North Carolina, State Senate, District 36

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 36
Current incumbent	Paul Newton
Population	189,509
Race	76.43% White, 14.59% Black, 0.36% Native American, 1.98% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4.63% Single Race Other, 2.03% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	90.99% Non Hispanic, 9.01% Hispanic
Voting age	72.6% age 18 and over

North Carolina's thirty-sixth state senate district is represented by Republican Senator Paul Newton.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 189,509 civilians reside within North Carolina's thirty-sixth 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 36

Incumbent Paul Newton (R) defeated Mark Shelley (D) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 36 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Paul Newton (R)	56.6	44,938
	Mark Shelley (D)	43.4	34,416

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 79,354

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 36

Mark Shelley advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 36 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Mark Shelley (D)

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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 36

Incumbent Paul Newton advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 36 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Paul Newton (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 Fletcher Hartsell (R) did not seek re-election.

Paul Newton defeated Robert Brown in the North Carolina State Senate District 36 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 36 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Paul Newton	62.56%	59,584
	Democratic	Robert Brown	37.44%	35,664
Total Votes			95,248
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Robert Brown defeated Andrew Platek in the North Carolina State Senate District 36 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 36 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Robert Brown	65.04%	8,629
	Democratic	Andrew Platek	34.96%	4,638
Total Votes			13,267

Paul Newton defeated Amy Blake, Parish Moffitt and Scott Aumuller in the North Carolina State Senate District 36 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 36 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Paul Newton	37.04%	9,562
	Republican	Amy Blake	21.34%	5,509
	Republican	Parish Moffitt	11.60%	2,994
	Republican	Scott Aumuller	30.02%	7,749
Total Votes			25,814

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 Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. defeated Fred Biggers in the Republican primary and was unchallenged in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 36 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. Incumbent	60.7%	7,496
Fred Biggers	39.3%	4,858
Total Votes		12,354

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 Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. (R) was unopposed in both the general election and Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 36, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Fletcher L. Hartsell, Jr. Incumbent	100%	60,957
Total Votes			60,957

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 36 raised a total of $1,370,664. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $52,718 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 36

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$315,681	6	$52,614
2014	$189,106	2	$94,553
2012	$173,834	1	$173,834
2010	$167,231	2	$83,616
2008	$207,840	5	$41,568
2006	$148,077	2	$74,039
2004	$68,763	2	$34,382
2002	$59,514	3	$19,838
2000	$40,618	3	$13,539
Total	$1,370,664	26	$52,718