The North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP) is the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

affiliate of the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

. It is headquartered in the historic Goodwin House, located in

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

. 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 ...

is a North Carolina Democrat. Since the 2010 passage of the

Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Pres ...

, North Carolina Democrats have advocated Medicaid expansion in the state, a policy that would provide a federally subsidized health insurance plan to approximately 500,000 North Carolinians. Another priority for North Carolina Democrats in the 2010s and 2020s has been increasing the minimum wage.

History

The

Second Party System Historians and political scientists use Second Party System to periodize the political party system operating in the United States from about 1828 to 1852, after the First Party System ended. The system was characterized by rapidly rising levels ...

emerged from a divide in the

Democratic-Republican Party The Democratic-Republican Party, known at the time as the Republican Party and also referred to as the Jeffersonian Republican Party among other names, was an American political party founded by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in the earl ...

in 1828. They split off into two groups, the Democrats, led by

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was an American lawyer, planter, general, and statesman who served as the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before being elected to the presidency, he gained fame as ...

, and the Whigs. In North Carolina, people from the west and northeast supported the Whigs mainly for their policies on education and

internal improvements Internal improvements is the term used historically in the United States for public works from the end of the American Revolution through much of the 19th century, mainly for the creation of a transportation infrastructure: roads, turnpikes, canal ...

. Meanwhile, eastern North Carolina was dominated by wealthy planters who tended to oppose activist government. During the Civil War, Whigs and Unionist Democrats formed the Conservative Party and elected Zebulon Vance as governor on a platform of supporting the Confederate war effort while defending states' rights and civil liberties against the Confederate government in Richmond. Postwar, the Conservative Party reorganized to oppose the reconstruction policies enacted by the U.S. Congress following the Civil War. By 1870, the two main parties were the Conservatives (who changed their name to "Democratic-Conservatives" and then to Democrats by 1876) and the Republicans. Before the 1960s, many NCDP leaders, as was the case with most state parties in the South, supported racial segregation. But beginning with the Republicans' 1964 presidential campaign and

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

's "

Southern strategy In American politics, the Southern strategy was a Republican Party electoral strategy to increase political support among white voters in the South by appealing to racism against African Americans. As the civil rights movement and dismantling o ...

" in 1968, white segregationists, including former U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, flocked to the Republican Party. Since then, most minority voters have supported the NCDP.

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

carried North Carolina in the 1976 election, but from 1980 to 2004, the Republican presidential nominee won the state. In spite of the conservative bent of North Carolina politics, a number of Democrats, such as

Terry Sanford James Terry Sanford (August 20, 1917April 18, 1998) was an American lawyer and politician from North Carolina. A member of the Democratic Party, Sanford served as the 65th Governor of North Carolina from 1961 to 1965, was a two-time U.S. pr ...

and

John Edwards Johnny Reid Edwards (born June 10, 1953) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a U.S. senator from North Carolina. He was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004 alongside John Kerry, losing to incumbents George ...

, have been elected to represent the state at the federal level. Edwards was the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004. Republican U.S. Senator

Elizabeth Dole Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford Dole (née Hanford; born July 29, 1936)Mary Ella Cathey Hanford, "Asbury and Hanford Families: Newly Discovered Genealogical Information" ''The Historical Trail'' 33 (1996), pp. 44–45, 49. is an American attorn ...

was defeated for reelection in 2008 by Democrat

Kay Hagan Janet Kay Hagan (née Ruthven; May 26, 1953 – October 28, 2019) was an American lawyer, banking executive, and politician who served as a United States Senator from North Carolina from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, she previ ...

, the same year

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...

carried the state in his victory over Republican John McCain by a margin of less than one half of a percentage point. Since the passage of the

, North Carolina Democrats have prioritized advocating Medicaid expansion in the state, a policy that would provide a federally subsidized healthcare plan to approximately 500,000 North Carolinians. Another priority for North Carolina Democrats in the 2010s and 2020s has been increasing the minimum wage.

