United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2010

United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2010

2004 ← November 2, 2010 → 2016

Nominee Richard Burr Elaine Marshall Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,458,046 1,145,074 Percentage 54.81% 43.05%

County results

U.S. Senator before election Richard Burr Republican Elected U.S. Senator Richard Burr Republican

The 2010 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 2, 2010. The filing deadline for the primaries was February 26; the primaries were held on May 4, with a Democratic primary runoff held on June 22.^[1] Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Richard Burr won re-election to a second term. Burr is the first incumbent to win re-election for this seat since Sam Ervin's last re-election in 1968.^[2]

Background

This Senate seat has been notoriously unfavorable to incumbents over the past several decades. No person elected to this seat has been re-elected since Sam Ervin in 1968. His successor, Democrat Robert Burren Morgan, was defeated for re-election in 1980, along with many other incumbents from his party. His Republican successor, John Porter East, committed suicide in 1986. East's appointed replacement, Jim Broyhill, served for just four months, resigning upon his November 1986 election loss to former Democratic Governor Terry Sanford. In 1992, the seat changed hands yet again, as Sanford was defeated by wealthy GOP businessman Lauch Faircloth, who was denied a second term six years later by John Edwards. In 2004, no incumbent was defeated, as Edwards was running for vice president and was not allowed to be on the ballot in both races. However, that year the seat did change parties for the fifth time in a row, with Richard Burr defeating Bill Clinton's onetime Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles.

Democratic primary

Candidates

From the North Carolina State Board of Elections:^[3]

• Elaine Marshall, North Carolina Secretary of State^[4][5]
• Cal Cunningham, former State Senator^[6][7]
• Susan Harris, retired accountant^[8]
• Ken Lewis, attorney^[9]
• Marcus Williams, attorney
• Ann Worthy, former Gaston County Board of Education member

Polling

Poll source	Dates administered	Elaine Marshall	Cal Cunningham	Kenneth Lewis
Public Policy Polling	May 8–10, 2010	36%	36%	––
Rasmussen Reports	May 4, 2010	42%	37%	––
Public Policy Polling	May 1–2, 2010	28%	21%	9%
Public Policy Polling	April 27, 2010	26%	23%	7%
WRAL-TV/SurveyUSA	April 25, 2010	23%	19%	10%
Public Policy Polling	April 8–11, 2010	23%	17%	9%
Public Policy Polling	March 12–15, 2010	20%	16%	11%
Public Policy Polling	February 15, 2010	29%	12%	5%
Marshall	December 1, 2009	42%	5%	7%

Results

Democratic primary results - May 4, 2010*[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Elaine Marshall	154,605	36.4%
	Democratic	Cal Cunningham	115,851	27.3%
	Democratic	Ken Lewis	72,510	17.1%
	Democratic	Marcus W. Williams	35,984	8.5%
	Democratic	Susan Harris	29,738	7.0%
	Democratic	Ann Worthy	16,655	3.9%
Totals			425,343	100%

* Note: Since no candidate received 40% of the vote on May 4, state law allowed a runoff (or "second primary") election if requested by the second-place finisher. Cunningham requested such a runoff.^[11]

Democratic primary runoff results - June 22, 2010[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Democratic	Elaine Marshall	95,390	60.0%
	Democratic	Cal Cunningham	63,691	40.0%
Totals			159,081	100%

Republican primary

Candidates

• Richard Burr, incumbent U.S. Senator
• Eddie Burks, Asheboro City Councilman^[12]
• Brad Jones, businessman^[13]
• Larry Linney, former State Representative^[3][14]

Polling

Poll source	Dates administered	Richard Burr	Brad Jones	Eddie Burks
Survey USA	April 26, 2010	59%	6%	3%
Public Policy Polling	April 8–11, 2010	67%	7%	3%
Public Policy Polling	March 12–15, 2010	58%	5%	4%
Public Policy Polling	February 15, 2010	55%	10%	3%

Results

Republican primary results - May 4, 2010[10]
Party		Candidate	Votes	Percentage
	Republican	Richard Burr	297,993	80.1%
	Republican	Brad Jones	37,616	10.1%
	Republican	Eddie Burks	22,111	5.9%
	Republican	Larry Linney	14,248	3.8%
Totals			371,968	100%

General election

Candidates

• Michael Beitler (L), lecturer of Bryan School of Business and Economics at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro^[15]
• Richard Burr (R), incumbent U.S. Senator
• Elaine Marshall (D), North Carolina Secretary of State

Campaign

Marshall has been endorsed by The Charlotte Observer, The Wilmington Star-News, the Elizabeth City Daily Advance and The Southern Pines Pilot.^[16] Burr has been endorsed by Greensboro News & Record^[17], and the Asheville Citizen-Times^[18].

