in the Republican primary again in 2016, just as he had done in 2014.[37]
David Allan Hurst was running unopposed for the Democratic nomination under the old map.[39] After the new district map was adopted, he was joined by U.S. Army veteran Ernest T. Reeves, who had just lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to Deborah Ross.
The 4th district is located in the Research Triangle area. The new map made the 4th district more compact, removing its southern portions.[5] Incumbent Democrat David Price, who had represented the district since 1997, and previously represented it from 1987 to 1995, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 75% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of D+13.
The 5th district is located in northwestern North Carolina, from the Appalachian Mountains to the Piedmont Triad area. The new map shifted the district slightly to the north and put the entirety of Forsyth County in the district.[5] Incumbent Republican Virginia Foxx, who had represented the district since 2005, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2014. The district had a PVI of R+9.
Josh Brannon, the 2014 nominee for this seat, was running unopposed for the Democratic nomination under the previous district map. After the new district map was adopted, he was joined by two other challengers, including Jim Roberts, who had previously been running in the 6th district.
The 6th district is located in northern-central North Carolina. The new map made the district more compact, removing some western, eastern and southern portions.[5] The incumbent was Republican Mark Walker, who had represented the district since 2015. He was elected with 59% of the vote in 2014, succeeding retiring Republican incumbent Howard Coble.
Former Guilford County Commissioner Bruce Davis, former Alamance County Democratic Party Chairman Pete Glidewell and Jim Roberts were seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Walker under the old map.[48][49][50] After the new map was adopted, Davis and Roberts filed to run in different districts, leaving Glidewell unopposed for the nomination.
The 7th district is located in southeastern North Carolina. The new map shifted the district slightly to the east, but much of it remained the same.[5] The incumbent was Republican David Rouzer, who had represented the district since 2015. He was elected with 59% of the vote in 2014, succeeding retiring Democratic incumbent Mike McIntyre.
Rouzer is running for re-election to a second term. Former North Carolina Republican Party second congressional district Chairman Mark Otto was challenging Rouzer for the Republican nomination under the old map,[51] but did not file his candidacy under the new map.
The 8th district is located in southern-central North Carolina. The new map shifted the district slightly to the north and to the east.[5] The incumbent was Republican Richard Hudson, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2014.
Richard Hudson ran for re-election to a third term, and was unopposed for the Republican nomination under the old map.[54] After the new district map was adopted, Tim D'Annunzio, who had been running in the 2nd district, filed instead to run in the 8th.
The 9th district is located in south-central North Carolina. The new map moved the 9th district to the east and to the south.[5] The incumbent was Republican Robert Pittenger, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 94% of the vote in 2014.
George Rouco, an attorney and former CIA officer, was challenging Pittenger for the Republican nomination under the old map.[58] After the new map was adopted, Rouco filed to run in the 13th district instead. Meanwhile, two other Republicans filed to challenge Pittenger: Rev. Mark Harris, who ran in 2014 for the U.S. Senate and former Union County Commissioner Todd Johnson.[59]
The 10th district is located in central and western North Carolina. The new map made only minor changes to the district.[5] The incumbent was Republican Patrick McHenry, who had represented the district since 2005. He was re-elected with 61% of the vote in 2014.
Patrick McHenry is running for re-election.[63] He was being opposed by one candidate, Albert Wiley, in the Republican primary under the old map. After the new map was adopted, two more Republican challengers filed.
The 11th district is located in western North Carolina. The new map made only minor changes to the district.[5] The incumbent was Republican Mark Meadows, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 63% of the vote in 2014.
The 12th district includes nearly all of Charlotte and surrounding Mecklenburg County. The new 2016 map made major changes to the 12th district, which had previously been a narrow district that included parts of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Lexington, Salisbury, Concord, and High Point, as well as parts of Charlotte.[5] The incumbent was Democrat Alma Adams, who had represented the district since 2014. She was elected with 75% of the vote in 2014.
Alma Adams is running for re-election to a second term.[68] Adams' home in Greensboro was removed from the 12th district, but she announced she would move to Charlotte.[69] Gardenia Henley, a retired U.S. diplomat, Inspector General Auditor and frequent candidate who ran in 2014 for the 5th district, was challenging Adams for the Democratic nomination under the previous map, and continued to run after the map changed.[70]
Former state senator Malcolm Graham of Mecklenburg County, who lost the 2014 primary to Adams (44%–24%), was rumored as a potential primary challenger.[71] Subsequently, Graham did not run under the map in place at the time.[72] Later, however, after the new district map was adopted, Graham filed to run. Three members of the North Carolina House of Representatives who represent parts of Mecklenburg County also ran: Tricia Cotham, Carla Cunningham and Rodney W. Moore.[73] Moore later suspended his campaign, but his name remained on the ballot.[74]
The 13th district is located primarily in the Piedmont Triad area. The new map completely moved the 13th district, which had previously consisted of parts of Wake County and eastern North Carolina.[5] The incumbent was Republican George Holding, who had represented the district since 2013. He was re-elected with 57% of the vote in 2014.
George Holding had been running for re-election to a third term, and was unopposed for the Republican nomination, under the old map. After the new map was adopted, he filed to run in the 2nd district. The new district attracted a large field of Republican candidates of which Ted Budd, a gun shop owner who had never before run for public office, won the Republican nomination with only 20% of the vote.[81]
Vernon Robinson, former Winston-Salem city council-member, candidate for North Carolina's 5th congressional district in 2004, nominee for this seat in 2006 and candidate for North Carolina's 8th congressional district in 2012
Ron Sanyal, who ran for this seat in 2014,[82] and John P. McNeil, an attorney and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, were running for the seat under the old map.[83] After the new map was adopted, they filed to run in the 2nd district instead.
New candidates in the 13th included businessman Kevin Griffin, who had just lost the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate to Deborah Ross.
Bruce Davis, a veteran, small business owner, and former Guilford County Commissioner, won the Democratic nomination.[84] Bob Isner, father of tennis star John Isner, came in a close second.[85]
Bruce Davis, former Guilford County Commissioner, candidate for the state senate in 2008, 2010 and 2012 and candidate for North Carolina's 6th congressional district in 2014
^"Caucus Members". cpc-grijalva.house.gov. Congressional Progressive Caucus. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
