Republican seeks to remove Democratic opponent from hotly contested NC Senate race over residency dispute

In his complaint submitted to the Currituck County Board of Elections on Monday, state Rep. Bobby Hanig says Democratic candidate Valerie Jordan is living in Raleigh, which is outside Senate District 3. The district borders Virginia and stretches from Warren to Currituck counties.

Hanig also asked county elections officials to subpoena Jordan’s tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements, auto insurance policy and her Amazon Prime order history.

“People really deserve representation from someone that lives in their district,” Hanig said in an interview on Tuesday. “That’s what the constitution says and that’s what they should get.”

Jordan said in a statement that she lives in Warren County and moved to Warrenton after her mother died.

“Warrenton is my home, where I pray on Sunday and where I host our family dinners,” Jordan said. “Anyone that would suggest that I don’t live in Warrenton clearly doesn’t know Warrenton, which is exactly what’s wrong with Raleigh politicians like Bobby Hanig.”

The outcome of the race could play a role in determining whether Republicans get enough seats in the Senate to thwart Cooper— a chamber supermajority. To fully override Cooper’s vetoes and have bills become law over his objections, the state House would also need to capture veto-proof majorities, which is seen as a possible but less likely outcome.

The state Senate has 28 Republicans and 22 Democrats. A chamber supermajority consists of 30 Republicans and 20 Democrats. An analysis by Michael Bitzer, a Catawba College political scientist, shows Republicans would need to win at least seven of nine hotly contested seats to regain a veto-proof majority.

Bitzer lists Senate District 3 as one of nine competitive races, even though the district leans Democratic.

The North Carolina State Board of Elections on Tuesday confirmed that Currituck County officials had received Hanig’s election protest. The county board is tasked with an initial review of the complaint and then could call a protest hearing to determine whether the candidate is eligible for the ballot. The county's decision could then be appealed to the state elections board, which consists of three Democrats and two Republicans.

While Hanig’s complaint says Jordan was registered to vote in Warren County in December 2020, Hanig claims her registration address doesn’t reflect where she currently lives. He says she slept at her Raleigh home for 23 straight days from July 20 to Aug. 11.

The assertion was based in part on photos of what appeared to be Jordan’s car outside her Raleigh home. Nathan Babcock, a political consultant for the Senate Republican Caucus, said he took the photos. He was among two researchers who provided information included in Hanig’s complaint.

Hanig’s complaint cites Wake County property tax bills in Jordan’s name at a Raleigh address in 2021 and 2022, suggesting that she still lives there. Hanig also identified statements of economic interest in 2020 and 2021 with one listed property in Raleigh and Warren County property tax records listing Jordan’s mailing address as the one in Raleigh.

“The evidence that’s put forth is overwhelming, showing that she does not live there,” Hanig told WRAL. “I believe that our citizens deserve free and fair elections and truthful elections.”

Jordan said she has long had ties to the community she’s seeking to represent.

“I was born and raised in Warren County,” Jordan said. “I went to school here, I put in tobacco here and I raised my daughter here. While I did move to Raleigh for work, years ago, I began commuting back to Warrenton daily to take care of my dying mother.

If Jordan withdraws her candidacy or is removed from the ballot before absentee ballots go out to voters next month, state Democratic party leaders would choose her replacement. If ballots are already mailed out by the time Jordan’s candidacy ends, all votes in her name would go to whichever Democrat replaces her.

Jordan signaled no appetite to withdraw and plans to continue her campaign.

“This part of our state has been left behind for too long and I look forward to putting eastern North Carolina back on the agenda when elected,” she said.