Debates

• October 11: Sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation and moderated by the Carl Kasell. It was televised by UNC-TV in Raleigh.^[19]
• October 14: In Raleigh^[20]
• October 21: Sponsored by N.C. Association of Broadcasters and was moderated by Judy Woodruff in Durham.^[21]

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Cook Political Report	Likely R[22]	October 23, 2010
Rothenberg	R favored[23]	October 22, 2010
Swing State Project	Likely R[citation needed]
RealClearPolitics	Likely R[24]	October 23, 2010
Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely R[25]	October 21, 2010
CQ Politics	Likely R[26]	October 23, 2010

Polling

Poll source	Dates administered	MoE	Richard Burr (R)	Elaine Marshall (D)	Michael Beitler (L)
Public Policy Polling	October 29–31, 2010	± 3.4%	52%	40%	2%
SurveyUSA	October 22–25, 2010	± 4.1%	53%	38%	5%
Public Policy Polling	October 15–17, 2010	± 4.0%	48%	40%	3%
Rasmussen Reports	October 12, 2010	± 4.5%	52%	38%	––
High Point University	September 25–30, 2010	± 5.0%	45%	31%	4%
Public Polling Policy	September 23–26, 2010	± 3.8%	49%	36%	4%
Civitas	September 15–17, 2010	± 4.0%	49%	29%	3%
SurveyUSA	September 14, 2010	± 4.1%	58%	32%	6%
Rasmussen Reports	September 8, 2010	± 4.5%	54%	38%	––
Public Policy Polling	August 27–29, 2010	± 3.6%	43%	38%	6%
Rasmussen Reports	August 3, 2010	± 4.5%	49%	40%	––
Public Policy Polling	July 27–31, 2010	± 3.9%	39%	37%	7%
Lake Research	July 15–19, 2010	± 4.0%	35%	37%	5%
Survey USA	July 8–11, 2010	± 4.2%	46%	36%	6%
Rasmussen Reports	July 6, 2010	± 4.5%	52%	37%	––
Public Policy Polling	June 26–27, 2010	± 4.4%	38%	33%	10%
SurveyUSA	June 23–24, 2010	± 4.0%	50%	40%	6%
Rasmussen Reports	June 23, 2010	± 4.5%	44%	43%	––
Public Policy Polling	June 4–6, 2010	± 3.9%	46%	39%	––
Rasmussen Reports	June 3, 2010	± 3.0%	50%	36%	––
Public Policy Polling	May 8–10, 2010	± 3.9%	43%	42%	––
Rasmussen Reports	May 5, 2010	± 4.5%	48%	40%	––
Rasmussen Reports	April 19, 2010	± 4.5%	50%	32%	––
Rasmussen Reports	March 22, 2010	± 4.5%	51%	35%	––
Rasmussen Reports	February 23, 2010	± 4.5%	50%	34%	––
Public Policy Polling	February 12–15, 2010	± 3.5%	43%	33%	––
Rasmussen Reports	January 27, 2010	± 4.5%	47%	37%	––
Public Policy Polling	January 15–18, 2010	± 3.8%	44%	37%	––
Public Policy Polling	December 11–13, 2009	± 4.0%	42%	37%	––
Public Policy Polling	November 9–11, 2009	± 3.7%	45%	34%	––
Public Policy Polling	October 2–4, 2009	± 3.8%	44%	32%	––
Rasmussen Reports	September 15, 2009	± 4.5%	48%	38%	––
Public Policy Polling	September 2–8, 2009	± 4.0%	42%	31%	––
Public Policy Polling	August 4–10, 2009	± 3.6%	43%	31%	––
Public Policy Polling	March 12–15, 2009	± 3.1%	43%	35%	––

Fundraising

Candidate (party)	Receipts	Disbursements	Cash on hand	Debt
Richard Burr (R)	$8,444,115	$8,735,725	$1,600,695	$0
Elaine Marshall (D)	$2,561,900	$2,229,840	$329,886	$71,500
Michael Beitler (L)	$16,302	$9,951	$6,350	$11,906
Source: Federal Election Commission[27]

Results

United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2010[28]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Richard Burr (incumbent)	1,458,046	54.81%	+3.21%
	Democratic	Elaine Marshall	1,145,074	43.05%	-3.97%
	Libertarian	Mike Beitler	55,682	2.09%	+0.72%
Majority			312,972	11.76%
Total votes			2,660,079	100.0%
	Republican hold		Swing

See also

• North Carolina elections, 2010
• United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina, 2010

