The 2018 North Carolina Senate elections elected 50 members to serve in the North Carolina Senate for a two-year term starting in January 2019. The Democratic Party gained 6 seats in this election, ending the Republican supermajority that they had held since 2011 in the state senate.[1][2]
52.98% of registered voters cast ballots in this election, marking the highest turnout for a midterm election in North Carolina since 1990.[3][4]
Incumbent Republican Bill Cook has represented the 1st district since 2013. Cook didn't seek re-election. Representative Bob Steinburg won the open seat.
Incumbent Republican Majority Leader Harry Brown has represented the 6th district since 2004. District 6 had the lowest number of votes cast in any district election in 2018.
Incumbent Republican Ronald Rabin has represented the 12th district since 2013. Rabin didn't seek re-election. Republican Jim Burgin won the open seat.
Following redistricting, the old 16th district became the new 15th district. Incumbent Democrat Jay Chaudhuri who has represented the 16th district since 2016, successfully sought re-election here. Brian Lewis won the highest percentage vote of any Libertarian State Senate candidate in 2018 with 3.61%.
Following redistricting, the new 16th district is an open seat which is expected to favor Democrats. Brian Irving won the highest number of votes of any Libertarian State Senate candidate in 2018 with 3,382 votes.
Incumbent Republican Tamara P. Barringer has represented the 17th district since 2013. Following redistricting, this seat was made more competitive. Barringer lost re-election to Democrat Sam Searcy.
Following redistricting, Incumbent Republicans Chad Barefoot and John M. Alexander Jr. had their homes both drawn into the new 18th district. The new 18th district, unlike the former 15th and 18th districts, is a competitive district which isn't safe for either party. Chad Barefoot retired, while John M. Alexander Jr. narrowly won re-election. The election in District 18 had the highest number of votes cast of any district election in the 2018 elections.
Following redistricting, the old 29th district became the new 26th district. Incumbent Republican Jerry W. Tillman, who has represented the 29th district since 2003, successfully sought re-election here.
Incumbent Democrat Gladys A. Robinson has represented the 28th district since 2011.
This district had the largest margin of any district election in 2018.
Following redistricting, the new 29th district overlaps with much of the former 33rd district. Incumbent Republican Cathy Dunn, who has represented the 33rd district since 2017, didn't seek re-election. Eddie Gallimore defeated representative Sam Watford to win the Republican nomination and easily won the general election.
Following redistricting, most of the old 26th district became the new 30th district. Incumbent Republican president Pro Tempore Phil Berger, who has represented the 26th district and its predecessors since 2001, successfully sought re-election here.
Incumbent Republicans Joyce Krawiec, who has represented the 31st district since 2014, and Dan Barrett, who has represented the 34th district since his appointment in August 2017, sought re-election here. Krawiec narrowly defeated Barrett in the Republican primary and then she easily won the general election.
After redistricting, the old 33rd district became the new 29th district, and a new 33rd district was created. The new district includes Rowan County and Stanly County. State representative Carl Ford was the Republican nominee.
Incumbent Republican Dan Barrett has represented the 34th district since his appointment in August 2017. Barrett chose to seek re-election in the 31st district after his home in Davie County was drawn into that district. The new 34th district includes Iredell and Yadkin counties and is expected to favor Republicans. Republican Vickie Sawyer was elected to a full term here, though after already winning the GOP primary for this seat, she had been appointed to serve the balance of David L. Curtis's term in the 44th district.
Incumbent Democrat Joel D. M. Ford has represented the 38th district since 2013. Ford lost the Democratic primary to Mujtaba Mohammed, who easily won the general election.
Incumbent Republican David L. Curtis has represented the 44th district since 2013. Curtis lost re-nomination to fellow Republican Ted Alexander. Curtis resigned before the end of his term and Vickie Sawyer was appointed to replace him. Alexander easily won the open seat here, while Sawyer was simultaneously elected to the newly created 34th district which contained her home.
Following redistricting, incumbent Republicans Deanna Ballard and Shirley B. Randleman had both of their homes drawn into the 45th district. The district was more Ballard's district than Randleman's, and Ballard defeated Randleman in the Republican primary. Ballard easily won the general election.
