2012 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina


The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 13 U.S. representatives from the state of North Carolina. The elections coincided with the U.S. presidential election, N.C. gubernatorial election, statewide judicial elections, Council of State elections, and various local elections. Primary elections were held on May 8, 2012; for races in which no candidate received 40 percent of the vote in the primary, runoff elections were held on July 17.
North Carolina was one of five states in which the party that won the state's popular vote did not win a majority of seats in 2012, along with Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

Overview

By district

Results of the 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina by district:

Redistricting

A redistricting map, drawn to reflect changes observed in the 2010 United States census, was passed into law in July 2011. The map must receive approval from either the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia or the U.S. Department of Justice before it can be enforced. The North Carolina chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People challenged the map on the grounds that it reduces the influence of African American voters.
DistrictOld PVINew PVIIncumbent
G. K. Butterfield
Renee Ellmers
Walter B. Jones Jr.
David Price
Virginia Foxx
Howard Coble
Mike McIntyre
Larry Kissell
Sue Myrick
Patrick McHenry
Heath Shuler
Mel Watt
Brad Miller

District 1

Incumbent Democrat G. K. Butterfield, who had represented the district since 2004, ran for re-election. The 1st district, which is majority-minority and already strongly favored Democrats, favored them even more so after redistricting. The redrawn district had a PVI of D+17, whereas the old 1st had a PVI of D+9.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 2

Incumbent Republican Renee Ellmers, who had represented the district since 2011, ran for re-election. The 2nd district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting, with The Hill ranking Ellmers at second in its list of house members most helped by redistricting. The redrawn district had a PVI of R+11, whereas the old 2nd had a PVI of R+2.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Renee Ellmers, incumbent U.S. representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Sonya Holmes
  • Clement F. Munno
  • Richard Speer, contract farmer

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Steve Wilkins, retired U.S. Army officer and businessman
    Eliminated in primary
  • Toni Morris, professional counselor
    Withdrawn
  • Jim Bibbs
    Declined
  • Bob Etheridge, former U.S. representative

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Brian Irving, retired U.S. Air Force officer

District 3

Incumbent Republican Walter B. Jones Jr., who had represented the district since 1995, ran for re-election. The 3rd district was made slightly more favorable to Democrats in redistricting, but continued to strongly favor Republicans. The redrawn district had a PVI of R+10, whereas the old 3rd had a PVI of R+16.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Erik Anderson, former U.S. Marine

District 4

Democrat David Price, who had represented North Carolina's 4th congressional district since 1997 and previously served from 1987 until 1995, ran for re-election. Brad Miller, who had represented the 13th district since 2003, considered challenging Price in the 4th district primary after having his home drawn into it, but announced in January 2012 that he would not seek either seat and would instead retire.

Democratic primary

Price was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 5

Republican Virginia Foxx, who had represented North Carolina's 5th congressional district since 2005, ran for re-election. The 5th district was made slightly more favorable to Democrats in redistricting, but continued to strongly favor Republicans.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Virginia Foxx, incumbent U.S. representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 6

Republican Howard Coble, who had represented North Carolina's 6th congressional district since 1985, ran for re-election.
The 6th district was expected to continue to strongly favor Republicans.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Howard Coble, incumbent U.S. representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Bill Flynn, former radio personality
  • Billy Yow, Guilford County commissioner

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 7

The home of Democrat Mike McIntyre, who had represented North Carolina's 7th congressional district since 1997, was drawn into the 8th district in redistricting. McIntyre, who had briefly considered running for governor following Bev Perdue's announcement that she would not seek re-election, decided to seek re-election in the newly redrawn 7th district. The district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting: 58% of its residents voted for Republican nominee John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Mike McIntyre, incumbent U.S. representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

General election

Campaign

McIntyre was heavily targeted by Republicans, especially after the GOP-controlled North Carolina General Assembly had redrawn congressional boundaries to put his home in Robeson County into the 8th district, something that McIntyre accused the GOP of doing “solely for the reason of giving my opponent a seat in Congress”.
Nearly $9 million was spent by both parties, with McIntyre airing ads stating he was a "strong conservative and Christian who walks his faith every day" and Rouzer trying to tie McIntyre to his votes for Nancy Pelosi and for the stimulus.

Endorsements

McIntyre was the lone Democratic federal candidate endorsed by National Right to Life Committee in this election cycle.

Results

The election outcome left McIntyre the winner by 655 votes. A recount requested by Rouzer began on November 26, 2012; two days later, Rouzer conceded the race to McIntyre. This was the closest House race in 2012.

District 8

Democrat Larry Kissell, who had represented North Carolina's 8th congressional district since 2009, ran for re-election. The home of Kissell's fellow Democrat Mike McIntyre, who had represented the 7th district since 1997, was drawn into the 8th district in redistricting, but McIntyre sought re-election in the 7th district. The 8th district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting: only 42% of its residents voted for Democratic nominee Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Larry Kissell, incumbent U.S. representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Marcus Williams, attorney and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2008

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

General election

Debates

  • , September 24, 2012

District 9

Republican Sue Myrick, who had represented North Carolina's 9th congressional district since 1995, did not seek another term.
Curtis Campbell ran as the Libertarian nominee.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
In the Republican primary, Pittenger and Pendergraph qualified for the runoff election, earning 33% and 25% of the vote, respectively. On July 17, Pittenger won the primary runoff.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 10

Republican Patrick McHenry, who had represented North Carolina's 10th congressional district since 2005, ran for re-election. Though the 10th district was made more favorable to Democrats in redistricting, it was expected to continue to strongly favor Republicans.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Patrick McHenry, incumbent U.S. representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Ken Fortenberry, newspaper publisher
  • Don Peterson

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 11

Democrat Heath Shuler, who had represented North Carolina's 11th congressional district since 2007, chose not to run for re-election.
The 11th district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting: more than three-quarters of voters in Asheville were removed from the district, while Avery, Burke, Caldwell and Mitchell counties, all of which favor Republicans, were added to it.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

District 12

Democrat Mel Watt, who had represented North Carolina's 12th congressional district since 1993, ran for re-election. The 12th district was made more favorable to Democrats in redistricting.
Watt faced Republican Jack Brosch and Libertarian Lon Cecil in the general election in November.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Mel Watt, incumbent U.S. representative
    Eliminated in primary
  • Matt Newton, attorney and former Occupy movement protester
    Declined
  • Melvin Alston, Guilford County commissioner

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee
  • Jack Brosch, business owner

District 13

Democrat Brad Miller, who had represented North Carolina's 13th congressional district since 2003, did not seek re-election. The 13th district was made more favorable to Republicans in redistricting.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee