Democrat Hunt to replace Robinson; new faces emerge in other Council of State races

A Democrat will hold the second highest-ranking executive office in North Carolina government for the first time in more than a decade.

Democratic state Sen. Rachel Hunt beat Republican Hal Weatherman early Wednesday in the race to become North Carolina’s next lieutenant governor.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Hunt had 49.4% of the vote and Weatherman had 47.8%. Weatherman conceded in the race on Wednesday, according to his campaign manager, Ian Richardson.

Hunt will replace Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who ran for governor and lost to Democrat Josh Stein on Tuesday.

The lieutenant governor presides over the state senate and serves on various state boards and commissions. While the position has relatively fewer responsibilities than the governor or attorney general, it’s often seen as a stepping stone to higher political office.

The GOP has held the office since 2013, when former Lt. Gov. Dan Forest became the first Republican in two decades to win the position. Forest served two terms and then ran for governor in 2020 and lost.

Hunt's victory illustrates the influence of North Carolina’s Democratic political establishment, said David McLennan, director of a poll at Meredith College.

Hunt, the daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, is a three-term legislator who received endorsements from Gov. Roy Cooper and other Democrats. She ran on providing more funding to public schools, expanding access to health care, and helping local businesses. And she sought to appeal to women voters, promoting her efforts to reject tighter abortion restrictions proposed by Republican state lawmakers.

This was Weatherman’s first run for elected office, but he has been involved in statewide political campaigns for years. Weatherman worked as Forest’s campaign manager during his runs for lieutenant governor in 2012 and 2016, and then during Forest’s gubernatorial campaign.

Weatherman is well-known in Republican circles, but he was less known to the broader North Carolina electorate, McLennan said. On the campaign trail, Hunt cast Weatherman as an extremist.

Weatherman said he supported tightening North Carolina’s abortion law, which currently bans most abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy. He said he’d support a law restricting abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, with exceptions. Weatherman also campaigned with Robinson — who had made divisive comments about women and abortion — as other Republican candidates distanced themselves from the gubernatorial candidate in the final weeks of the campaign.

Weatherman said that while Democrats were focused on what he called “character assassination,” he tried to run a “people-focused, policy-oriented” campaign. Weatherman is the first Republican to lose a race for lieutenant governor since 2008, when Democrat Walter Dalton defeated Republican Robert Pittenger.

Here’s where other Council of State races ended up, with all precincts reporting:

Governor: Josh Stein will be North Carolina’s next governor, another ascension in his two-decade rise through the ranks of state politics, answering the question of whether a decidedly liberal candidate could win in a state like this, where Republicans tend to dominate national races even as Democrats still do well down the ballot. Robinson's 54.8%-to-40.2% loss followed a scandal-filled campaign that saw Democrats focus on Robinson's past comments about women's rights, a state investigation into his wife's nonprofit and a CNN report that alleged he made lewd and racist comments on a pornographic website more than a decade ago. Robinson has denied the allegations. Robinson said Tuesday that he’s reassessing his future political ambitions.

Attorney General: Democrat Jeff Jackson will be the state’s next attorney general, holding off Republican Dan Bishop in a tight race between sitting members of the U.S. House that attracted tens of millions in spending. Bishop called Jackson to concede the race just after 11 p.m. Jackson won 51.3% to 48.7%. The two were running to replace Attorney General Josh Stein, who won the race for governor on Tuesday. The past five attorneys general have run for governor, including current Gov. Roy Cooper and Josh Stein, who replaced Cooper as attorney general in the 2016 elections and will now replace him as governor. Jackson, 42, currently represents a Charlotte-area district in the U.S. House of Representatives as does Bishop. Before that he was a member of the state Senate.

