United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2012

| North Carolina's 2012 elections

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2012 U.S. House Elections in North Carolina

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Primary Date
May 8, 2012

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Partisan breakdown • Candidates

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North Carolina District Pages District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7• District 8 • District 9 • District 10• District 11 • District 12 • District 13

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2012 U.S. Senate Elections

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## Contents

* 1 Primary competitiveness
* 2 Partisan breakdown
* 2.1 Incumbents
* 3 Margin of victory for winners
* 4 General election candidates
* 5 Candidates
* 5.1 1st Congressional District
* 5.2 2nd Congressional District
* 5.3 3rd Congressional District
* 5.4 4th Congressional District
* 5.5 5th Congressional District
* 5.6 6th Congressional District
* 5.7 7th Congressional District
* 5.8 8th Congressional District
* 5.9 9th Congressional District
* 5.10 10th Congressional District
* 5.11 11th Congressional District
* 5.12 12th Congressional District
* 5.13 13th Congressional District
* 6 Race background
* 7 See also
* 8 External links
* 9 Footnotes

The 2012 U.S. House of Representatives elections in North Carolina took place on November 6, 2012. Voters elected 13 candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's 13 congressional districts.

Candidate Filing Deadline  | Primary Election  | General Election

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February 29, 2012 | May 8, 2012 | November 6, 2012

Primary: North Carolina has a closed primary system, meaning only registered members of a particular party may vote in that party's primary.

Voter registration: Voters had to register to vote in the primary by April 13. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 12.[1]

See also: North Carolina elections, 2012

Runoffs for primaries with top vote-getters receiving less than 40% of the vote were held on July 17.

According to the New York Times race ratings in October 2012, four of the 13 districts were considered to be in play. Those were the 7th, 8th, 11th and 13th districts.[2]

The Center for Voting and Democracy (Fairvote) projected that Democrats would win three districts while Republicans would win 10 seats.[3] Democrats won four of the 13 U.S. House seats -- despite winning the overall statewide popular vote in U.S. House races.[4]

## Primary competitiveness[edit]

See also: National contested primary average during the 2012 U.S. congressional elections

North Carolina had the 13th most competitive congressional primaries in 2012, with 69.23% of major party primaries having been contested (18 out of 26). The national average was 54.31%.

Ten U.S. House incumbents sought re-election in North Carolina in 2012. 7 of those 10 (70%) faced a primary challenger. Nationwide, 200 out of the 386 incumbents seeking re-election faced a primary challenger (51.81%).

## Partisan breakdown[edit]

Heading into the November 6 election, the Democratic Party held seven of the 13 Congressional seats from North Carolina.

Members of the U.S. House from North Carolina -- Partisan Breakdown

Party  | As of November 2012  | After the 2012 Election
| Democratic Party | 7 | 4
| Republican Party | 6  | 9
Total |  13 |  13

### Incumbents[edit]

Heading into the 2012 election, the incumbents for the 13 congressional districts were:

Name | Party | District

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Brad Miller |  Democratic | 13
David Price |  Democratic | 4
G.K. Butterfield |  Democratic | 1
Heath Shuler |  Democratic | 11
Howard Coble |  Republican | 6
Larry Kissell |  Democratic | 8
Melvin L. Watt |  Democratic | 12
Mike McIntyre |  Democratic | 7
Patrick T. McHenry |  Republican | 10
Renee Ellmers |  Republican | 2
Sue Wilkins Myrick |  Republican | 9
Virginia Foxx |  Republican | 5
Walter B. Jones |  Republican | 3

## Margin of victory for winners[edit]

There were a total of 13 seats up for election in 2012 in North Carolina. The following table shows the margin of victory for each district winner, which is calculated by examining the percentage difference between the top-two vote getters. If the race was uncontested, the margin of victory is listed as 100%.

District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Vote | Top Opponent

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North Carolina, District 10 |  Patrick McHenry | 14% | 334,849 | Patricia Keever
North Carolina, District 11 |  Mark Meadows | 14.8% | 331,426 | Hayden Rogers
North Carolina, District 12 |  Melvin L. Watt | 59.3% | 310,908 | Jack Brosch
North Carolina, District 13 |  George E.B. Holding | 13.6% | 370,610 | Charles Malone
North Carolina, District 1 |  G.K. Butterfield | 52.5% | 338,066 | Pete DiLauro
North Carolina, District 2 |  Renee Ellmers | 14.5% | 311,397 | Steve Wilkins
North Carolina, District 3 |  Walter B. Jones | 26.2% | 309,885 | Erik Anderson
North Carolina, District 4 |  David E. Price | 48.9% | 348,485 | Tim D'Annunzio
North Carolina, District 5 |  Virginia Foxx | 15.1% | 349,197 | Elisabeth Motsinger
North Carolina, District 6 |  Howard Coble | 21.8% | 364,583 | Tony Foriest
North Carolina, District 7 |  Mike McIntyre | 0.2% | 336,736 | David Rouzer
North Carolina, District 8 |  Richard Hudson | 7.8% | 302,280 | Larry Kissell
North Carolina, District 9 |  Robert Pittenger | 6.1% | 375,690 | Jennifer Roberts

## General election candidates[edit]

District | General Election Candidates | Incumbent | 2012 Winner | Partisan Switch?

