North Carolina, State Senate, District 16

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 16
Current incumbent	Wiley Nickel
Population	199,393
Race	67.39% White, 15.26% Black, 0.53% Native American, 9.67% Asian/Pacific Islander, 4.38% Single Race Other, 2.77% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	90.48% Non Hispanic, 9.52% Hispanic
Voting age	80.8% age 18 and over

North Carolina's sixteenth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Wiley Nickel.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 199,393 civilians reside within North Carolina's sixteenth 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 16

Wiley Nickel (D) defeated Paul Smith (R) and Brian Irving (L) in the general election for North Carolina State Senate District 16 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Wiley Nickel (D)	65.3	63,335
	Paul Smith (R)	31.2	30,308
	Brian Irving (L)	3.5	3,382

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

Total votes: 97,025

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 16

Wiley Nickel defeated Luis Toledo in the Democratic primary for North Carolina State Senate District 16 on May 8, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Wiley Nickel (D)	55.5	8,585
	Luis Toledo (D)	44.5	6,890

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

Total votes: 15,475

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 16

Paul Smith advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina State Senate District 16 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Paul Smith (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 Josh Stein (D) resigned from the state Senate on March 21, 2016. Jay Chaudhuri (D) was appointed to the seat on April 19, 2016.

Incumbent Jay Chaudhuri defeated Eric Weaver in the North Carolina State Senate District 16 general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jay Chaudhuri Incumbent	65.33%	68,842
	Republican	Eric Weaver	34.67%	36,530
Total Votes			105,372
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Jay Chaudhuri defeated Ellis Hankins in the North Carolina State Senate District 16 Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 16 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Jay Chaudhuri	62.93%	20,232
	Democratic	Ellis Hankins	37.07%	11,916
Total Votes			32,148

Eric Weaver ran unopposed in the North Carolina State Senate District 16 Republican primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 16 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Eric Weaver (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 Josh Stein was unopposed in the Democratic primary, while Jason Mitchell was unopposed in the Republican primary. Stein defeated Mitchell in the general election.

North Carolina State Senate, District 16 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Josh Stein Incumbent	67.1%	42,422
	Republican	Jason Mitchell	32.9%	20,791
Total Votes			63,213

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 Josh Stein (D) was unopposed in both the general election and Democratic primary.

North Carolina State Senate, District 16, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Joshua Stein Incumbent	100%	69,405
Total Votes			69,405

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina State Senate District 16 raised a total of $5,084,147. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $188,302 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina State Senate District 16

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$640,139	3	$213,380
2014	$943,354	2	$471,677
2012	$423,247	1	$423,247
2010	$407,941	3	$135,980
2008	$1,022,527	4	$255,632
2006	$54,798	1	$54,798
2004	$367,542	6	$61,257
2002	$813,095	3	$271,032
2000	$411,504	4	$102,876
Total	$5,084,147	27	$188,302