| Election Name: | 2018 North Carolina Senate election |
| Country: | North Carolina |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2016 North Carolina Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 2016 |
| Next Election: | 2020 North Carolina Senate election |
| Next Year: | 2020 |
| Seats For Election: | All 50 seats in the North Carolina State Senate |
| Image1: | File:Phil Berger.jpg |
| Leader1: | Phil Berger |
| Party1: | Republican |
| Colour1: | ff3333 |
| Leader Since1: | January 1, 2005 |
| Leaders Seat1: | 30th - Eden |
| Last Election1: | 35 |
| Seats Before1: | 35 |
| Seats After1: | 29 |
| Seat Change1: | 6 |
| Popular Vote1: | 1,816,854 |
| Percentage1: | 49.0% |
| Leader2: | Dan Blue |
| Party2: | Democratic |
| Colour2: | 3333ff |
| Leader Since2: | March 2, 2014 |
| Leaders Seat2: | 14th - Raleigh |
| Last Election2: | 15 |
| Seats Before2: | 15 |
| Seats After2: | 21 |
| Seat Change2: | 6 |
| Popular Vote2: | 1,856,838 |
| Percentage2: | 50.1% |
| President pro tempore | |
| Posttitle: | President pro tempore-designate |
| Before Election: | Phil Berger |
| Before Party: | Republican |
| After Election: | Phil Berger |
| After Party: | Republican |
The 2018 North Carolina Senate elections elected 50 members to serve in the North Carolina Senate for a two-year term starting in January 2019. The Democratic Party gained 6 seats in this election, ending the Republican supermajority that they had held since 2011 in the state senate.[1] [2]
52.98% of registered voters cast ballots in this election, marking the highest turnout for a midterm election in North Carolina since 1990.[3] [4]
| Party | Candi- dates | Votes | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | +/– ! | % | ||||
| 50 | 1,816,854 | 48.995% | 29 | 6 | 58% | |||
| 50 | 1,856,838 | 50.074% | 21 | 6 | 42% | |||
| 14 | 33,219 | 0.896% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| 1 | 1,301 | 0.035% | 0 | 0% | ||||
| Total | 32 | 3,708,212 | 100.00% | 50 | 100.00% | |||
Districts where the margin of victory was under 10%:
Incumbent Republican Bill Cook has represented the 1st district since 2013.
Cook didn't seek re-election. Representative Bob Steinburg won the open seat.
Incumbent Republican Norman W. Sanderson has represented the 2nd district since 2013.
Incumbent Democrat Erica Smith has represented the 3rd district since 2015.
Incumbent Democrat Toby Fitch has represented the 4th district since 2018.
Fitch won his first full term.
Incumbent Democrat Don Davis has represented the 5th district since 2013 and previously from 2009 to 2011.
Incumbent Republican Majority Leader Harry Brown has represented the 6th district since 2004.
District 6 had the lowest number of votes cast in any district election in 2018.
Incumbent Republican Louis M. Pate Jr. has represented the 7th district and its predecessors since 2011.
Incumbent Republican Bill Rabon has represented the 8th district since 2011.
Incumbent Republican Michael Lee has represented the 9th district since 2014.
Lee was defeated for re-election by Democrat Harper Peterson.
Incumbent Republican Brent Jackson has represented the 10th district since 2011.
Incumbent Republican Rick Horner has represented the 11th district since 2017.
Incumbent Republican Ronald Rabin has represented the 12th district since 2013.
Rabin didn't seek re-election. Republican Jim Burgin won the open seat.
Incumbent Republican Danny Britt has represented the 13th district since 2017.
Incumbent Democrat Dan Blue has represented the 14th district since 2009.
Following redistricting, the old 16th district became the new 15th district.
Incumbent Democrat Jay Chaudhuri who has represented the 16th district since 2016, successfully sought re-election here. Brian Lewis won the highest percentage vote of any Libertarian State Senate candidate in 2018 with 3.61%.
Following redistricting, the new 16th district is an open seat which is expected to favor Democrats.
Brian Irving won the highest number of votes of any Libertarian State Senate candidate in 2018 with 3,382 votes.
Incumbent Republican Tamara P. Barringer has represented the 17th district since 2013. Following redistricting, this seat was made more competitive.
Barringer lost re-election to Democrat Sam Searcy.
Following redistricting, Incumbent Republicans Chad Barefoot and John M. Alexander Jr. had their homes both drawn into the new 18th district. The new 18th district, unlike the former 15th and 18th districts, is a competitive district which isn't safe for either party. Chad Barefoot retired, while John M. Alexander Jr. narrowly won re-election.
