The Council of the State shifts Republican

The Council of State in North Carolina shifted Republican as of the time this article was sent to print, with six Republican seats under the governor claiming victory. Democratic candidates won three of the seats.

Mitch Kokai, spokesperson for the John Locke Foundation, said no one predicted the Republicans to sweep the state in this manner.

“What no one predicted was that Republicans would make such major gains on the Council of State, possibly sweeping every Democrat away except Secretary of State Elaine Marshall,” he said.

Incumbent Dan Forest, Republican lieutenant governor for North Carolina, was re-elected, beating out Democratic nominee Linda Coleman.

“While we did not cross the victory line, I am so proud of the campaign that we ran,” Coleman said in her concession speech last night.

Forest was originally elected in 2012. He was unopposed for the Republican nomination in the 2016 primary.

He won the seat with 51.87 percent of the popular vote. Linda Coleman followed with 45.28 percent.

“While our campaign ends tonight, it does not end the conversation for progressive public policy that we all must continue to engage in to make North Carolina a great state,” Coleman said. “We still have to change the conversation.”

Republican candidates were elected in five other spots in the Council of State, including commissioner of agriculture, commissioner of insurance, commissioner of labor, superintendent of public instruction and treasurer.

Roy Cooper’s gubernatorial campaign left the state attorney general seat open. Democratic nominee Josh Stein closely beat out Republican nominee Buck Newton to replace the candidate.

Stein said, in his victory speech last night, he ran for the seat to protect individuals across the state.

“I ran for attorney general to serve the people of North Carolina, not the powerful and politically connected special interests,” he said. “That’s what I have done my entire career, and that’s what I will do as your attorney general.”

Stein achieved 50.23 percent of the popular vote. Newton closely followed with 49.77 percent.

A Republican attorney general has not been elected in the state in over a century.

The seat for North Carolina Secretary of State was won by Elaine Marshall, Democratic nominee and current incumbent. She beat the Republican nominee Michael LaPaglia.

Marshall achieved 52.23 percent of the popular vote, with LaPaglia following at 47.77 percent.

The seat for North Carolina auditor remained with the incumbent and Democratic nominee Beth Wood. She ran against Republican nominee Chuck Stuber.

Wood achieved a slim victory over Stuber with 50.03 percent of the popular vote. Stuber claimed 49.97 percent of the vote.

Democratic-affiliated Michael Morgan beat out the Republican-affiliated incumbent, Robert Edmunds, for the open seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Morgan won 54.45 percent of the popular vote. Edmunds followed with 45.55 percent.

Kokai said Republicans will maintain supermajorities in the General Assembly.

“Overall, it looks like an unexpectedly strong evening for North Carolina Republicans,” he said.

@crmetzler

state@dailytarheel.com