Superintendent of Public Instruction: Democrat Mo Green topped Republican Michele Morrow in a race to determine who will oversee the state’s public schools as head of the Department of Public Instruction. Green had 51.1% of the vote and Morrow had 48.9%. Morrow, a homeschooling mother and former nurse, knocked incumbent Republican Catherine Truitt out of the race in the GOP primary. Morrow argued that the department, which Republicans have led since 2017, hadn’t done enough to hold teachers accountable and had allowed public schools to become “indoctrination centers.” Democrats believed Green, a former Guilford County Schools superintendent, can beat Morrow because of an imbalance in their resumes and their demeanors. Democrats have spent millions of dollars criticizing Morrow for social media posts that advocated for the execution of prominent Democrats, that advanced conspiracy theories about the 2020 election, and that questioned vaccines and mass shootings.

Agriculture commissioner: Longtime Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler carried a wide lead over Democrat Sarah Taber and Libertarian Sean Haugh. With 100% of precincts reporting, Troxler had 53% of the vote and Taber had 45%. Libertarian Sean Haugh had 2%. Troxler, first elected in 2004, has become one of the most durable Republican politicians in North Carolina. Rural voters — who have a keen interest in agricultural issues — are reliable Republican voters. Prior to Tuesday, Troxler had won reelection by more than 4 percentage points in each election since 2008.

Insurance commissioner: Republican incumbent Mike Causey beat Democrat Natasha Marcus in the race for insurance commissioner. Causey had 52% of the vote and Marcus had 48%. The insurance department regulates the insurance industry in North Carolina, handles insurance-related complaints, conducts inspections and investigations, and oversees licensure of many professionals. The commissioner also negotiates rates with insurance companies. "North Carolina’s policyholders, especially those devastated by Helene, will continue to face challenges getting their claims paid in a fair and timely manner," Marcus said in a concession statement. "The commissioner’s job will be demanding and critically important for our state and our future."

Labor commissioner: Republican Luke Farley defeated Democrat Braxton Winston to become the state’s next labor commissioner. Farley had 53% of the vote and Winston had 47%. Farley replaces Republican Commissioner Josh Dobson, who opted not to run for reelection. Dobson resigned from the seat on Wednesday, the day after the election. Farley will be only the third labor commissioner since 2000, when Republican Cherie Berry won the first of her five terms. He'll be responsible for figuring out how to help the understaffed Department of Labor keep up with inspections in this fast-growing state.

Secretary of State: Incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Marshall won a close reelection battle. Marshall beat Republican Chad Brown, chairman of the Gaston County Board of Commissioners, 51% to 49%. The Secretary of State maintains records, business and financial filings and various publications. Marshall has held the position since 1997, but her margin of victory has gone down in each of the past four elections. After winning by nearly 13 percentage points in 2004, she won by less than 3 percentage points in 2020.

State Auditor: Republican Dave Boliek beat Democrat Jessica Holmes. Boliek had 49.5% of the vote, while Holmes had 47.5%. Libertarian Bob Drach earned 3%. Boliek, an attorney, is a member of the UNC Board of Trustees. Holmes, a former Wake County commissioner, was appointed to the role last year after Democrat Beth Wood resigned. Wood, who first won the job in 2004, stepped down after pleading guilty to charges that she used state vehicles for personal errands. Wood endorsed Boliek in the race, and he significantly outraised his competitors while criticizing government efficiency across the board. Holmes and others criticized Boliek for taking political stances while seeking a job that demands impartiality. Boliek has opposed diversity, equity and inclusion programs, questioned the integrity of North Carolina’s elections, and vowed to audit the state Division of Motor Vehicles. Holmes said she conceded the close race.

Treasurer: Republican Brad Briner beat Democrat Wesley Harris in a tight race to become the next state treasurer. Briner had 52.5% of the vote and Harris had 48%. Briner, an investment manager and member of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, will replace Treasurer Dale Folwell, who had served in the role since 2017, ran for governor and came up short in the GOP primary. The treasurer's department is responsible for issuing the state's checks and managing one of the biggest pension plans in the nation, as well as health benefits for hundreds of thousands of both current and retired state employees. Briner will be responsible for steering the health plan toward profitability in an era of rising health care costs.