North Carolina, State Senate, District 17

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 17
Current incumbent	Sam Searcy
Population	194,407
Race	78.52% White, 8.92% Black, 0.37% Native American, 8.03% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.89% Single Race Other, 2.25% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	94.20% Non Hispanic, 5.80% Hispanic
Voting age	69.5% age 18 and over

North Carolina's 17th state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Sam Searcy.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 194,407 civilians reside within North Carolina's 17th 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 17

Sam Searcy (D) defeated incumbent Tamara Barringer (R) and Bruce Basson (L) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 17 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Sam Searcy (D)	50.6	50,040
	Tamara Barringer (R)	46.4	45,841
	Bruce Basson (L)	3.0	3,016

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 98,897

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 17

Sam Searcy advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 17 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Sam Searcy (D)

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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 17

Incumbent Tamara Barringer advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 17 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Tamara Barringer (R)

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 Tamara Barringer defeated Susan Evans and Susan Hogarth in the North Carolina State Senate District 17 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 17 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tamara Barringer Incumbent	48.30%	59,105
	Democratic	Susan Evans	47.45%	58,063
	Libertarian	Susan Hogarth	4.24%	5,191
Total Votes			122,359
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Susan Evans ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 17 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 17 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Democratic	Susan Evans (unopposed)

Incumbent Tamara Barringer ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 17 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 17 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Tamara Barringer 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. Incumbent Tamara Barringer was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Bryan Fulghum was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Barringer defeated Fulghum in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 17 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tamara Barringer Incumbent	58.5%	44,292
	Democratic	Bryan Fulghum	41.5%	31,476
Total Votes			75,768

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. Tamara Barringer (R) defeated Erv Portman (D) in the general election and was unopposed in the Republican primary. Portman was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 17, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Tamara Barringer	53.7%	57,101
	Democratic	Erv Portman	46.3%	49,298
Total Votes			106,399

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 17 raised a total of $2,731,806. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $109,272 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 17

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$671,007	3	$223,669
2014	$303,660	2	$151,830
2012	$591,467	2	$295,734
2010	$54,230	2	$27,115
2008	$96,050	2	$48,025
2006	$111,525	1	$111,525
2004	$339,688	3	$113,229
2002	$120,121	4	$30,030
2000	$444,058	6	$74,010
Total	$2,731,806	25	$109,272