Elections were held in North Carolina on November 3, 2020, to select the ten officers of the North Carolina Council of State. These elections coincided with the presidential election, elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the Senate and elections to the North Carolina General Assembly and top state courts. Primary elections were held on March 3, 2020, for offices for which more than one candidate filed per party.
The ten members of the North Carolina Council of State are statewide-elected officers serving four-year terms.
The result of the 2020 elections was a Council of State consisting of four Democrats and six Republicans, just as it had been before the elections.State Board of Elections: General Election results for Council of State. Accessed Nov. 14, 2020. Three seats (Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Commissioner of Labor) were open, but in each case, a Republican succeeded a fellow Republican.
Governor
Incumbent governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, ran for a second term. The Republican Party nominated Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest. The Libertarian Party nominated Steven J. DiFore, and the Constitution Party nominated Al Pisano. Cooper won re-election to a second term with 51.5% of the vote. Cooper received the most votes of any Democrat on the ballot in North Carolina in 2020.
Lieutenant governor
Incumbent lieutenant governor Dan Forest, a Republican, was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits set by the North Carolina Constitution. Forest ran for the governorship.
The Republican Party nominated Mark Robinson, a businessman and first-time political candidate. The Democratic party nominated State Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley. Robinson defeated Holley, winning 51.6% of the vote to Holley's 48.4%. Robinson thus became North Carolina's first African-American lieutenant governor.
Attorney general
Incumbent attorney general Josh Stein, a Democrat, ran for a second term. He faced Republican nominee Jim O'Neill in the general election. Stein defeated O'Neill by just over 13,000 votes out of over 5.4 million cast.
Secretary of state
Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, was first elected to the position of secretary of state in 1996 and had held the position since then. She was currently the longest-tenured member of the Council of State. She was unopposed in the primary. The Republican Party nominated businessman E.C. Sykes. Marshall won with 51.2% of the vote, a slightly smaller percentage of the vote than what she received in 2016. She was elected to her seventh term as secretary of state. No Republican had won election to this office since 1872, the longest streak for any state office in the country.
Democratic primary Candidates Declared Elaine Marshall, incumbent secretary of state
Republican primary Candidates Declared Chad Brown, Gaston County commissioner Michael LaPaglia, business consultant and nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State in 2016 E.C. Sykes, businessmanState Board of Elections: State candidate list by contest
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error ChadBrown MichaelLaPaglia E.C.Sykes UndecidedHarper Polling/Civitas InstituteHarper Polling/Civitas Institute December 2–4, 2019 500 (LV) ± 4.38%20%4%5%71%
Results
General election Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political ReportJune 25, 2020
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror ElaineMarshall (D) E.C.Sykes (R) UndecidedCardinal Point Analytics (R)Cardinal Point Analytics (R) July 22–24, 2020 735 (LV) ± 3.6%44% 42% 14%Cardinal Point Analytics (R) July 13–15, 2020 547 (LV) ± 4.2%47% 39% 14%
Results
State auditor
Incumbent Auditor Beth Wood, a Democrat, ran for a fourth term. She was narrowly re-elected in 2016, winning by just over six thousand votes. Wood was challenged in the Democratic primary by Luis Toledo, a former Assistant State Auditor. Toledo argued that change was needed in the Auditor's office. Beth Wood won the primary by a large margin. Anthony Street, a small business owner and member of the Brunswick County Soil and Water Board, won the Republican primary. Wood won the general election with 50.9% of the vote.
Democratic primary Candidates Declared Luis Toledo, U.S. Air Force veteran Beth Wood, incumbent state auditor
Results
Republican primary Candidates Declared Tim Hoegemeyer, general counsel for the Office of State Auditor and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Tony Wayne Street, Brunswick County Soil and Water Board memberDaily Tar Heel
Results
General election Results
State treasurer
Incumbent Treasurer Dale Folwell, a Republican, ran for a second term.
Duke University professor Ronnie Chatterji won the nomination of the Democratic Party by receiving 36% of the vote in the primary. He defeated Charlotte City Council member Dimple Ajmera and Matt Leatherman, who served as policy director for former state treasurer Janet Cowell.
Folwell defeated Chatterji in the general election. Folwell won 52.6% of the vote to Chatterji's 47.4%.