The election in District 18 had the highest number of votes cast of any district election in the 2018 elections.
Incumbent Republican Wesley Meredith has represented the 19th district since 2011.
Meredith lost re-election to Democrat Kirk deViere.
Incumbent Democrat Floyd McKissick Jr. has represented the 20th district since 2007.
Incumbent Democrat Ben Clark has represented the 21st district since 2013.
Incumbent Democrat Mike Woodard has represented the 22nd district since 2013.
Incumbent Democrat Valerie Foushee has represented the 23rd district since 2013.
Incumbent Republican Rick Gunn has represented the 24th district since 2011.
Incumbent Republican Tom McInnis has represented the 25th district since 2015.
Following redistricting, the old 29th district became the new 26th district.
Incumbent Republican Jerry W. Tillman, who has represented the 29th district since 2003, successfully sought re-election here.
Incumbent Republican Trudy Wade has represented the 27th district since 2013.
Wade lost re-election to Democrat Michael Garrett.
Incumbent Democrat Gladys A. Robinson has represented the 28th district since 2011.This district had the largest margin of any district election in 2018.
Following redistricting, the new 29th district overlaps with much of the former 33rd district. Incumbent Republican Cathy Dunn, who has represented the 33rd district since 2017, didn't seek re-election. Eddie Gallimore defeated representative Sam Watford to win the Republican nomination and easily won the general election.
Following redistricting, most of the old 26th district became the new 30th district. Incumbent Republican president Pro Tempore Phil Berger, who has represented the 26th district and its predecessors since 2001, successfully sought re-election here.
Incumbent Republicans Joyce Krawiec, who has represented the 31st district since 2014, and Dan Barrett, who has represented the 34th district since his appointment in August 2017, sought re-election here. Krawiec narrowly defeated Barrett in the Republican primary and then she easily won the general election.
Incumbent Democrat Paul A. Lowe Jr. has represented the 32nd district since 2015.
After redistricting, the old 33rd district became the new 29th district, and a new 33rd district was created.
The new district includes Rowan County and Stanly County. State representative Carl Ford was the Republican nominee.
Incumbent Republican Dan Barrett has represented the 34th district since his appointment in August 2017. Barrett chose to seek re-election in the 31st district after his home in Davie County was drawn into that district. The new 34th district includes Iredell and Yadkin counties and is expected to favor Republicans. Republican Vickie Sawyer was elected to a full term here, though after already winning the GOP primary for this seat, she had been appointed to serve the balance of David L. Curtis's term in the 44th district.
Incumbent Republican Tommy Tucker has represented the 35th district since 2011.
Tucker didn't seek re-election.
Incumbent Republican Paul Newton has represented the 36th district since 2017.
Incumbent Democrat Jeff Jackson has represented the 37th district since 2014.
Incumbent Democrat Joel D. M. Ford has represented the 38th district since 2013.
Ford lost the Democratic primary to Mujtaba Mohammed, who easily won the general election.
Incumbent Republican Dan Bishop has represented the 39th district since 2017.
Incumbent Democrat Joyce Waddell has represented the 40th district since 2015.
Incumbent Republican Jeff Tarte has represented the 41st district since 2013.
Tarte lost re-election to Democrat Natasha Marcus.
Incumbent Republican Andy Wells has represented the 42nd district since 2015.
Incumbent Republican Kathy Harrington has represented the 43rd district since 2011.
Incumbent Republican David L. Curtis has represented the 44th district since 2013.
Curtis lost re-nomination to fellow Republican Ted Alexander. Curtis resigned before the end of his term and Vickie Sawyer was appointed to replace him. Alexander easily won the open seat here, while Sawyer was simultaneously elected to the newly created 34th district which contained her home.
Following redistricting, incumbent Republicans Deanna Ballard and Shirley B. Randleman had both of their homes drawn into the 45th district. The district was more Ballard's district than Randleman's, and Ballard defeated Randleman in the Republican primary. Ballard easily won the general election.
Incumbent Republican Warren Daniel has represented the 46th district and its predecessors since 2011.
Incumbent Republican Ralph Hise has represented the 47th district since 2011.
Incumbent Republican Chuck Edwards has represented the 48th district since 2016.
Incumbent Democrat Terry Van Duyn has represented the 49th district since 2014.
Incumbent Republican Jim Davis has represented the 50th district since 2011.