State Election Reflections: Many of the Region’s Experienced Legislators Returning to Raleigh
November 13, 2020
The 2020 elections brought very few changes to the state’s legislative landscape. In the Centralina region, there were 27 races for seats in the N.C. House of Representatives, 24 of which had an incumbent seeking re-election. In the N.C. House District 66 race, Representative Scott Brewer (D – Stanly, Richmond, Montgomery) lost to Republican challenger Ben Moss, while Republican John Bradford unseated Representative Christy Clark (D – Mecklenburg) in the District 98 race. Democrat Terry Brown and Republicans David Willis and Grey Mills round out the list of newly elected members of the N.C. House, representing Districts 92 (Mecklenburg), 68 (Union) and 95 (Iredell), respectively.
There was even less turnover in the region’s 12 N.C. Senate races. Incumbents won re-election in all but the District 39 race, where Democrat DeAndrea Salvador won Senator Rob Bryan’s (R – Mecklenburg) open seat.
Overall, these election results mean that the region will be represented largely by experienced legislators who have served at least one term in the General Assembly. Among the returning legislators, there are several long-serving members such as Representative Julia Howard (R – Rowan) in District 77 who has served 16 terms in the N.C. House. It is also important to note that most of the newly elected legislators have local government backgrounds, including service on municipal and county boards, commissions and advisory committees. This perspective brings insight into the issues and challenges impacting local communities and how regionalism can offer strategies for achieving shared goals.
Centralina is committed to developing relationships at the state level and looks forward to meeting with returning legislators and newcomers to discuss regional priorities such as CONNECT Beyond, a regional transit initiative. Additionally, through our advocacy of the N.C. Association of Regional Councils of Government’s policy agenda, we will continue to support advancing the common interests of regional councils around the state.
We commend all of the region’s legislative candidates in this year’s election for their dedication to public service. For more information on the 2020 election results, visit the State Board of Elections website at ncsbe.gov.
