North Carolina, State Senate, District 15

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 15
Current incumbent	Jay Chaudhuri
Population	188,841
Race	82.39% White, 9.88% Black, 0.27% Native American, 3.57% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.87% Single Race Other, 2.03% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	94.85% Non Hispanic, 5.15% Hispanic
Voting age	74.6% age 18 and over

North Carolina's fifteenth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Jay Chaudhuri.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 188,841 civilians reside within North Carolina's fifteenth 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 15

Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri (D) defeated Alan David Michael (R) and Brian Lewis (L) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Jay Chaudhuri (D)	73.1	60,805
	Alan David Michael (R)	23.3	19,365
	Brian Lewis (L)	3.6	3,005

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 83,175

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15

Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Jay Chaudhuri (D)

The results have been certified.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15

Alan David Michael advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 15 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Alan David Michael (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 John Alexander defeated Laurel Deegan-Fricke and Brad Hessel in the North Carolina State Senate District 15 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 15 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Alexander Incumbent	50.01%	58,999
	Democratic	Laurel Deegan-Fricke	45.69%	53,905
	Libertarian	Brad Hessel	4.31%	5,081
Total Votes			117,985
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Laurel Deegan-Fricke ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 15 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 15 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Democratic	Laurel Deegan-Fricke (unopposed)

Incumbent John Alexander ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 15 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 15 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	John Alexander Incumbent (unopposed)

Brad Hessel ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 15 Libertarian primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 15 Libertarian Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Libertarian	Brad Hessel (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. Tom Bradshaw was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Jim Fulghum defeated Apryl Major in the Republican primary. Fulghum withdrew from the race on July 3, 2014, citing ongoing treatment for cancer. He was replaced by John Alexander (R). Alexander defeated Bradshaw in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 15 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	John Alexander	50.4%	41,366
	Democratic	Tom Bradshaw	49.6%	40,665
Total Votes			82,031

North Carolina State Senate, District 15 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Jim Fulghum	80.1%	10,188
Apryl Major	19.9%	2,537
Total Votes		12,725

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. Incumbent Neal Hunt (R) defeated Sig Hutchinson (D) in the general election and was unopposed in the Republican primary. Hutchinson was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 15, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Neal Hunt Incumbent	59.7%	72,652
	Democratic	Sig Hutchinson	40.3%	49,050
Total Votes			121,702

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 15 raised a total of $3,722,197. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $143,161 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 15

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$441,888	3	$147,296
2014	$1,683,458	4	$420,865
2012	$599,424	2	$299,712
2010	$167,124	2	$83,562
2008	$256,568	3	$85,523
2006	$214,008	2	$107,004
2004	$93,294	4	$23,324
2002	$127,898	4	$31,975
2000	$138,535	2	$69,268
Total	$3,722,197	26	$143,161