The North Carolina Council of State elections of 2020 were held on November 3, 2020, to select the ten officers of the

North Carolina Council of State The North Carolina Council of State is the collective body of ten elective executive offices in the state government of North Carolina, all of which are established by the state constitution. The Council of State includes the Governor, Lieut ...

. These elections coincided with the

presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

and elections to the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

and top state courts.

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held on March 3, 2020, for offices for which more than one candidate filed per party. The ten members of the North Carolina Council of State are statewide-elected officers serving four-year terms. The result of the 2020 elections was a Council of State consisting of 4 Democrats and 6 Republicans, just as it had been before the elections.State Board of Elections: General Election results for Council of State
Accessed Nov. 14, 2020. Three seats (Lieutenant Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction and Commissioner of Labor) were open, but in each case, a Republican succeeded a fellow Republican.

Governor

Incumbent governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 20 ...

, a Democrat, ran for a second term. The Republican Party nominated Lieutenant Governor

Dan Forest Dan Forest (born October 15, 1967) is an American politician who served as the 34th Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina, lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2021. He is the son of former congresswoman Sue Myrick. An architect b ...

. The

Libertarian Party Active parties by country Defunct parties by country Organizations associated with Libertarian parties See also * Liberal parties by country * List of libertarian organizations * Lists of political parties * Outline of libertarianism ...

nominated Steven J. DiFore and the Constitution Party nominated Al Pisano. Cooper won re-election to a second term with 51.5% of the vote. Cooper received the most votes of any Democrat on the ballot in North Carolina in 2020.

Lieutenant governor

Incumbent lieutenant governor

, a Republican, was ineligible to run for a third term due to term limits set by the

North Carolina Constitution The Constitution of the State of North Carolina governs the structure and function of the state government of North Carolina, one of the United States; it is the highest legal document for the state and subjugates North Carolina law. All U.S. st ...

. Forest ran for the governorship. The Republican Party nominated Mark Robinson, a businessman and first-time political candidate. The Democratic party nominated

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...

Yvonne Lewis Holley. Robinson defeated Holley, winning 51.6% of the vote to Holley's 48.4%. Robinson thus became North Carolina's first African-American lieutenant governor.

Attorney general

Incumbent attorney general

Josh Stein Joshua Stein (born September 13, 1966) is an American lawyer and politician who serves as the 50th and current Attorney General of North Carolina, a position he has held since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Stein previously served as a ...

, a Democrat, ran for a second term. He faced Republican nominee Jim O'Neill in the general election. Stein defeated O'Neill by just over 13,000 votes out of over 5.4 million cast.

Secretary of state

Elaine Marshall, a Democrat, was first elected to the position of secretary of state in

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

and has held the position since then. She is currently the longest-tenured member of the Council of State. She was unopposed in the primary. The Republican Party nominated businessman E.C. Sykes. Marshall won with 51.2% of the vote, a slightly smaller percentage of the vote than what she received in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

. She was elected to her seventh term as secretary of state. No Republican has won election to this office since 1872, the longest streak for any state office in the country.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

Elaine Marshall Elaine Folk Marshall (born November 18, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the North Carolina Secretary of State since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman to be elected to statewide office ...

, incumbent secretary of state

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *Chad Brown,

Gaston County Gaston County is a county in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 227,943. The county seat is Gastonia. Dallas served as the original county seat from 1846 until 1911. Gaston County is included in the C ...

commissioner *Michael LaPaglia, business consultant and nominee for North Carolina Secretary of State in

*E.C. Sykes, businessmanState Board of Elections: State candidate list by contest
/ref>

Polling

Results

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

State auditor

Incumbent Auditor

Beth Wood Beth A. Wood (born April 22, 1954) is an American politician and accountant serving as the Auditor of North Carolina since 2009. A Democrat, she is the first woman to hold the office. Born in New Bern, she initially worked as a dental hygienist b ...

