Bradford defeats Clark in NC House race, but Republicans’ bid for supermajority fails
In their third time running against each other, Republican incumbent John Bradford defeated Democrat Christy Clark to retain his seat in the N.C. House representing District 98 — by just 861 votes.
With all 10 precincts reporting, Bradford had 51.23% of the vote and Clark had 48.77%, according to unofficial election results.
In 2018, Clark edged out Bradford by just 415 votes. Two years later, Bradford defeated Clark by 2,050 votes.
“I am excited to have won reelection to my 4th term in the N.C. House of Representatives and honored to serve the good folks of District 98,” Bradford said in a Facebook post. “A big thank you to my family, campaign team, donors and volunteers. I could not have done it without you!”
N.C. House District 98, in northern Mecklenburg County, includes Cornelius, Davidson and much of western Huntersville. Bradford is the only Republican in the Mecklenburg County legislative delegation.
District 98 leans Republican, but unaffiliated voters outnumber those registered with the major parties. Here is the makeup of registered voters in the district, according to data on active and inactive voters from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections:
Republican: 21,624 (32%)
Democrat: 17,204 (25%)
Libertarian: 571 (1%)
Green: 2 (0%)
Unaffiliated: 27,980 (42%)
The number of unaffiliated voters in the district reflects a statewide trend, as the number of independent voters in North Carolina has now surpassed the number of Democrats to become the largest voting body in the state, according to Carolina Demography.
Bradford, the senior chairman of the House Finance Committee and vice chairman of the Regulatory Reform Committee, has campaigned on his support for business growth in the district. During his most recent legislative session, Bradford secured more than $25 million in funding for projects in Mecklenburg County, including $2.5 million for the Cain Center for the Arts and $10 million for the Charlotte Aviation Museum, according to his website.
After her term in the House, Clark worked as an elementary school teacher in the district. She has advocated for stricter gun safety laws, reforms to the criminal justice system to address structural racism, and safe and legal abortions.
Republican bid for supermajority falls short
Bradford’s victory in a district that Catawba College political science professor Michael Bitzer called “one of the most coin-toss districts in the state” was crucial in the Republican effort to gain a supermajority in the state House.
According to unofficial election results, Republicans won a supermajority in the state Senate, but fell one seat short of a supermajority in the House, The News & Observer reported.
A supermajority, which is 60% of lawmakers voting, gives a party enough voting power to override a veto by the governor. A Republican supermajority would have likely resulted in a new law implementing tighter abortion restrictions, The N&O reported.
Though they did not win a supermajority in the House, Republicans maintained a majority in both chambers, meaning such decisions as raises for state employees, the amount of taxes North Carolinians pay and funding for public education are in the hands of one party, The N&O reported.
Bradford voted for teacher pay raises every year he was in office and “supported legislation to keep our schools safe with more than $400 million in funding for safety improvements,” according to his website.
Other notable races
NC House District 97
NC House District 89
NC House District 95
Lincoln County Board of Education
Catawba County Board of Education
(Four seats)
Catawba County Board of Commissioners
(Three seats)
Iredell County Board of Commissioners
(Three seats)
Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education
Charlotte Observer reporter Gordon Rago contributed to this story.