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1st |  G.K. Butterfield
Pete DiLauro
Darryl Holloman | G.K. Butterfield |  G.K. Butterfield | No
2nd |  Steve Wilkins
Renee Ellmers
Brian Irving | Renee Ellmers |  Renee Ellmers | No
3rd |  Erik Anderson
Walter B. Jones | Walter B. Jones |  Walter B. Jones | No
4th |  David E. Price
Tim D'Annunzio | David Price |  David E. Price | No
5th |  Elisabeth Motsinger
Virginia Foxx | Virginia Foxx |  Virginia Foxx | No
6th |  Tony Foriest
Howard Coble | Howard Coble |  Howard Coble | No
7th |  Mike McIntyre
David Rouzer | Mike McIntyre |  Mike McIntyre | No
8th |  Larry Kissell
Richard Hudson | Larry Kissell |  Richard Hudson | Yes
9th |  Jennifer Roberts
Robert Pittenger
Curtis Campbell | Sue Wilkins Myrick |  Robert Pittenger | No
10th |  Patricia Keever
Patrick McHenry | Patrick T. McHenry |  Patrick McHenry | No
11th |  Hayden Rogers
Mark Meadows | Heath Shuler |  Mark Meadows | Yes
12th |  Melvin L. Watt
Jack Brosch | Melvin L. Watt |  Melvin L. Watt | No
13th |  Charles Malone
George E.B. Holding | Brad Miller |  George E.B. Holding | Yes

## Candidates[edit]

Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.

### 1st Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

G.K. Butterfield

Pete DiLauro
Darryl Holloman

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* G.K. Butterfield:89,531 Incumbenta
* Dan Whittacre:20,822

Republican Primary

* Pete DiLauro:[5]a

Libertarian Candidate

* Darryl Holloman[6]

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### 2nd Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Steve Wilkins

Renee Ellmers

Brian Irving

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic primary

* Antoinette Toni Morris: 20,431[7]
* Steve Wilkins: 24,327[8]a

Republican primary

* Renee Ellmers:37,661 Incumbenta
* Richard Speer:20,099[9]
* Sonya Holmes:6,535[10]
* Clement Munno:2,982[11]

Libertarian Candidate

* Brian Irving

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* Note: Jim Bibbs initially declared but did not appear on the primary ballot:[12]

### 3rd Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Erik Anderson

Walter B. Jones

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Erik Anderson[13] a

Republican Primary

* Walter B. Jones:42,644 Incumbenta
* Frank Palombo:19,166 Former New Bern Police chief[14]

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### 4th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

David E. Price

Tim D'Annunzio

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic primary

* David E. Price: Incumbent[15]a

Republican primary

* Jim Allen:10,430[16]
* Tim D'Annunzio:14,065a
* George Hutchins:5,811 Veteran[17]

Note: Doug Yopp initially declared but did not appear on the primary ballot:[18]

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### 5th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Elisabeth Motsinger

Virginia Foxx

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Elisabeth Motsinger:38,512 School Board member[19]a
* Bruce G. Peller:16,716

Republican Primary

* Virginia Foxx: Incumbenta

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### 6th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Tony Foriest

Howard Coble

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Tony Foriest a

Republican Primary

* Howard Coble:50,701 Incumbenta
* William Flynn:19,741
* Billy Yow:18,057 Guilford County Commissioner[20]

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### 7th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Mike McIntyre

David Rouzer

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Mike McIntyre: Incumbent[15]a

Republican Primary

* Randolph Wilson Crow:5,012
* Ilario Pantano:31,752 Retired Marine[15]
* David Rouzer:34,647 State senator[15]a

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Note: Timothy Alan Wilkes appeared on initial lists but ultimately withdrew prior to the primary.[21]

### 8th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Larry Kissell[22]

Richard Hudson

July 17, 2012 Republican Runoff candidates

* Richard Hudson a
* Scott Keadle

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Larry Kissell: Incumbenta
* Marcus W. Williams