, a Democrat, ran for a fourth term. She was narrowly re-elected in 2016, winning by just over six thousand votes. Wood was challenged in the Democratic primary by Luis Toledo, a former Assistant State Auditor. Toledo argued that change was needed in the Auditor's office. Beth Wood won the primary by a large margin. Anthony Street, a small business owner and member of the Brunswick County Soil and Water Board, won the Republican primary. Wood won the general election with 50.9% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *Luis Toledo, U.S. Air Force veteran *

, incumbent state auditor

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *Tim Hoegemeyer, general counsel for the Office of State Auditor and U.S. Marine Corps veteran *Tony Wayne Street, Brunswick County Soil and Water Board member

Results

General election

Results

State treasurer

Incumbent Treasurer

Dale Folwell Dale Robbins Folwell (born December 17, 1958) is an American politician who has been the North Carolina State Treasurer since 2017. A Republican from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folwell spent four terms in North Carolina House of Representativ ...

, a Republican, ran for a second term. Duke University professor Ronnie Chatterji won the nomination of the Democratic Party by receiving 36% of the vote in the primary. He defeated Charlotte City Council member

Dimple Ajmera Dimple Tansen Ajmera is an American politician and accountant who has served on the Charlotte City Council since 2017. Ajmera is the first Asian-American and youngest woman to ever hold this position. In 2021, she became the second sitting Charlo ...

and Matt Leatherman, who served as policy director for former state treasurer

Janet Cowell Janet Cowell (born July 19, 1968) is the former North Carolina State Treasurer, serving from 2009 to 2017, and is the first woman to hold that position in North Carolina. She was previously a two-term member of the Raleigh City Council and a tw ...

. Folwell defeated Chatterji in the general election. Folwell won 52.6% of the vote to Chatterji's 47.4%.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

Charlotte city council The Charlotte City Council is the legislative body of the City of Charlotte and forms part of a council–manager system of government. The Council is made up of eleven members and the Mayor, all elected to two-year terms in odd-numbered years. ...

woman *Ronnie Chatterji, professor at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

*Matt Leatherman, policy director for former North Carolina State Treasurer

Polling

Results

2020 North Carolina state treasurer Democratic primary county map

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

, incumbent state treasurer

General election

Polling

Results

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Mark Johnson was elected to the position of State Superintendent in 2016, defeating incumbent June Atkinson by a narrow margin. Johnson opted not to run for a second term as Superintendent, instead declaring his candidacy for lieutenant governor.WRAL: State school superintendent wants lieutenant governor job
/ref> Johnson's candidacy was unsuccessful, placing third in the Republican primary. Jen Mangrum, an associate professor at

UNC Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand-al ...

, received the most votes out of the five candidates in the Democratic primary.

Catherine Truitt Catherine Truitt (born 1970/1971) is an American educator and politician who has served as the 24th North Carolina superintendent of public instruction since January 2, 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Tr ...

, chancellor of Western Governors University North Carolina and a former education advisor to Governor

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American businessman, politician and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd Mayor o ...

, ran for the Republican nomination. She defeated State Representative

D. Craig Horn Dwight Craig Horn (born May 9, 1944) is a former Republican Party (United States), Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. He represented the 68th district (containing parts of Union County, North Carolina, Union County) ...

in the primary. This was the only Council of State election in which both candidates were women. On Election Day, Truitt defeated Magnum by 2.76 percentage points. She won a slightly higher percentage of the vote than Mark Johnson did in 2016.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *James Barrett, Chapel Hill-Carrboro City school board member *Constance Lav Johnson, educator and activist *Michael Maher, assistant dean of professional education at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The universit ...

*Jen Mangrum, associate professor at

and candidate for

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

in 2018 *Keith Sutton, Wake County School board member

=Withdrawn

= *Amy Jablonski, educational consultant and former teacher

Results

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

, state representative *

, chancellor of Western Governors University in North Carolina and former senior education advisor to

=Declined

= * Mark Johnson, incumbent Superintendent of Public Instruction

Results

General election

Polling

Results

Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Commissioner

Steve Troxler Steve W. Troxler (born 1952) is an American farmer and Republican politician. He serves as the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services for North Carolina. Because of a contested election due to lost ballots in the November 2004 statewi ...

