North Carolina, State Senate, District 9

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 9
Current incumbent	Harper Peterson
Population	197,372
Race	80.80% White, 13.02% Black, 0.49% Native American, 1.29% Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.41% Single Race Other, 1.99% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	94.67% Non Hispanic, 5.33% Hispanic
Voting age	80.2% age 18 and over

North Carolina's ninth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Harper Peterson.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 197,372 civilians reside within North Carolina's ninth 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 9

Harper Peterson (D) defeated incumbent Michael Lee (R) and Ethan Bickley (L) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 9 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Harper Peterson (D)	48.6	42,257
	Michael Lee (R)	48.3	42,026
	Ethan Bickley (L)	3.1	2,671

The results have been certified.

Total votes: 86,954

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 9

Harper Peterson advanced from the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 9 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Harper Peterson (D)

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

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 9

Incumbent Michael Lee advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 9 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Michael Lee (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 Michael V. Lee defeated Andrew Barnhill in the North Carolina State Senate District 9 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 9 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael V. Lee Incumbent	57.35%	60,173
	Democratic	Andrew Barnhill	42.65%	44,743
Total Votes			104,916
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Andrew Barnhill ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 9 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 9 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Democratic	Andrew Barnhill (unopposed)

Incumbent Michael V. Lee ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 9 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 9 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Michael V. Lee 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. Elizabeth Redenbaugh was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Michael V. Lee defeated Michael Burns and Justin LaNasa in the Republican primary. Lee defeated Redenbaugh in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 9 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Michael V. Lee Incumbent	55.4%	35,517
	Democratic	Elizabeth Redenbaugh	44.6%	28,637
Total Votes			64,154

North Carolina State Senate, District 9 Republican Primary, 2014

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Michael V. Lee	81.2%	9,685
Michael Burns	9.5%	1,130
Justin LaNasa	9.3%	1,109
Total Votes		11,924

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 Thom Goolsby (R) defeated Deb Butler (D) in the general election and was unopposed in the Republican primary. Butler was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 9, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Thomas Goolsby Incumbent	54.2%	52,955
	Democratic	Deb Butler	45.8%	44,817
Total Votes			97,772

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 9 raised a total of $7,172,143. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $286,886 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 9

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$830,479	2	$415,240
2014	$1,135,148	4	$283,787
2012	$671,588	2	$335,794
2010	$672,687	3	$224,229
2008	$1,081,871	2	$540,936
2006	$1,223,478	2	$611,739
2004	$881,333	4	$220,333
2002	$515,460	4	$128,865
2000	$160,099	2	$80,050
Total	$7,172,143	25	$286,886