North Carolina State Senate District 10
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North Carolina State Senate District 10 is represented by Benton Sawrey (R).
As of the 2020 Census, North Carolina state senators represented an average of 209,079 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 191,316 residents.
About the office[edit]
Members of the North Carolina State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. North Carolina legislators assume office on January 1 the year after their election.[1][2]
Qualifications[edit]
Article 2, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution states:
| “ | Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.[3][4] | ” |
Salaries[edit]
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2024[5] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $13,951/year | $104/day |
Vacancies[edit]
If there is a vacancy in the General Assembly of North Carolina, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement.[6][7]
When making an appointment, the governor must make a decision from a list of recommended candidates submitted by the political party committee that last held the vacant seat.[8] The appointment must be made within seven days of receiving a list of recommended candidates.[7] The person selected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.[7]
See sources: North Carolina Const. Art. 2, Sec. 10 and North Carolina Gen. Stat. § 163-11
District map[edit]
Redistricting[edit]
- See also: Redistricting in North Carolina
In North Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. District maps cannot be vetoed by the governor. State legislative redistricting must take place in the first regular legislative session following the United States Census. There are no explicit deadlines in place for congressional redistricting.[9]
State law establishes the following requirements for state legislative districts:[9]
- Districts must be contiguous and compact.
- Districts "must cross county lines as little as possible." If counties are grouped together, the group should include as few counties as possible.
- Communities of interest should be taken into account.
There are no similar restrictions in place regarding congressional districts.[9]
2020-2023[edit]
State legislative maps enacted in 2023[edit]
On October 25, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted new legislative district boundaries.[10] The legislation adopting the new Senate districts passed the state Senate by a vote of 28-17 and the State House by a vote of 63-40.[11] The legislation adopting the new House districts passed the state Senate by a vote of 27-17 and the State House by a vote of 62-44.[12] All four votes were strictly along party lines with all votes in favor by Republicans and all votes against by Democrats.[13][14][15][16] WUNC's Rusty Jacobs wrote that Catawba College Prof. Michael "Bitzer said Republicans have drawn maps that have a strong chance of preserving their veto-proof super majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Bitzer noted that constitutional provisions, like requiring legislators to keep counties whole when drawing state legislative districts, make it more difficult for lawmakers to gerrymander these maps more aggressively."[17]
The state redrew its district boundaries after the state supreme court overturned its 2022 decision that North Carolina's enacted congressional and legislative maps were unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering.
As a result of state supreme court elections in 2022, the court flipped from a 4-3 Democratic majority to a 5-2 Republican majority. In its ruling, the court said, "we hold that partisan gerrymandering claims present a political question that is nonjusticiable under the North Carolina Constitution. Accordingly, the decision of this Court in Harper I is overruled. We affirm the three judge panel’s 11 January 2022 Judgment concluding, inter alia, that partisan gerrymandering claims are nonjusticiable, political questions and dismissing all of plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
Reactions to 2023 state legislative maps[edit]
The Carolina Journal's Alex Baltzegar reported that "The John Locke Foundation recently released its annual Civitas Partisan Index scores for the legislative maps, which found there to be 28 Republican-leaning seats, 17 Democrat-leaning seats, and five toss-ups in the state Senate map."[10] Baltzegar also reported that "The new state House map would yield approximately 69 Republican and 48 Democratic seats, with three being in the swing category, according to Civitas’ CPI ratings. However, state House districts are smaller, and political outcomes vary to a higher degree. Many of the “lean” Republican or Democrat seats could be won by either party, and political shifts and trends will influence certain districts in the future."[10]
State Rep. Tim Longest (D) said, “This map secures more Republican seats than 100,000 randomly generated maps. That is unexplainable by geography, deliberately designed to maximize advantage."[18]
WUNC's Rusty Jacobs wrote that "Republican Sen. Ralph Hise, a co-chair of the Senate's redistricting committee, maintained that the maps were drawn applying traditional redistricting criteria, such as maintaining equal population across districts and minimizing the splitting of municipalities and precincts."[19]
State Senate map[edit]
Below is the state Senate map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for North Carolina’s 2024 state legislative elections.
North Carolina State Senate Districts
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
North Carolina State Senate Districts
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
State House map[edit]
Below is the state House map in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for North Carolina’s 2024 state legislative elections.
