A Brief 2022 General Election Update

Now that the smoke has cleared, below is a 2022 General Election Update:

• North Carolina’s open US Senate seat was won by Ted Budd over Cheri Beasley
• While Republicans now have narrow Congressional control in the US House of Representatives, Democrats have narrow control of the US Senate, regardless of the results of the runoff currently underway in Georgia.
• Now with 14 seats in Congress, North Carolina’s US House delegation is evenly split between 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans.
• At the state level, the Republicans will have a supermajority in the NC Senate and are one seat shy of a supermajority in the NC House.
• Republicans swept the various judicial races.
• In local legislative races, Sen. Michael Lee defeated Marcia Morgan in the key state contest. Incumbent legislators from the area including Sen. Bill Rabon, Sen. Michael Lazzara, Rep. Ted Davis, Rep. Frank Iler, Rep. Carson Smith, Rep. Phil Shepard, Rep. Charlie Miller and Rep. Deb Butler will all be returning to Raleigh.
• LeAnn Pierce and Rob Zapple were elected to the New Hanover County Commission. Randy Thompson and Marty Cooke were re-elected to the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners. Royce Bennett was one of three candidates elected to the Onslow County Board of Commissioners. In Pender County, Jimmy Tate, Wendy Fletcher-Hardee and Jerry Groves were elected to the Board of Commissioners.
• As for local referenda, the Boiling Spring Lakes dam restoration bonds and Pender school bond were successful. The New Hanover transit sales tax failed.
• For perspective, New Hanover County went for Cheri Beasley (D) for US Senate, Michael Lee (R) for NC Senate, elected an R and a D to the County Commission and elected four Republicans to the school board.
• With elections finalized, new members are being sworn in to the new Boards. The real action is behind the scenes as new members jockey for position as leadership votes are being held to determine Chairmanship.

While 2022 elections are final, positioning has already started for municipal elections in 2023 and the next round of elections in 2024. If you know any business-minded folks willing to run for office, please let us know.