High stakes lead to high spending on legislative races in Mecklenburg, elsewhere in NC
Days before the election, Mecklenburg County’s Democratic lawmakers have wide financial advantages over their opponents amid what appears to be a record spending year in North Carolina legislative races.
At least two N.C. Senate races have seen spending by both candidates approach $3 million.
Both major parties combined have spent at least $28 million. Outside groups have spent millions more.
“I don’t think we’ve ever seen spending like this on a state legislative level,” said Donald Bryson, president of the conservative Civitas Institute.
There’s a lot at stake. Whoever controls the General Assembly in January will draw voting districts for the next decade.
“As the Democrats learned, you lose redistricting and you can end up in the minority for a whole decade,” said Ferrel Guillory,” director of the Program on Public Life at UNC Chapel Hill.
Republicans were swept to power after the 2010 elections and have controlled redistricting as well as state spending and policy since.
Democrats need six seats to flip control of the N.C. House and five in the Senate, or four if Democrat Yvonne Holley becomes lieutenant governor.
In Mecklenburg, Democratic Sen. Jeff Jackson has raised over $974,000 in his race against Republican Sonja Nichols, according to reports filed this week with the State Board of Elections. A first-time candidate, she has raised over $268,000. Their District 37 has changed dramatically since Jackson won it easily three times.
Democratic edge in Mecklenburg
Two Democratic House members also have wide fundraising edges.
Rep. Christy Clark has raised over $930,000 in her rematch with former GOP Rep. John Bradford, who has raised $274,000. In 2018, she beat him by 415 votes in their north Mecklenburg District 98. This year, she got donations from around the country as well as $350,000 from the party.
“As North Carolina is a bellwether, so is the district,” Clark said Friday. “Everybody knows that this race is going to come down to a few hundred votes on election night.”
In south Mecklenburg, Democratic Rep. Rachel Hunt raised more than $803,000. She faces a District 103 rematch with Republican Bill Brawley, who raised $117,000.
“People are just ready for a change in Raleigh,” she said Friday. “And the thought of getting the majority in the House or the Senate really makes people willing to give money.”
Neither Brawley nor Bradford returned calls Friday.
Other Mecklenburg Democrats in competitive House races also had sizable fundraising advantages.
Rep. Brandon Lofton raised nearly $300,000 in his District 104 race against Republican Don Pomeroy, who raised $150,000. In southeast District 105, Rep. Wesley Harris raised $203,000 to Republican Amy Bynum’s $42,000.
Stephen Wiley, director of the House Republican caucus, said the disparities don’t reflect GOP hopes of winning the races.
“It’s a matter of strategy,” he said. “If you (spend) $600,000 on a Charlotte seat, how effective is that compared to $600,000 in Wilmington? It’s more about the best use of resources.”
Million-dollar races
Mecklenburg races are far from the state’s most expensive.
▪ In the Triad’s Senate District 31, Democrat Terri LeGrand has raised more than $1.9 million against GOP incumbent Joyce Krawiec. Krawiec has raised over $1.2 million. Each got more than $900,000 from party committees.
▪ In Senate District 24, in Guilford and Alamance counties, Democrat J.D. Wooten and Republican Amy Galey are running for an open seat. He’s raised $1.6 million to her $1.3 million. Each has gotten more than $1 million from their respective parties.
▪ In Senate District 1, in the far northeast corner of the state, Democrat Tess Judge has raised $1.4 million in her race against Republican Sen. Bob Steinburg, who has raised $1.1 million. Each got around $900,000 from party groups.
The state Democratic Party has raised $20 million this election cycle. The state GOP has raised $6.5 million. But the party’s N.C. Senate Majority Fund has raised another $6 million and its GOP House counterpart has raised $2 million.
“I was under the impression that Republicans were going to close the gap in the third quarter,” said Anna Beavon Gravely, executive director of NCFREE, a pro-business group that tracks campaign spending. “The narrative is not that. The narrative is that Democrats are running away with their spending advantage.”
Outside groups are also investing in General Assembly races.
Citizens for a Better North Carolina has spent over $13 million to elect Republicans. The group is funded largely by the Good Government Coalition, a national group that aims to elect Republicans in the states.
Progressive groups such as A Better NC, NC Families First and Fair Future NC are also spending millions on state races.
This story was originally published October 30, 2020 at 5:16 PM.