North Carolina State House Districts
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
North Carolina State House Districts
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
State legislative maps enacted in 2021-2022[edit]
On April 28, 2023, the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned their February 4, 2022, decision that the state's enacted congressional and legislative maps were unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering and vacated both the maps the legislature enacted in 2021 and the remedial maps used for the 2022 elections.[20] In its ruling, the court said, "we hold that partisan gerrymandering claims present a political question that is nonjusticiable under the North Carolina Constitution. Accordingly, the decision of this Court in Harper I is overruled. We affirm the three judge panel’s 11 January 2022 Judgment concluding, inter alia, that partisan gerrymandering claims are nonjusticiable, political questions and dismissing all of plaintiffs’ claims with prejudice."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
The Court's order also said that the legislature's original 2021 maps were developed based on incorrect criteria and ruled that the General Assembly should develop new congressional and legislative boundaries to be used starting with the 2024 elections: "Just as this Court’s Harper I decision forced the General Assembly to draw the 2022 Plans under a mistaken interpretation of our constitution, the Lewis order forced the General Assembly to draw the 2021 Plans under the same mistaken interpretation of our constitution...The General Assembly shall have the opportunity to enact a new set of legislative and congressional redistricting plans, guided by federal law, the objective constraints in Article II, Sections 3 and 5, and this opinion. 'When established' in accordance with a proper understanding of the North Carolina Constitution, the new legislative plans “shall remain unaltered until the return of” the next decennial census."Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; invalid names, e.g. too many
On February 23, 2022, the Wake County Superior Court approved legislative maps that the General Assembly redrew after the North Carolina Supreme Court issued a 4-3 opinion on February 4, 2022, saying the state's enacted legislative maps violated the state constitution.[21] The state house map was approved by the North Carolina House of Representatives in a 115-5 vote on February 16, and by the North Carolina State Senate in a 41-3 on February 17. The state Senate map was approved by the state Senate in a 26-19 vote, and by the state House in a 67-52 vote on February 17.[22][23] These maps were used for North Carolina's 2022 legislative elections.
On November 4, the North Carolina General Assembly originally voted to enact legislative maps. The house map passed the North Carolina House of Representatives 67-49 on November 2, and the North Carolina State Senate 25-21 on November 4.[24] The senate map passed the North Carolina State Senate 26-19 on November 3 and the North Carolina House of Representatives 65-49 on Nov. 4.[25]
Reactions to 2021-2022 state legislative maps[edit]
Regarding the first set of maps approved by the General Assembly in November, the Rep. Destin Hall (R), chair of the House Redistricting Committee, said: "This is the most transparent process in the history of this state. We voluntarily chose to be out in public and not use election data, even though by law we didn't have to do that. We chose to do that because that's the right thing to do."[26] Sen. Ralph Hise (R), co-chairman of the Senate Redistricting and Elections Committee, said: "I feel that we have complied with the law" in drawing the maps.[27] Rep. Kandie Smith (D) criticized the maps, saying: "People don't want gerrymandering. That's what we have, People don't want us packing. That's what we're doing. People don't want us to separate people with the same interest. That's what we're doing."[26] Sen. Jay Chaudhuri (D) said: "Is it going to come down to litigation being filed? Yes — and what the courts have to say about it."[27]
Following the enactment of the redrawn legislative maps, Governor Roy Cooper (D) issued a statement saying, "Today’s decision allows a blatantly unfair and unconstitutional State Senate map that may have been the worst of the bunch. Our elections should not go forward until we have fair, constitutional maps."[28] State Senator Phil Berger (R) said, "The General Assembly’s remedial legislative map met all of the court-mandated tests and were constitutionally compliant. A bipartisan panel of Special Masters affirmed that. We’re thankful for the trial court’s ruling today."[29]
Below are the maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for North Carolina’s 2024 state legislative elections.
North Carolina State Senate District 10
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
North Carolina State Senate District 10
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Elections[edit]
2024[edit]
See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2024
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Incumbent Benton Sawrey defeated Felicia Baxter and Christopher Sessions in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Benton Sawrey (R) | 58.7 | 70,773 |
| Felicia Baxter (D) | 37.6 | 45,346 | ||
 | Christopher Sessions (L)  | 3.6 | 4,351 | |
| Total votes: 120,470 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Felicia Baxter advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Benton Sawrey advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Christopher Sessions advanced from the Libertarian primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10.
2022[edit]
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Benton Sawrey defeated Gettys Cohen Jr. in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benton Sawrey (R) | 63.9 | 48,083 |
 | Gettys Cohen Jr. (D) | 36.1 | 27,165 | |
| Total votes: 75,248 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Gettys Cohen Jr. advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10.
Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Benton Sawrey defeated Jill Homan and Matt Ansley in the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benton Sawrey | 65.6 | 12,318 |
| Jill Homan | 19.9 | 3,729 | ||
| Matt Ansley | 14.5 | 2,730 | ||
| Total votes: 18,777 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2020[edit]
See also: North Carolina State Senate elections, 2020
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Incumbent Brent Jackson defeated Vernon Moore in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Brent Jackson (R) | 65.1 | 56,740 |
 | Vernon Moore (D) | 34.9 | 30,425 | |
| Total votes: 87,165 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Vernon Moore advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Brent Jackson advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10.