References

1. ^ "State Board of Elections Calendar". Sboe.state.nc.us. http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=72. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
2. ^ Election 2010: North Carolina Senate, Rasmussen Reports, March 24, 2010.
3. ^ ^{a b} "State Board of Elections: Candidate Filing List". Sboe.state.nc.us. 2010-02-26. http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=82. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
4. ^ "Democrats expand their search for Burr challenger". 2009-03-10. http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/news/state/democrats-expand-their-search-for-burr-challenger-480830.html. 
5. ^ "News & Observer blog: Marshall running for U.S. Senate". Projects.newsobserver.com. http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/marshall_running_for_u_s_senate. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
6. ^ "NC-Sen: Democrats get Cunningham". The Washington Post. http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/senate/nc-sen-democrats-get-cunningha.html?wprss=thefix. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 
7. ^ McArdle, John. "Good News, Bad Timing on N.C. Senate Race". CQ Politics. http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000003256173. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
8. ^ Christensen, Rob. "News & Observer: 2nd-tier Senate hopefuls soldier on". Newsobserver.com. http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/04/23/450331/2nd-tier-senate-hopefuls-soldier.html. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
9. ^ "News & Observer: Durham lawyer eyes Burr seat". Projects.newsobserver.com. http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/durham_lawyer_eyes_burr_seat. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
10. ^ ^{a b c} "The 2010 Results Maps". Politico.Com. http://www.politico.com/2010/maps/#/Senate/2010/NC. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
11. ^ "News & Observer: Cunningham wants a runoff". Projects.newsobserver.com. http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/cunningham_wants_a_runoff. Retrieved 2010-06-14. 
12. ^ "Asheboro council member to challenge Burr". News & Record. January 21, 2010. http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/01/21/article/asheboro_council_member_to_challenge_burr. Retrieved February 10, 2010. 
13. ^ "Western NC businessman files for Senate race". The Sun News. February 16, 2010. http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/02/16/1319770/western-nc-businessman-files-for.html. Retrieved February 27, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
14. ^ "He's at it again: Larry Linney files for U.S. Senate run". Asheville Citizen-Times. March 2, 2010. http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100302/NEWS01/100302028. Retrieved March 2, 2010. ^{[dead link]}
15. ^ Bryan School directory
16. ^ Marshall Nabs Key Newspaper Endorsements | Elaine Marshall for U.S. Senate
17. ^ Editorial: Burr for Senate : News-Record.com : Greensboro & the Triad's most trusted source for local news and analysis
18. ^ http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20101013/OPINION01/310130010/1006
19. ^ http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20101008/NEWS/310080074/1188/ADVERTISING
20. ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/10/14/1872917/nc-senate-candidates-burr-marshall.html
21. ^ http://www.kentucky.com/2010/10/21/1490193/burr-marshall-hold-testy-debate.html#ixzz1406x6Vat
22. ^ "Senate". Cook Political Report. http://cookpolitical.com/senate. Retrieved October 23, 2010. 
23. ^ "Senate Ratings". Rothenberg Political Report. http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.com/ratings/senate. Retrieved October 23, 2010. 
24. ^ "Battle for the Senate". RealClearPolitics. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/2010_elections_senate_map.html. Retrieved October 23, 2010. 
25. ^ "2010 Senate Ratings". Sabato's Crystal Ball. http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2010-senate/. Retrieved October 23, 2010. 
26. ^ "Race Ratings Chart: Senate". CQ Politics. http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=ratings-senate. Retrieved October 23, 2010. 
27. ^ "2010 House and Senate Campaign Finance for North Carolina". fec.gov. http://www.fec.gov:80/DisclosureSearch/HSRefreshCandList.do?category=stateS_all&stateName=NC&election_yr=2010. Retrieved July 25, 2010. 
28. ^ NC - Election Results

External links

• North Carolina State Board of Elections
• U.S. Congress candidates for North Carolina at Project Vote Smart
• North Carolina U.S. Senate 2010 from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions from Open Secrets
• 2010 North Carolina Senate General Election: All Head-to-Head Matchups graph of multiple polls from Pollster.com
• Election 2010: North Carolina Senate from Rasmussen Reports
• 2010 North Carolina Senate Race from Real Clear Politics
• 2010 North Carolina Senate Race from CQ Politics
• Race profile from The New York Times

Debates

• North Carolina Democratic Senate Primary Runoff Debate, C-SPAN, June 15, 2010

Official campaign sites

• Elaine Marshall for U.S. Senate
• Mike Beitler for U.S. Senate
• Richard Burr for U.S. Senate incumbent