1996 North Carolina Secretary of State election


The 1996 North Carolina Secretary of State election was held on November 5, concurrently with that year's U.S. presidential election, as well as elections for Governor, U.S. Senator, and Council of State. Attorney and former Democratic State Senator Elaine Marshall ran for the open Secretary of State position against stock car racer and former Randolph County commissioner known as "The King", Richard Petty. Marshall won the race.

Background

Proceeding the election, State Auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. discovered that Secretary of State Rufus Edmisten had allegedly engaged in "unacceptable behavior" that included illegal procurement of a job for his friend, Rosemary McBryde, as well as his use of state employees for personal work, and circumvention of speeding laws with an undercover license plate. The auditor's 132-page report describing Edmisten's misconduct was sent to Attorney General Michael F. Easley. Effective March 31, 1996, Secretary of State Edmisten resigned from his post, seeking opportunities in the fields of law and business. In a press release, Edmisten stated, "I am satisfied that we have proved worthy of the public trust. Of course, my competent and hard-working staff deserves the credit."
North Carolina is considered to be the birthplace of NASCAR, and the state is still home to most race teams and drivers. Richard Petty, nicknamed "The King" for his success in the sport, is the only driver who can claim 200 NASCAR Cup Series race wins and 7 Cup Championships. Not a complete political outsider, Petty had been County Commissioner in Randolph County for 16 years. Prior to Edmisten's resignation, Petty had been preparing to run against the incumbent Secretary of State, whom the press noted was also a NASCAR-loving "good ol' boy" with a similar political base to Petty. No Republican primary for Secretary of State was held, as "The King" ran uncontested for that party's nomination. Other Republicans on the ballot hoped to ride his coattails, such as future Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who said "I need to draw the Democrat vote, and I know he can do that."

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in runoff

Eliminated in primary

General election

Campaign

Petty's campaign strategy mostly consisted of travelling across the state to connect with his many fans, signing autographs and asking for their votes. When his campaign bus rolled through rural North Carolina, stunned citizens like Connie Perry of Bunn reacted, "Nothing ever happens around here. That's the highlight of our life. Of course, I'm going to vote for him." Perry's coworker at the Silver Spring Grill, Rhonda Cox, "about squeezed his neck to death."
Elaine Marshall attacked Petty for refusing to put his racing businesses in a blind trust and for his comments about continuing to appear in commercials for Pepsi and STP as well as continuing to race stock cars if he won. Richard Petty took pride in his ethical fundraising practices, saying "the only people I'm going to owe anything to is the people who vote for me. I don't want to owe anyone nothing." He was reported as telling his campaign manager, Bill Colby, "don't promise anybody nothing and don't take any money from anybody who wants something."

Hit-and-run incident

On September 11, 1996, on his way home from Charlotte Motor Speedway, Richard Petty was brake-checked while tailgating another driver. The incident resulted in a damaged bumper and a $25 ticket, which was later raised to a $65 fine and license penalty for "following too close." Richard Petty said that "the Democrats have nothing to criticize me for except the dumb things I do to myself," and attacked the "Democrat-controlled state police" for making him "a political victim." The press reported on the incident as both a high-profile celebrity scandal and a question of Petty's readiness to serve in a statewide executive office. The event had an impact on some voters, as one woman interviewed by the Greensboro News & Record said, "how could he have any feeling for you and me when he hit-and-runs somebody?"

Results

Elaine Marshall underperformed against Governor Jim Hunt, but overperformed some Democratic incumbents such as State Auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. and Labor Commissioner Harry E. Payne Jr. Marshall's coalition, relative to other Democrats, was strongest in her home of Harnett County as well as urban areas like Durham, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Wilmington. Marshall did not win Republican-leaning western counties that Hunt and other Democrats won that year, such as Polk, Rutherford, Burke, McDowell and Watauga, demonstrating Petty's strength in that portion of the state. Petty also did well in parts of eastern North Carolina, winning Onslow County.

Aftermath

Elaine Marshall

The first woman elected to a statewide executive office in North Carolina, Elaine Marshall has prioritized making it easier to do business in the state. Marshall was re-elected as Secretary of State of North Carolina every subsequent election including 2024. Mike Causey's plan to win Democrat votes with the help of Petty was a failure, as Democrats won every Council of State election in 1996, but Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms won re-election on the same ballot by a wide margin. He was the first of many North Carolina Republicans that Marshall has won statewide elections alongside.

Richard Petty

Following his landslide defeat, Richard Petty said "if I knew I was going to lose, I wouldn'ta run." He expressed frustration with the political world, saying "don't talk politics today... it'll be a couple years before I think about anything in politics again." He acknowledged the "bump" in traffic did not help his campaign and pinned the loss on his reputation, saying "people see me as Richard Petty, race-car driver, not as Richard Petty, politician." He pointed out that even in politics "we Pettys aren't complete losers", as his wife Lynda had won re-election to the Randolph County Board of Education. Petty has been criticized by some for electoral overconfidence, relying on his name recognition, and failing to make a coherent argument for why he should be the Secretary of State. Additionally, Petty himself pointed out that the traffic incident so close to the election may have reinforced the perception of him as a race car driver, not a steady-handed politician.