North Carolina, State Senate, District 12

Note: North Carolina's state legislative district maps are the subject of ongoing legal actions. On June 5, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a federal district court decision finding that 28 state legislative districts had been subject to an illegal racial gerrymander. The district court then ordered state lawmakers to draft remedial maps for use in the 2018 election cycle. The legislature adopted new state House and Senate district maps on August 30, 2017. On October 26, 2017, the district court appointed a special master "to assist the Court in further evaluating and, if necessary, redrawing" the revised district maps. The special master, Nate Persily, issued final recommendations on December 1, 2017. On January 19, 2018, the district court issued an order adopting Persily's recommendations, which incorporated some changes to the maps drawn by the state legislature. However, on February 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a partial stay against the district court's order. On June 28, 2018, the high court partially affirmed the district court's decision but returned the case to the lower court for reconsideration regarding its original ruling on districts in Wake and Mecklenburg counties. As a result of these actions, several district numbers and boundaries changed. Consequently, the demographic information in this article might not apply to the newly drawn district boundaries. We will update this information as new developments occur. For more information on redistricting in North Carolina, see this article.

North Carolina State Senate District 12
Current incumbent	Jim Burgin
Population	191,817
Race	69.00% White, 19.58% Black, 1.01% Native American, 0.93% Asian/Pacific Islander, 6.69% Single Race Other, 2.78% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	86.84% Non Hispanic, 13.16% Hispanic
Voting age	72.9% age 18 and over

North Carolina's twelfth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Jim Burgin.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 191,817 civilians reside within North Carolina's twelfth state senate district. North Carolina state senators represent an average of 190,710 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 160,986 residents.

About the office

Members of the North Carolina State Senate serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. North Carolina legislators assume office the first day of the new General Assembly in January.

Qualifications

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."

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$13,951/year	$104/day; set by statute.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the senate, the Governor is responsible for selecting a replacement. When making the appointment, the Governor must make the selection from a list of recommended candidates submitted by the political party committee that holds the vacant seat. The appointment must be made by the Governor within seven days of receiving the list of recommended candidates. The person selected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of North Carolina State Senate will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2020. The filing deadline was December 20, 2019.

2018

General election

General election for North Carolina State Senate District 12

Jim Burgin (R) defeated Jean Sivoli (D) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 12 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jim Burgin (R)	60.0	34,931
	Jean Sivoli (D)	40.0	23,290

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 58,221

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12

Howard Baldwin advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Howard Baldwin (D)

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12

Jim Burgin advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 12 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Jim Burgin (R)

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

2016

Elections for the North Carolina State Senate took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election will be held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.

Incumbent Ronald Rabin defeated Susan Byerly in the North Carolina State Senate District 12 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 12 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ronald Rabin Incumbent	57.50%	45,228
	Democratic	Susan Byerly	42.50%	33,426
Total Votes			78,654
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Susan Byerly defeated James Willis Sills, Jr. in the North Carolina State Senate District 12 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 12 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Susan Byerly	77.39%	11,171
	Democratic	James Willis Sills, Jr.	22.61%	3,263
Total Votes			14,434

Incumbent Ronald Rabin ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 12 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 12 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Ronald Rabin Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

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. Joe Langley defeated James Clark in the Democratic primary, while incumbent Ronald Rabin was unopposed in the Republican primary. Rabin defeated Langley in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 12 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ronald Rabin Incumbent	56%	26,903
	Democratic	Joe Langley	44%	21,169
Total Votes			48,072

North Carolina State Senate, District 12 Democratic Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Joe Langley	65.8%	4,369
James Clark	34.2%	2,274
Total Votes		6,643

2012

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. Ronald Rabin (R) defeated Brad Salmon (D) in the general election. Rabin advanced to a primary runoff after running against Donald S. Davis, Tim McNeill and Daniel Glover in the Republican primary on May 8. Rabin then defeated Donald S. Davis in the runoff on July 17, 2012. Salmon defeated James Clark in the Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 12, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Ronald Rabin	51%	37,809
	Democratic	Brad Salmon	49%	36,337
Total Votes			74,146

North Carolina State Senate District 12 Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Donald S. Davis (advanced to runoff)	37.9%	5,709
Ronald Rabin (advanced to runoff)	27.9%	4,195
Tim McNeill	21.1%	3,173
Daniel Glover	13.2%	1,983
Total Votes		15,060

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 12 raised a total of $3,674,174. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $126,696 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 12

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$79,708	3	$26,569
2014	$203,419	3	$67,806
2012	$317,858	6	$52,976
2010	$201,710	2	$100,855
2008	$841,615	4	$210,404
2006	$742,061	2	$371,031
2004	$468,785	1	$468,785
2002	$666,682	3	$222,227
2000	$152,336	5	$30,467
Total	$3,674,174	29	$126,696