For 2 years a lot of eyes and money were on NC’s 9th District. So what about this year?
North Carolina’s 9th District was the nation’s most watched congressional race in 2019. Only one House special election in U.S. history drew more in outside spending.
But this year’s race is likely to have a much lower profile.
Four little-known Democrats are vying in the March 3 primary to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, who edged Democrat Dan McCready in the September special election.
McCready had run a close race in 2018 against Republican Mark Harris. But state officials ordered a new election after finding evidence of ballot fraud by a Harris campaign operative.
In the two races. McCready’s campaigns spent nearly $14 million. That was on top of more than $21 million in outside spending on behalf of him and his opponents.
“It’s natural there would be a bit of a letdown on the Democratic side after spending tens of millions over the past two years to fall just short,” analyst David Wasserman of the Cook Political Report told the Observer.
“It’s also possible (President Donald) Trump’s return to the top of the ballot will help drive Republican turnout higher than it was in 2018 or 2019, making Democrats’ task more difficult despite the new map.”
Like other N.C. congressional districts, the 9th was redrawn last year under court order. The new district loses Cumberland and Bladen counties and cuts out some parts of suburban Mecklenburg County including Mint Hill. Added were Hoke County and southern Moore County.
Though slightly more favorable to Democrats, the district still leans Republican, according to analysts. Trump carried the new district by 10 points in 2016.
Bishop could not be reached. But three of the four Democrats are optimistic about their chances in the primary and in November.
Democratic hopefuls
Marcus Williams, 66, is a Lumberton lawyer who has run for office before, including twice for U.S. Senate and once for governor. In 2016 he ran for attorney general. Though he lost the primary to Josh Stein — who went on to be elected — he carried every county in the new 9th District.
“It may just be from repetition but I think the people know me,” Williams said of his chances.
Cynthia Wallace, 48, is the only Charlottean and only woman in the race. An executive with a financial services company, she said she’s been able to meet people throughout the district as its Democratic Party chair.
“The landscape is different and it’ not the same races as in 2018 and 2019,” she said. “I’ve never shrunk from a challenge.”
Clayton Brooks, 31, plans to move back to his native Scotland County. He has been living in Wake County where he’s an officer of the Wake Democratic Party.
He’s a Baptist minister who graduated from Harvard University and earned a Masters from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia. At Harvard, he co-founded the LGBT Political Coalition.
“I intend to be the kind of candidate who will champion the kind of places where I’m from,” he said. “Our demographic is important.”
A fourth candidate, Hoke County Commissioner Harry Southerland, could not be reached.
Any Democrat is likely to be at a financial disadvantage this year.
Bishop had $200,000 on hand at the end of September. And unlike 2019, when the 9th District special election was arguably the country’s highest profile race, this year will have an array of competitive races around the country, including North Carolina contests for president, governor and U.S. Senate.
Eyeing the 8th
Last year’s redrawing makes two of North Carolina’s 10 Republican-held seats, in the 2nd and 6th Districts, likely Democratic pickups. And some national Democrats appear to see more opportunity in another GOP-held district.
The 8th District runs from Cabarrus County east to Cumberland. Though long held by GOP Rep. Richard Hudson, analysts at the University of Virginia suggest it could be more favorable to Democrats than the 9th District.
“While it runs through several conservative counties,” they wrote of the 8th District, “it’s book-ended by Cabarrus . . . a blue-trending suburban county in the Charlotte region, and Cumberland County in the east, a reliably blue county that includes Fayetteville.”
Opposing Hudson will be Democrat Patricia Timmons-Goodson of Fayetteville who, in 2006 became the first African American woman on the state Supreme Court.
“Republicans are on defense not only in NC-09 but also in the redrawn NC-08, NC-02, and NC-06, spending resources . . . to defend seats they can’t afford to lose,” said Sarah Guggenheimer, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
State Republican Party spokesman Jeff Hauser said he’s confident that Hudson and Bishop will both keep their seats.
Both, he said, are strong campaigners and proven fundraisers.
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 8:49 AM with the headline "For 2 years a lot of eyes and money were on NC’s 9th District. So what about this year?."