Republican Primary

* Richard Hudson: District director for former U.S. Representative Robin Hayes[23]
* Scott Keadle: former Iredell County Commissioner[15]
* Vernon Robinson: Former member of the Winston-Salem City Council[23]
* John Whitley: Neurosurgeon[23]
* Fred Steen: State representative[24]

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### 9th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Jennifer Roberts

Robert Pittenger

Curtis Campbell

July 17, 2012 Republican primary runoff candidates

* Jim Pendergraph
* Robert Pittenger a

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic primary

* Jennifer Roberts: Mecklenburg County Commissioner[25]a

Republican primary

* Dan Barry: Mayor pro tem of Weddington[26]
* Andy Dulin: Charlotte councilman[27]
* Jim Pendergraph: Former sheriff, ICE Executive Director of State and Local Coordination[28]
* Robert Pittenger: Former state senator[29]
* Mike Steinberg: Businessman[30]
* Michael Shaffer: Real estate broker
* Jon Gauthier[31]
* Edwin Peacock: former councilman[32]
* Ric Killian: State Rep.[33]
* Ken Leonczyk: Christian pastor and evangelist[34]
* Richard Lynch: Business owner

Libertarian Candidate

* Curtis Campbell

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### 10th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Patricia Keever

Patrick McHenry

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Terry Bellamy: Mayor of Asheville, NC[35]
* Timothy Murphy[36]
* Patricia Keever: Teacher, state rep.[37]a

Republican Primary

* Patrick McHenry Incumbent[38]a
* Ken Fortenberry: Newspaper publisher[39]
* Don Peterson

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### 11th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Hayden Rogers

Mark Meadows

July 17, 2012 Republican primary runoff candidates

* Mark Meadows a
* Vance Patterson

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic primary

* Hayden Rogers: Former Shuler chief of staff[40]a
* Cecil Bothwell: Asheville City Council member[41]
* Tom Hill: Retired defense industry worker[42]

Republican primary

* Ethan Wingfield: Businessman
* Jeff Hunt: District attorney for Henderson, Polk and Transylvania counties[15]
* Spence Campbell: Retired Army officer[15]
* Mark Meadows: Real estate investor[43]a
* Vance Patterson: Businessman[43]
* Chris Petrella: Economic development consultant[44]
* Kenny West Clay County Republican Party chair[45]
* Susan Harris: Accountant[46]

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Note: Dan Eichenbaum appeared on initial lists but ultimately withdrew prior to the primary.[47]

### 12th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Melvin L. Watt

Jack Brosch

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Melvin L. Watt: Incumbenta
* Matt Newton

Republican Primary

* Jack Brosch[48]a

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### 13th Congressional District[edit]

General election candidates

Charles Malone

George E.B. Holding

May 8, 2012, primary results

Democratic Primary

* Bernard A. Holliday[49]
* Charles Malonea

Republican Primary

* Paul Coble: Wake County commissioner[15]
* Bill Randall: Previous candidate[15]
* George E.B. Holding: Former U.S. Attorney[50]a

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## Race background[edit]

The Washington Post listed the House of Representatives elections in North Carolina in 2012 as one of the states that could have determined whether Democrats retook the House or Republicans held their majority in 2013.[51] North Carolina was rated 8th on the list.[51]