2018[edit]
General election
General election for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Incumbent Brent Jackson defeated Vernon Moore in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Brent Jackson (R) | 62.5 | 33,366 |
| Vernon Moore (D) | 37.5 | 20,057 | |
| Total votes: 53,423 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Vernon Moore advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Vernon Moore |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10
Incumbent Brent Jackson advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 10 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Brent Jackson |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016[edit]
Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016.[30] The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.[31]
Incumbent Brent Jackson ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 10 general election.[32][33]
| North Carolina State Senate, District 10 General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican |  Brent Jackson Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||
Incumbent Brent Jackson ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 10 Republican primary.[34][35]
| North Carolina State Senate, District 10 Republican Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Brent Jackson Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014[edit]
Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Donald Rains was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Brent Jackson was unopposed in the Republican primary. Jackson defeated Rains in the general election.[36][37][38][39]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brent Jackson Incumbent |
62.5% | 31,239 | |
| Democratic | Donald Rains | 37.5% | 18,779 | |
| Total Votes | 50,018 | |||
2012[edit]
Elections for the office of North Carolina State Senate consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 29, 2012. Incumbent Brent Jackson (R) was unopposed in the general election and defeated Mike Osborne in the May 8 Republican primary.[40][41][42]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brent Jackson Incumbent |
100% | 48,772 | |
| Total Votes | 48,772 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Brent Jackson |
74.5% | 12,380 |
| Mike Osborne | 25.5% | 4,228 |
| Total Votes | 16,608 | |
Campaign contributions[edit]
From 2000 to 2024, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 10 raised a total of $6,659,226. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $201,795 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 10 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2024 | $304,574 | 3 | $101,525 |
| 2022 | $475,884 | 4 | $118,971 |
| 2020 | $788,067 | 2 | $394,033 |
| 2018 | $962,661 | 2 | $481,330 |
| 2016 | $780,775 | 1 | $780,775 |
| 2014 | $647,621 | 2 | $323,811 |
| 2012 | $255,101 | 2 | $127,551 |
| 2010 | $1,246,297 | 4 | $311,574 |
| 2008 | $82,077 | 1 | $82,077 |
| 2006 | $207,585 | 2 | $103,793 |
| 2004 | $241,655 | 3 | $80,552 |
| 2002 | $322,894 | 5 | $64,579 |
| 2000 | $344,035 | 2 | $172,018 |
| Total | $6,659,226 | 33 | $201,795 |
See also[edit]
- General Assembly of North Carolina
- North Carolina State Senate
- North Carolina House of Representatives
- North Carolina state legislative districts
External links[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ North Carolina Constitution, "Article II, Section 9," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ Confirmed via email with the North Carolina Legislature on July 7, 2011
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "North Carolina State Constitution," accessed February 10, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2024 Legislator Compensation," August 21, 2024
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "North Carolina Constitution," accessed February 12, 2021 (Article II, Section 10)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 General Assembly of North Carolina, "North Carolina General Statutes," accessed February 12, 2021 (Statute 163-11(a), NC General Statutes)
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "North Carolina General Statutes," accessed February 12, 2021 (Statute 163-11(b-d), NC General Statutes)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 All About Redistricting, "North Carolina," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 The Carolina Journal, "New state House, Senate, and congressional maps finalized," October 25, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 758 / SL 2023-146," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Bill 898 / SL 2023-149," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #614," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #499," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #504," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #604," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ WUNC, "New district maps show signs of GOP partisan gerrymandering," October 24, 2023
- ↑ Courthouse News Service, "North Carolina redistricting cements GOP control of Legislature," October 25, 2023
- ↑ WUNC, "New district maps show signs of GOP partisan gerrymandering," October 24, 2023
- ↑ The New York Times, "North Carolina Court, With New Partisan Mix, Reverses Itself on a Key Voting Case," April 28, 2023
- ↑ Supreme Court of North Carolina, Harper v. Hall, February 4, 2022
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "HB 980," accessed February 17, 2022
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "SB 744," accessed February 17, 2022
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Bill 976 / SL 2021-175," accessed November 5, 2021
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 739 / SL 2021-173," accessed November 5, 2021
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 ABC 11, "Republican-led General Assembly approves new congressional maps for NC that could heavily favor GOP," November 4, 2021
- ↑ 27.0 27.1 Richmond County Daily Journal, "NC legislators finalize redistricting maps," November 5, 2021
- ↑ North Carolina Office of the Governor, "Governor Cooper Statement on Redistricting Case," February 23, 2022
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfox8 - ↑ The primary for U.S. congressional elections was rescheduled to June 7, 2016, following legal challenges to North Carolina's district maps. State races were unaffected.
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 Candidate Filing," archived January 19, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed August 23, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2016 General Election results lookup," accessd December 21, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Candidate Listing," accessed January 4, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "03/15/2016 Official primary results - Statewide," March 15, 2016
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Primary Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed March 7, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "General Election Candidate List Grouped by Contest," accessed August 12, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "05/06/2014 Official Primary Election Results - Statewide," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "11/04/2014 Official General Election Results - Statewide," accessed December 5, 2014
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "2012 Official General Election Results," accessed December 5, 2013
- ↑ North Carolina Board of Elections, "Candidate lists," accessed March 9, 2012
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, Official Primary Election Results
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