Recent electoral results

2006

North Carolina Democrats scored impressive victories in the 2006 general elections, increasing their majorities in both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly and defeating incumbent Republican U.S. Representative

Charles H. Taylor Charles H. Taylor may refer to: * Charles Taylor (North Carolina politician) (born 1941), US congressman from North Carolina * Charles H. Taylor (Michigan politician) (1813–1889), American politician who served as the Michigan Secretary of State ...

. In addition, most candidates backed by Democrats in the non-partisan races for the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

and the

North Carolina Court of Appeals The North Carolina Court of Appeals (in case citation, N.C. Ct. App.) is the only intermediate appellate court in the state of North Carolina. It is composed of fifteen members who sit in rotating panels of three. The Court of Appeals was create ...

were elected. These victories came despite controversies surrounding

Jim Black Jim Black is an American jazz drummer who has performed with Tim Berne and Dave Douglas. He attended Berklee College of Music. Career His band AlasNoAxis includes Hilmar Jensson on electric guitar, Chris Speed on tenor saxophone and clari ...

, a Democrat and former

Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives The Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the members of the house when they first convene for their regular session, ...

2008

In 2008, the North Carolina Democratic Party once again earned major victories in state and federal elections. For the first time since

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 ...

, the Democratic nominee carried North Carolina in 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 ...

. Meanwhile,

was elected to the

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

over incumbent

, and Beverly Perdue was elected governor to succeed fellow Democrat Mike Easley.

2010

In 2010, Republicans swept North Carolina, taking control of both houses of the General Assembly for the first time since 1896, reelecting

Richard Burr Richard Mauze Burr (born November 30, 1955) is an American businessman and politician who is the senior United States senator from North Carolina, serving since 2005. A member of the Republican Party, Burr was previously a member of the United S ...

to a second term by double digits, and unseating incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative

Bob Etheridge Bobby Ray "Bob" Etheridge (born August 7, 1941) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1997 to 2011. He previously served as a county commissioner, state representative and state superintendent of public instructio ...

2012

Bev Perdue Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first female gov ...

retired as governor and the Democratic nominee for governor,

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

Walter H. Dalton was defeated in the general election by Republican

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 ...

. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Representative

Larry Kissell Lawrence Webb Kissell (born January 31, 1951) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for , a district that stretched from Charlotte to Fayetteville. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2009 to 2013. In 201 ...

was unseated, and two open U.S. House seats previously controlled by Democrats were also gained by Republicans.

2014

2014 saw incumbent Senator

defeated for reelection, and the seat of U.S. Representative

Mike McIntyre Douglas Carmichael "Mike" McIntyre II (; born August 6, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who was first elected to represent North Carolina's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. He served for 18 ...

who had retired was taken by a Republican. Democrats in the North Carolina House of Representatives flipped four seats from Republican held districts in Wake and Buncombe counties. The state party also saw success in the non-partisan races for

and the

2016

In 2016, Democrats retook the governor's office, electing then-Attorney General

, while also electing a Democrat to succeed him as 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 ...

. Meanwhile, Democrats lost seats in 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 ...

, picked up one seat in the state House and lost one seat in the state Senate. Democratic nominee Deborah K. Ross lost the U.S. Senate election to incumbent

. Democrats retook the majority on the

for the first time in the 21st century.

NCDP organizations

*North Carolina Democratic Women *

Young Democrats of North Carolina The Young Democrats of North Carolina (YDNC) are the official youth arm of the North Carolina Democratic Party (NCDP). As an auxiliary organization of the NCDP, the President and National Committee-members of the YDNC serve as part of the State E ...

*College Democrats of North Carolina
NC Senior DemocratsNC Teen Democrats
*African American Caucus of the NC *NCDP Hispanic American Caucus *LGBT Democrats of North Carolina *NCDP Disability Issues Caucus

Leadership

The state party chair is Bobbie Richardson, who was elected in 2021. The chair is elected by and leads the state Executive Committee, a body of more than 700 Democratic Party leaders and activists from all 100 counties, which governs the party. Floyd McKissick Jr. is the First Vice-Chair, Matt Hughes is the second Vice-Chair, Shannon Auer is the Third Vice-Chair and Melvin Williams is the Secretary.

