North Carolina Council of State election, 2004
|
|
Elections to chose members of the North Carolina Council of State weld held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004.
In all but two races (Superintendent of Public Instruction and Labor Commissioner), incumbent Democrats sought re-election.
The U.S. Presidential election, 2004, U.S. House election, 2004, U.S. Senate election, 2004, North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2004, and North Carolina General Assembly election, 2004, and North Carolina judicial elections, 2004 were all held on the same day. On a national level, Republican George W. Bush captured the state's electoral votes while incumbent Democratic governor Mike Easley easily won a second term.
| Contents |
Secretary of State
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elaine Marshall | 1,825,135 | 57% | Democrat |
| Jay Rao | 1,381,712 | 43% | Republican |
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall easily fended off both a primary challenge from Doris A. Sanders and from Republican challenger Jay Rao.
State Auditor
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Campbell | 1,631,385 | 50% | Democrat |
| Les Merritt | 1,661,202 | 50% | Republican |
Les Merritt, former Wake County commissioner, and2000 candidate, narrowly bested incumbent State Auditor Ralph Campbell to become North Carolina's first Republican state auditor.
Attorney General
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roy Cooper | 1,804,683 | 55% | Democrat |
| Joe Knott | 1,455,601 | 45% | Republican |
North Carolina's high-profile incumbent Attorney General Roy Cooper easily carried his race against Republican challenger Joe Knott.
State Treasurer
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Richard Moore | 1,733,995 | 54% | Democrat |
| Edward Meyer | 1,472,321 | 46% | Republican |
Incumbent State Treasurer Richard Moore bested Republican challenger Edward Meyer by an eight-point margin.
Superintendent of Public Instruction
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| June Atkinson | 1,655,751 | 50% | Democrat |
| Bill Fletcher | 1,647,263 | 50% | Republican |
With the resignation of Mike Ward, the Superintendent of Public Instruction race was the only 2004 Council of State contest in which there was no incumbent; consequently both major parties saw contested primaries. On the Republican side, former Wake County board of education member Bill Fletcher easily bested retired professor Jeanne Smoot. The Democratic primary between state Department of Instruction official June Atkinson, North Carolina Board of Education member J. B. Buxton and state agricultural education coordinator Marshall Stewart led to a second primary. Stewart polled narrowly ahead of Atkinson in the first primary, but failed to capture the 40% support needed to take the nomination. In a statewide runoff primary, Atkinson captured the Democratic nomination.
The race, with the race for Agriculture Commissioner (see below) was caught up for nearly a month in a statewide recount because of the narrow margin. Fletcher argued that provisional ballots, required under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 for federal races, were improperly counted in state races under North Carolina law. However, on 30 November 2004, the State Board of Elections certified Atkinson the winner. Fletcher has appealed the recision to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Atkinson, in turn, has petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly to resolve the disputed election. As of May 23 2005, the election remains unresolved and no new Superintendent has been inaugurated.
State Agriculture Commissioner
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Troxler | 1,666,270 | 50% | Republican |
| Britt Cobb | 1,663,917 | 50% | Democrat |
Interim Agriculture Commissioner Britt Cobb defeated state representative Tom Gilmore to take the Democratic nomination; Steve Troxler, the 2000 candidate for this position, was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Because of the loss of about 4,000 votes in Carteret County, North Carolina, the race for State Agriculture Commissioner could not be resolved for several months. Although the North Carolina Board of Elections certified the close race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction on 30 November 2004, they reached an impasse on the Agriculture Commissioner Race, splitting 3-2 in favor of calling a new statewide election for the seat over calling a new election in Carteret County alone; 4 votes would been required to take action on either option.
In early December, the North Carolina Board of Elections ordered a new election for January 11, 2005, in Carteret County alone, for voters whose ballots had been lost or who had not voted in the November 2 election. Both candidates appealed the decision, Cobb arguing that a statewide revote should be held, Troxler arguing that a revote should be limited to those voters whose votes were lost. A Wake County superior court judge overturned this decision on December 17, calling it "arbitrary and capricious" and "contrary to law," requiring the State Board of Elections to revisit the issue.
On December 29, the State Board of Elections ordered a new statewide election for the post. On January 13 2005, the superior court invalidated this order as well, and sent the contest back to the Elections Board for resolution. Following this ruling, Cobb conceded defeat. On February 4, the State Board of Elections officially certified Troxler as the winner of the 2004 election.
Commissioner of Labor
Incumbent Commissioner of Labor Cherie K. Berry (Republican) is seeking re-election.
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Goodwin | 1,520,044 | 48% | Democrat |
| Cherie Berry | 1,673,483 | 52% | Republican |
Incumbent Cherie Berry, the only sitting Republican on the Council of State, fended off both a primary challenge from Lloyd T. Funderburg and a heated general election challenge from state representative Wayne Goodwin.
State Insurance Commissioner
| Candidate | Popular Vote | Pct | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Long | 1,845,898 | 57% | Democrat |
| C. Robert Brawley | 1,380,318 | 43% | Republican |
Five-term incumbent Jim Long easily fended off a challenge from Republican C. Robert Brawley to win the greatest number of votes for any candidate in the 2004 Council of State elections.
| Other North Carolina Council of State elections: 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 |