Incumbents sweep region’s NC House seats

Published 12:15 am Wednesday, November 4, 2020

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Local incumbents currently holding seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives have been reelected for another term.

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s General Election showed District 1 Representative Edward Goodwin, an Edenton Republican, defeating Democratic challenger Emily Bunch Nicholson. Goodwin earned 20,598 votes (54.55%) while Nicholson was named on 17,160 ballots (45.45%).

Bertie County is in District 1 in the NC House.

In District 5 (Hertford, Gates and Pasquotank counties), incumbent Howard Hunter III, an Ahoskie Democrat, has retained his seat in the NC House. Hunter defeated Republican challenger Donald Kirkland of Ahoskie: 19,862 to 15,155.

Hunter topped the balloting in both Hertford (7,532 – 2,716) and Pasquotank (9,647 – 9,363) counties. Kirkland carried Gates County (3,076 – 2,683).

In House District 27 (Northampton and Halifax counties), incumbent Michael Wray, a Democrat from Gaston, earned another term. He defeated Republican challenger Warren Scott Nail: 22,988 to 11,427. Wray won by a landslide in both counties: Northampton (6,527 – 3,216) and Halifax (16,461 – 8,211).

Bob Steinburg, an Edenton Republican, has retained his District 1 seat in the NC Senate, according to the unofficial results. Steinburg was named on 57,913 (55.27%) of the ballots in the District, which includes Hertford and Gates counties. Democratic challenger Tess Judge has 46,862 votes.

District 3 in the NC Senate will have a new face. Ernestine Byrd Bazemore, a Democrat from Windsor who is currently a member of the Bertie County Board of Commissioners, defeated Thomas S. Hester Jr. This race was close with Bazemore collecting 45,246 votes (51.99%) compared to 41,775 (48.01%) for Hester. She was named on a combined 11,703 ballots in Bertie and Northampton counties.

This Senate District, which includes Bertie and Northampton counties, was represented by Erica Smith, a Democrat from Gaston. Smith ran unsuccessfully in the March Primary for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Incumbent U.S. Congressman G.K. Butterfield has earned another term representing North Carolina’s First District. The seven-term Democrat defeated Republican challenger Sandy Smith by capturing 54 percent of the vote. The unofficial tally shows Butterfield with 187,125 votes compared to 158,530 for Smith.

About Cal Bryant

Cal Bryant, a 40-year veteran of the newspaper industry, serves as the Editor at Roanoke-Chowan Publications, publishers of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald, Gates County Index, and Front Porch Living magazine.

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