Current elected officials

Members of Congress

U.S. Senate

*None Both of North Carolina's

seats have been held by Republicans since

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

was the last Democrat to represent North Carolina in the U.S. Senate. First elected in

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; ...

, Hagan lost her bid for a second term in

to Republican challenger

Thom Tillis Thomas Roland Tillis (born August 30, 1960) is an American politician serving as the junior United States senator from North Carolina since 2015. A Republican, he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2006, and began ser ...

who has held the seat since.

U.S. House of Representatives

Out of the 13 seats North Carolina is apportioned in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

, five are held by Democrats:

Statewide offices

Democrats control four of the ten elected statewide offices: File:Governor Roy Cooper with NC Transportation (cropped).jpg,

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

File:Josh Stein.jpg, Attorney General * Secretary of State:

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 offic ...

* State 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 ...

State legislative leaders

Senate Minority Leader The positions of majority leader and minority leader are held by two United States senators and members of the party leadership of the United States Senate. They serve as the chief spokespersons for their respective political parties holding t ...

: Dan Blue *Senate Minority Whip:

Jay Chaudhuri Jay Chaudhuri (born August 6, 1969) is an American attorney, professor, politician and a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. First appointed to fill a vacancy in April 2016 caused by the resignation of Josh Stein (to run for North ...

*Senate Minority Caucus Secretary:

Ben Clark (politician) Ben Clark is an American politician who served in the 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 ...

House Minority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

: Robert T. Reives II *House Deputy Minority Leader: TBD *House Minority Whips: Cynthia Ball, Garland E. Pierce, Deb Butler,

Carla Cunningham Carla D. Cunningham (born January 12, 1962) is an American Democratic politician. She has served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 106th district since 2012. Education and career She was born in Wadesboro, Nor ...

, and Amos Quick.

State House

House of Representatives Chamber - North Carolina State Capitol - DSC05943

North Carolina Democratic Party building

There are 51 Democratic State House members as of 2021. Current members are listed below: *District 5: Howard J. Hunter III *District 8: Kandie Smith *District 9: Brian Farkas *District 11: Allison Dahle *District 18: Deb Butler *District 21: Raymond Smith Jr. *District 23: Shelly Willingham *District 24: Linda Cooper-Suggs *District 25: James Gailliard *District 27: Michael H. Wray *District 29: Vernetta Alston *District 30: Marcia Morey *District 31: Zack Forde-Hawkins *District 32: Terry Garrison *District 33: Rosa Gill *District 34:

Grier Martin David Grier Martin III (born October 21, 1968) is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing the state's 34th district. His district includes the northern part of Ral ...

*District 35: Terence Everitt *District 36: Julie von Haefen *District 38: Abe Jones *District 39: James Roberson *District 40: Joe John *District 41: Gale Adcock *District 42: Marvin W. Lucas *District 44: William O. Richardson *District 47: Charles Graham *District 48: Garland E. Pierce *District 49: Cynthia Ball *District 50: Graig R. Meyer *District 54: Robert T. Reives II *District 56:

Verla Insko Verla Clemens Insko (born February 5, 1936) is a Democratic member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Insko has represented the 56th district (including constituents in Orange County) since 1997. She is a retired health program adm ...

*District 57: Ashton Clemmons *District 58: Amos Quick *District 60:

Cecil Brockman Cecil Antonio Brockman (born September 18, 1984) is an American politician from North Carolina. He was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2014. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic party, he has ...

*District 61: Pricey Harrison *District 63: Ricky Hurtado *District 71:

Evelyn Terry Evelyn Abrams Terry (born September 14, 1943) is an American politician from North Carolina. She was first elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives in 2012. A member of the Democratic party, she represented the 71st district (incl ...