Democratic primary Candidates Declared Dimple Ajmera, Charlotte city councilwoman Ronnie Chatterji, professor at Duke University Matt Leatherman, policy director for former North Carolina State Treasurer Janet Cowell
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error DimpleAjmera RonnieChatterji MattLeatherman UndecidedPublic Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling February 2–4, 2020 604 (LV) -9% 4% 8%80%Public Policy PollingPublic Policy Polling January 10–12, 2020 509 (LV) -10% 5% 6%80%
Results
Republican primary Candidates Declared Dale Folwell, incumbent state treasurer
General election Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error DaleFolwell (R) RonnieChatterji (D) Other UndecidedEast Carolina UniversityEast Carolina UniversityOctober 27–28, 20201,103 (LV)± 3.4%48%44%3%5%Meeting Street Insights (R)Meeting Street Insights (R) October 24–27, 2020600 (LV)± 4%44%45% –8%Harper Polling/Civitas (R) October 22–25, 2020 504 (LV) ± 4.4% 43%44% – 13%East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina UniversityOctober 15–18, 20201,155 (LV)± 3.4%47%43%3%7%East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University October 2–4, 2020 1,232 (LV) ± 3.2% 44% 44% 1% 11%Harper Polling/Civitas (R)Harper Polling/Civitas (R) September 17–20, 2020 612 (LV)± 3.96%39%39% – 22%East Carolina UniversityEast Carolina University August 29–30, 2020 1,101 (LV) ± 3.4%41% 40% 5% 14%
Results
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Mark Johnson was elected to the position of State Superintendent in 2016, defeating incumbent June Atkinson by a narrow margin. Johnson opted not to run for a second term as Superintendent, instead declaring his candidacy for lieutenant governor.WRAL: State school superintendent wants lieutenant governor job Republican Catherine Truitt, chancellor of Western Governors University North Carolina and a former education advisor to Governor Pat McCrory defeated Democrat Jen Mangrum, an associate professor at UNC Greensboro, in the general election.
Commissioner of Agriculture
Incumbent Commissioner Steve Troxler, a Republican, was first elected in 2004. He was unopposed in the primary.
Three Democrats ran to challenge Troxler: Walter Smith, who ran for the office in 2012 and 2016 (losing to Troxler both times), Jenna Wadsworth, a Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, and Donovan Alexander Watson, a businessman from Durham. Wadsworth came in first place in the primary.
On election day, Troxler won a fifth term as Agriculture Commissioner. He won 53.9% of the statewide vote, a slightly smaller percentage than he received in 2016, when he won 55.6%. Despite this, Troxler still won the largest percentage of the vote of statewide candidate in North Carolina in 2020.
Democratic primary Candidates Declared Walter Smith, 2012 and 2016 Democratic nominee Jenna Wadsworth, Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor Donovan Alexander Watson, businessman
Results
Republican primary Candidates Declared Steve Troxler, incumbent Agriculture Commissioner (unopposed in the primary)
General election Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror SteveTroxler (R) JennaWadsworth (D) UndecidedMeeting Street Insights (R)October 24–27, 2020600 (LV)± 4%50%42%6%Harper Polling/Civitas (R) October 22–25, 2020 504 (LV) ± 4.4%47% 44% 9%Harper Polling/Civitas (R) August 6–10, 2020 600 (LV) ± 4.0%42% 34% 24%
Results
Commissioner of Labor
Cherie Berry was first elected to the position of Commissioner of Labor in 2000 and took office as only the second Republican Labor Commissioner in the history of North Carolina. On April 2, 2019, Berry announced that she would not seek re-election, and would retire from politics. Josh Dobson, a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives since 2013, won the Republican primary over Chuck Stanley, a construction safety manager, and former State Rep. Pearl Burris-Floyd. Wake County commissioner Jessica Holmes was the only Democrat to run. Dobson won the general election with 50.8% of the vote.
Democratic primary Candidates Declared Jessica Holmes, Wake County commissioner (unopposed in the primary)
Republican primary Candidates Declared Pearl Burris-Floyd, former state representative Josh Dobson, state representative Chuck Stanley, construction safety manager
Declined Cherie Berry, incumbent State Labor Commissioner
Results
General election Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror JoshDobson (R) JessicaHolmes (D) UndecidedMeeting Street Insights (R)October 24–27, 2020600 (LV)± 4%43%47%7%
Results
Commissioner of Insurance
Incumbent Commissioner Mike Causey, a Republican, ran for a second term.
Democratic primary Candidates Declared Wayne Goodwin, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party and former State Insurance Commissioner (2009–2017)
Republican primary Candidates Declared Mike Causey, incumbent State Insurance Commissioner Ronald Pierce, candidate for North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance in 2016
Results
General election Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Margin oferror MikeCausey (R) WayneGoodwin (D) UndecidedCardinal Point Analytics (R) July 22–24, 2020 735 (LV) ± 3.6%45% 37% 8%Cardinal Point Analytics (R) July 13–15, 2020 547 (LV) ± 4.2%41% 39% 20%
Results
Aftermath The Council of State was sworn in on January 9, 2021.
Notes
See also 2020 North Carolina judicial elections 2020 North Carolina elections
References
External links NC State Board of Elections NC State Board of Elections: Council of State Primary Election Results NC State Board of Elections: General Election results for Council of State
(state affiliate of the U.S. League of Women Voters)
Official campaign websites for Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (D) for Secretary of State E.C. Sykes (R) for Secretary of State
Official campaign websites for Auditor Tony Street (R) for Auditor Beth Wood (D) for Auditor
Official campaign websites for Treasurer Ronnie Chatterji (D) for Treasurer Dale Folwell (R) for Treasurer
Official campaign websites for Superintendent Jen Mangrum (D) for Superintendent Catherine Truitt (R) for Superintendent
Official campaign websites for Ag Commissioner Steve Troxler (R) for Ag Commissioner Jenna Wadsworth (D) for Ag Commissioner
Official campaign websites for Labor Commissioner Josh Dobson (R) for Labor Commissioner Jessica Holmes (D) for Labor Commissioner
Official campaign websites for Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey (R) for Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin (D) for Insurance Commissioner