, a Republican, was first elected in

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. He was unopposed in the primary. Three Democrats ran to challenge Troxler: Walter Smith, who ran for the office in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and

(losing to Troxler both times), Jenna Wadsworth, a

Wake County Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor, and Donovan Alexander Watson, a businessman from

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

. Wadsworth came in first place in the primary. On election day, Troxler won a fifth term as Agriculture Commissioner. He won 53.9% of the statewide vote, a slightly smaller percentage than he received in 2016, when he won 55.6%. Despite this, Troxler still won the largest percentage of the vote of statewide candidate in North Carolina in 2020.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *Walter Smith,

and

Democratic nominee *Jenna Wadsworth,

Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor *Donovan Alexander Watson, businessman

Results

2020 North Carolina agriculture commissioner Democratic primary county map

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

, incumbent Agriculture Commissioner (unopposed in the primary)

General election

Polling

Results

Commissioner of Labor

Cherie Berry Nora Cherie Killian Berry (born December 21, 1946) is an American politician who served as the North Carolina Commissioner of Labor from 2001 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, she was the first woman to hold the office. Early life Nora ...

was first elected to the position of Commissioner of Labor in 2000 and took office as only the second Republican Labor Commissioner in the history of North Carolina. On April 2, 2019, Berry announced that she would not seek re-election, and would retire from politics.

Josh Dobson Josh Dobson (born July 19, 1981) is an American politician, currently serving as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor. He previously served in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Early life and education Dobson was born on July 19, 1981 ...

, a member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

since 2013, won the Republican primary over Chuck Stanley, a construction safety manager, and former State Rep. Pearl Burris-Floyd.

commissioner

Jessica Holmes Jessica Holmes (born August 29, 1973) is a Canadians, Canadian comedian and actress. She is best known for her work with the ''Royal Canadian Air Farce'', which she joined in 2003, after starring in her own show, ''The Holmes Show'' in 2002. Sh ...

was the only Democrat to run. Dobson won the general election with 50.8% of the vote.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

commissioner (unopposed in the primary)

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *Pearl Burris-Floyd, former state representative *

, state representative *Chuck Stanley, construction safety manager

=Declined

= *

, incumbent State Labor Commissioner

Results

General election

Results

Commissioner of Insurance

Incumbent Commissioner

Mike Causey John Michael Causey (born September 11, 1950) is an American politician who has served as the North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance since 2017. John Michael Causey, a North Carolina Republican, has run for state Insurance Commissioner five ti ...

, a Republican, ran for a second term.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

Wayne Goodwin George Wayne Goodwin (born February 22, 1967) is an American politician. He was elected North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance in the 2008 election and re-elected in 2012. He was narrowly defeated in his bid for a third term in 2016. However, h ...

, chairman of the

North Carolina Democratic Party The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the North Carolina affiliate of the Democratic Party. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in Raleigh. Governor Roy Cooper is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage of ...

and former State Insurance Commissioner (2009–2017)

Republican primary

Candidates

=Declared

= *

, incumbent State Insurance Commissioner *Ronald Pierce, candidate for North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance in

Results

General election

Polling

Results

Aftermath

The Council of State was sworn in on January 9, 2021.

Notes

References

External links

NC State Board of ElectionsNC State Board of Elections: Council of State Primary Election ResultsNC State Board of Elections: General Election results for Council of State
* * * (State affiliate of the U.S.

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

) * ;Official campaign websites for Secretary of State
Elaine Marshall (D) for Secretary of State

E.C. Sykes (R) for Secretary of State
;Official campaign websites for Auditor
Tony Street (R) for Auditor

Beth Wood (D) for Auditor
;Official campaign websites for Treasurer
Ronnie Chatterji (D) for Treasurer

Dale Folwell (R) for Treasurer
;Official campaign websites for Superintendent
Jen Mangrum (D) for Superintendent

Catherine Truitt (R) for Superintendent
;Official campaign websites for Ag Commissioner
Steve Troxler (R) for Ag Commissioner

Jenna Wadsworth (D) for Ag Commissioner
;Official campaign websites for Labor Commissioner
Josh Dobson (R) for Labor Commissioner

Jessica Holmes (D) for Labor Commissioner
;Official campaign websites for Insurance Commissioner
Mike Causey (R) for Insurance Commissioner

Wayne Goodwin (D) for Insurance Commissioner
{{North Carolina

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...