*District 72: Amber Baker *District 88: Mary Belk *District 92: Terry M. Brown Jr. *District 99: Nasif Majeed *District 100: John Autry *District 101: Carolyn Logan *District 102: Becky Carney *District 103:

Rachel Hunt Rachel H. Hunt is a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, Hunt was elected in November 2018 to represent House District 103 in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, by a slim margin of ...

*District 104: Brandon Lofton *District 105: Wesley Harris *District 106: Carla D. Cunningham *District 107: Kelly Alexander *District 114: Susan C. Fisher *District 115:

John Ager John Curtis Ager Jr. (born 1949) is a former Democratic politician from North Carolina. Ager served as a member of the North Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 115th district (including constituents in western Buncombe County ...

*District 116: Brian Turner

State Senate

Senate Chamber - North Carolina State Capitol - DSC05955

There are 22 Democratic State Senators. Current senators are listed below: *District 3:

Ernestine Bazemore Ernestine "Byrd" Bazemore is a North Carolina politician. Early life and education Bazemore earned a bachelor's of science degree in criminal justice and criminology. Career Bazemore has served as an educator. In 2014, Bazemore was first electe ...

*District 4:

Toby Fitch Milton Frederick "Toby" Fitch Jr. (born October 20, 1946) is a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic former member of the North Carolina State Senate. He is a retired North Carolina Superior Court Judge, serving from 2002 to 2018. Fitch al ...

*District 5: Donald G. Davis *District 14: Dan Blue *District 15:

*District 16:

Wiley Nickel George Wiley Nickel III (born November 23, 1975) is an American attorney and Democratic politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 13th congressional district since 2023. Nickel served as a member of the North Carolina Se ...

*District 17:

Sydney Batch Sydney Jeanene Batch is a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly, who has represented the state's 17th Senate district since 2021 and formerly represented the State's 37th House district from 2019 until 2021. Education and ...

*District 18: Sarah Crawford *District 19:

Kirk deViere Kirk Joseph deViere (born January 27, 1970) is a former Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate, having representing the 19th district from 2019 to 2023. He was first elected in the 2018 elections, defeating incumbent state senator ...

*District 20:

Natalie Murdock Natalie S. Murdock is an American politician, Co-Chair of the North Carolina Future Caucus under the Millennial Action Project and a Democratic Party (United States), Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. Upon being sworn in, she became ...

*District 21: Ben Clark *District 22: Mike Woodard *District 23:

Valerie Foushee Valerie Jean Foushee (née Paige; born May 7, 1956) is an American politician who is a representative-elect to the U.S. House of Representatives and is currently serving as a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. Elected to the North ...

*District 27: Michael Garrett *District 28: Gladys Robinson *District 32: Paul A. Lowe Jr. *District 37: Jeff Jackson *District 38: Mujtaba A. Mohammed *District 39:

DeAndrea Salvador DeAndrea Salvador is a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate. She has represented the North Carolina's 39th Senate district, 39th Senate district since 2021. She is the founder and Chief executive officer, Chief Executive Officer of Rene ...

*District 40:

Joyce Waddell Joyce Waddell (born July 11, 1944) is an American politician who has served in the North Carolina Senate from the 40th district since 2015. References

1944 births Living people Democratic Party North Carolina state senators Place ...

*District 41:

Natasha Marcus Natasha Rath Marcus (born April 27, 1969) is a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly representing the state's 41st Senate district. Biography Marcus earned her bachelor's degree in public policy from Hamilton College and her J ...

*District 49:

Julie Mayfield Julie Virginia Mayfield (born April 5, 1967) is an American attorney and politician serving as a Democratic member of the North Carolina Senate from the 49th district. Early life and education Mayfield was born in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated ...

Notes

External links

North Carolina Democratic Party

Young Democrats of North Carolina

NC Senior Dems

High School Democrats of NC
{{Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party (United States) by state