The North Carolina Council of State elections of 2012 were held November 6, 2012 to select the nine officers of the
North Carolina Council of State. This election coincided with the
U.S. presidential election
The election of the president and the vice president of the United States is an indirect election in which citizens of the United States who are registered to vote in one of the fifty U.S. states or in Washington, D.C., cast ballots not direc ...
,
U.S. House elections, the
gubernatorial election and the
statewide judicial elections.
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 May 8, 2012; for races in which no candidate received 40 percent of the vote in the primary,
runoff elections (officially known as "second" primaries) were held on July 17.
The nine members of the North Carolina Council of State are statewide-elected officers serving four-year terms.
In the 2012 elections, all incumbents who ran for new terms were re-elected, while the
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
's seat was open following incumbent
Walter Dalton's decision to run for governor. The partisan makeup of the Council of State changed from 7 Democrats (8 including the governor) and 2 Republicans before the election to 6 Democrats and 3 Republicans (4 including the governor) afterward.
Governor
Republican
Pat McCrory was elected governor.
Lieutenant governor
Republican
Dan Forest was elected lieutenant governor.
Attorney general
Roy Cooper, the Democratic incumbent
attorney general
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
, ran for re-election unopposed.
Results
Secretary of State
Democratic primary
*
Elaine Marshall, the
Democratic incumbent
Secretary of State, ran for re-election.
Republican primary
*Michael Beitler, business professor;
Libertarian
Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...
nominee for
US Senator in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
(changed his registration to
Republican to run for Secretary of State)
*A.J. Daoud, business owner
*Kenn Gardner, former Wake County commissioner
[NC State Board of Elections: Candidate filing list](_blank)
*Ed Goodwin, Chowan County commissioner, retired
Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent
Polling
Primary results
As no candidate received 40 percent of the vote, state law allows the runner-up to request a second primary (or "runoff"). Gardner requested a runoff.
General election
Polling
Results
State Auditor
Democratic primary
*
Beth A. 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 ...
, the Democratic incumbent
State Auditor
State auditors (also known as state comptrollers, state controllers, state examiners, or inspectors general) are fiscal officers lodged in the executive or legislative branches of U.S. state governments who serve as external auditors, financial ...
, ran for re-election.
Republican primary
*Joseph Hank DeBragga, auditor for
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
*Greg Dority, three-time congressional candidate, Beaufort County Republican Party chairman
*Debra Goldman, Wake County School Board member
*
Fern Shubert, former state senator, former state representative,
certified public accountant
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...
*Rudy Wright, Mayor of
Hickory
Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...
, former certified public accountant
Polling
Primary results
As the runner-up, Dority chose not to request a runoff, making Goldman the nominee.
General election
Polling
Results
State Treasurer
Democratic primary
*
Janet Cowell, the Democratic incumbent
State Treasurer
In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...
, ran for re-election.
*Ron Elmer, investment consultant
[News & Observer: Two state incumbents face primary challengers](_blank)
/ref>
Polling
Primary results
Republican primary
*Frank Roche, talk radio host
*Steve Royal, certified public accountant
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Sta ...
Polling
Primary results
General election
Polling
Results
Superintendent of Public Instruction
Democratic primary
* June Atkinson, the Democratic incumbent Superintendent, ran for re-election.
;Withdrawn Candidates
* Rick Glazier, 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 ...
Republican primary
*Richard Alexander, South Carolina teacherstate 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 ...
*Ray Martin, teacher[News & Observer: A fellow Democrat wants Atkinson's job](_blank)
/ref>
*David Scholl, businessman and Union County School Board member
Polling
Primary results
As the runner-up, Alexander requested a runoff.
General election
Polling
Results
Commissioner of Agriculture
Republican primary
*Bill McManus, real estate investor, former attorney and accountant, former Democratic member of Massachusetts House of RepresentativesCommissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
, ran for re-election.
Polling
Primary results
Democratic primary
*Scott Bryant, farmer and former law enforcement officer
*Walter Smith, farmer, former USDA official, former mayor of Boonville
Polling
Primary results
General election
Polling
Results
Commissioner of Labor
Republican primary
*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 ...
, the Republican incumbent Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
, ran for re-election.
Democratic primary
*John C. Brooks
John Charles Brooks (born January 10, 1937) is an American attorney who served as North Carolina Commissioner of Labor from 1977 to 1993.
Early life
John Brooks was born on January 10, 1937 in Greenville, North Carolina. He graduated from Greenv ...
, former Commissioner of Labor
Polling
Primary results
As the runner-up, Foster requested a runoff.
General election
Polling
Results
Commissioner of Insurance
Democratic primary
* Wayne Goodwin, the Democratic incumbent Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
, ran for re-election.
Republican primary
* Mike Causey, former lobbyist
*James McCall, insurance agent
*Richard T. Morgan
Richard Timothy Morgan (July 12, 1952 – October 10, 2018) was a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing the state's thirty-first and later fifty-second districts, including constituents in Moore County, fo ...
, former 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 ...
Polling
Primary results
As the runner-up, Causey requested a runoff.Blue Ridge Now
/ref> Of all the statewide runoffs held on July 17, the Republican primary for Insurance Commissioner was the only one in which the top vote-getter changed from the first to the second primary.
General election
Polling
See also
*North Carolina Council of State elections: 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 ...
, 2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
, 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 ...
, 2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.
References
External links
NC State Board of Elections
{{United States elections, 2012
Council of State
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 ...
North Carolina Council of State