## See also[edit]

* United States House of Representatives elections, 2012

## External links[edit]

* Official Primary Election Results

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Registering to Vote in North Carolina," accessed July 26, 2012
2. ↑ New York Times, "House Race Ratings," accessed July 25, 2012
3. ↑ , "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in North Carolina," September 2012
4. ↑ Fairvote, "FairVote's Unique Methodology Shows That 52% of Voters Wanted a Democratic House," November 13, 2012
5. ↑ wbtv.com "NC candidate filings for federal, statewide races" accessed March 2, 2012
6. ↑ wbtv.com "NC candidate filings for federal, statewide races" accessed March 2, 2012
7. ↑ Opensecrets.org "North Carolina" accessed February 6, 2012
8. ↑ wbtv.com "NC candidate filings for federal, statewide races" accessed March 2, 2012
9. ↑ Fayetteville Observer" Renee Ellmers gets another opponent in U.S. congressional race" accessed February 25, 2012
10. ↑ Fayetteville Observer" Renee Ellmers gets another opponent in U.S. congressional race" accessed February 25, 2012
11. ↑ wral.com "NC GOP candidates seek Ellmers, Myrick seats" accessed February 25, 2012
12. ↑ NBC17 "Republican challenger joins race for District 4" "Democrat Jim Bibbs dropping out of 2nd District congressional election" accessed April 27, 2012
13. ↑ wbtv.com "NC candidate filings for federal, statewide races" accessed March 2, 2012
14. ↑ New Bern Sun Journal "Former New Bern Police chief to run for Congress" accessed January 27, 2012
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 15.7 15.8 Roll Call "Brad Miller opens door to running in different district," accessed December 26, 2011
16. ↑ Burlington Times-News "Burlington man to run against Coble for Congress" accessed February 28, 2012
17. ↑ Official George Hutchins Campaign Website
18. ↑ NBC17 "Republican challenger joins race for District 4" accessed February 25, 2012
19. ↑ Ashe Mountain Times "Second Democrat confirms run for US 5th District" accessed February 25, 2012
20. ↑ digtriad.com "Alsotn not seeking re-election, Yow running for Congress" accessed February 25, 2012
21. ↑ OpenSecrets.org accessed February 5, 2012
22. ↑ Coshocton Tribune "GOP candidates Hudson, Keadle face runoff," May 8, 2012
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 Charlotte Observer "8th District GOP field grows," accessed December 26, 2011
24. ↑ Salisbury Post "Steen makes it official as Republican field taking on Kissell Grows," accessed December 26, 2011
25. ↑ Charlotte Observer "Roberts jumps in 9th District" accessed February 25, 2012
26. ↑ CarolinaPoliticsonline "Dan Barry switches from 8th District to 9th" accessed February 25, 2012
27. ↑ Roll Call "Charlotte councilman announces for Myrick District" accessed February 25, 2012
28. ↑ Foxcharlotte "Jim Pendergraph announces run for congress" accessed February 25, 2012
29. ↑ wsoctv.com "Republicans line up to fill Myrick's 9th District seat" accessed February 25, 2012
30. ↑ Charlotte Observer "Myrick gets tea party challenger," accessed December 26, 2011
31. ↑ Rocky Mount Telegram "Three Republicans file to challenge Ellmers in May primary" accessed February 26, 2012
32. ↑ Raleigh News and Observer "3 more enter race to succeed NC congresswoman" accessed February 27, 2012
33. ↑ Raleigh News and Observer "3 more enter race to succeed NC congresswoman" accessed February 27, 2012
34. ↑ Ken Leonczyk for Congress, "Biography," accessed February 29, 2012
35. ↑ Carolina Politics "Asheville Mayor Bellamy to run in newly drawn NC-10," accessed December 26, 2011
36. ↑ Timothy Murphy Campaign Site, accessed December 26, 2011
37. ↑ Asheville Citizen-Times "Asheville's Keever announces bid for Congress" accessed January 27, 2012
38. ↑ Hickory Daily Record "Hudson man announces run for U.S. House," accessed December 26, 2011
39. ↑ Gaston Gazette "Congressional candidate to challenge McHenry for U.S. House seat" accessed February 1, 2012
40. ↑ Roll Call "Former Shuler Chief of Staff mounts congressional bid" accessed February 25, 2012
41. ↑ Mountain XPress "Asheville Council member Cecil Bothwell announces run as Democrat against Rep. Shuler," accessed December 26, 2011
42. ↑ Asheville Citizen Times "Hill running for Congress in 11th District" accessed February 25, 2012
43. ↑ 43.0 43.1 BlueRidgeNow.com "Two more candidates throw hat in ring for Shuler's seat," accessed December 26, 2011
44. ↑ Hendersonville Times-News "Two more candidates throw hat in ring for Shuler's seat" accessed February 1,2012
45. ↑ Morganton News Herald "List grows for Congressional seat" accessed February 25, 2012
46. ↑ Mountain Xpress "Susan Harris files for U.S. Congress in 11th District" accessed April 27, 2012
47. ↑ Black Mountain News "Eichenbaum drops out of 11th Congressional Republican primary" accessed April 28, 2012
48. ↑ opensecrets.org accessed February 5, 2012
49. ↑ Rocky Mount Telegram "Three Republicans file to challenge Ellmers in May primary" accessed February 26, 2012
50. ↑ News & Observer "Holding to run for Miller's seat," accessed December 26, 2011
51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 Washington Post, "The 10 states that will determine control of the House in 2012," accessed April 25, 2012

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North Carolina's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Richard Burr (R)

Thom Tillis (R)

Representatives

District 1

G.K. Butterfield (D)

District 2

Deborah Ross (D)

District 3

Gregory Murphy (R)

District 4

David Price (D)

District 5

Virginia Foxx (R)

District 6

Kathy Manning (D)

District 7

David Rouzer (R)

District 8

Richard Hudson (R)

District 9

Dan Bishop (R)

District 10

Patrick McHenry (R)

District 11

Madison Cawthorn (R)

District 12

Alma Adams (D)

District 13

Ted Budd (R)

Republican Party (10)

Democratic Party (5)