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2008 North Carolina Council of State election

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All 10 members of the North Carolina Council of State
Majority party Minority party   Party Democratic Republican Last election 7 3 Seats won 8 2 Seat change 1 1 Percentage 53.23% 46.4%

Elections in North Carolina
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v t e

North Carolina elections to choose members of the Council of State (who head various executive branch departments) were held November 4, 2008. This coincided with the presidential, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, gubernatorial, and statewide judicial elections.

Primary elections were held on May 6, 2008, for races in which more than one candidate filed for a party's nomination.

One of the results of the general election was that women held a majority (six of 10) of the seats on the Council of State for the first time. Only one incumbent, Republican state auditor Les Merritt, was defeated. Democrats held the open races for governor, lieutenant governor, treasurer, and insurance commissioner.

Governor of North Carolina

Governor Mike Easley term-limited, so he was not able to run for a third consecutive term as governor. Lieutenant Governor Bev Perdue won the Democratic primary, and Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory won the Republican primary. Michael Munger was the nominee of the Libertarian Party.

Purdue defeated McCrory in the general election with 50.3% of the vote to McCrory's 46.9%. Perdue was the first female governor of North Carolina.

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina

Lt. Governor Bev Perdue was term-limited and decided to run for governor. State Senator Walter Dalton won the Democratic primary, and State Senator Robert Pittenger won the Republican primary. Phillip Rhodes was nominated by the Libertarian Party.

In the general election, Dalton defeated Pittenger. Dalton received 51.1% of the vote and Pittenger received 45.9%.

Secretary of State

Incumbent Secretary of State Elaine Marshall (Democratic) defeated attorney Jack Sawyer (Republican) on November 4, 2008.

State Auditor

Incumbent Auditor Les Merritt (Republican) was defeated by Beth Wood, Former Director of Training for the North Carolina Office of the State Auditor on November 4, 2008. Wood had previously defeated Fred Aikens, a retired state employee and retired colonel in the North Carolina Army National Guard, in the Democratic primary. Wood won approximately 65% of the vote in the primary.

Attorney General

Incumbent attorney general Roy Cooper (Democratic) defeated Bob Crumley (Republican), an attorney and owner of Crumley and Associates.

State Treasurer

Incumbent Richard H. Moore (Democratic) announced on May 22, 2007, that he would seek the 2008 Democratic nomination for governor.

Candidates to succeed him included three Democrats—state Sen. Janet Cowell, Michael Weisel, and Buncombe County Commissioner David Young—and one Republican, state Rep. Bill Daughtridge.

Cowell won the Democratic primary with approximately 46 percent of the vote. Young came in second, with 36 percent.

On November 4, 2008, Janet Cowell defeated Bill Daughtridge.

Superintendent of Public Instruction

Incumbent Superintendent June Atkinson (Democratic) won renomination by defeating North Carolina Association of Educators president Eddie Davis in the Democratic primary (with about 53 percent of the vote). Republicans Joe Johnson and Eric H. Smith lost to former state House co-Speaker Richard T. Morgan in the Republican primary.

On November 4, 2008, Atkinson defeated Richard Morgan.

Commissioner of Agriculture

Incumbent Commissioner Steve Troxler (Republican) defeated attorney Ronnie Ansley (Democratic).

Commissioner of Labor

Four Democrats -- Robin Anderson, chair of the State Personnel Commission, Ty Richardson, Mary Fant Donnan, a former N.C. Department of Labor official, and former Labor Commissioner John C. Brooks—filed to run against incumbent Commissioner Cherie Berry (Republican).

Mary Fant Donnan finished first, with almost 28 percent of the vote, in the May 6 primary. Brooks was the runner-up. Brooks called for a June 24 runoff, which was his right, because no candidate won more than 40 percent of the vote in the first primary. Donnan defeated Brooks in the runoff, with approximately 68 percent of the vote, becoming the Democratic nominee.

On November 4, 2008, Cherie Berry defeated Mary Fant Donnan.

Commissioner of Insurance

Incumbent Commissioner James E. Long (Democratic) surprised observers by not seeking another term. His chosen successor, assistant Commissioner and former state Rep. Wayne Goodwin, defeated David C. Smith in the Democratic primary by winning about 56 percent of the vote. John Odom, a former Raleigh city councilman, was the only Republican candidate. Mark McMains was the candidate of the Libertarian Party.

On November 4, 2008, Goodwin defeated Mark McMains and John Odom.

See also

• North Carolina Council of State elections: 1996, 2000, 2004, 2012, 2016.

References

1. "Primary Election Voter Guide". Archived from the original on April 18, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2008.
2. WRAL: Women now the majority on NC Council of State
3. Niolet, Benjamin (November 7, 2008). "Women dominate new Council of State: Of 10 executive posts, just two held by GOP". The News & Observer.
4. "Obama, Perdue, McCrory win primary battles". WRAL.com. May 6, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
5. "Beverly Perdue defeats Pat McCrory to become first N.C. female governor". WRAL.com. November 4, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
6. ^ "NC - Election Results". North Carolina Board of Elections. Retrieved November 11, 2009.
7. ""Auditor's race" : Capital Beat : Blogs : News-Record.com : Greensboro, North Carolina". Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved August 30, 2007.
8. Beth Wood | newsobserver.com projects Archived 2008-06-02 at the Wayback Machine
9. "Aikens to run for auditor | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved January 16, 2008.
10. Cowell for treasurer | newsobserver.com projects Archived 2012-02-07 at the Wayback Machine
11. "Another shot for Weisel? | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved July 6, 2007.
12. "Young for treasurer | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
13. "Davis considering run | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on October 25, 2008. Retrieved August 17, 2007.
14. "Joe Johnson | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on June 4, 2008. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
15. Smith for State Superintendent
16. "Ansley to run for Ag commissioner | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved November 15, 2007.
17. "Anderson to run for Labor commissioner | newsobserver.com projects". Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2008.
18. Mary Fant Donnan profile page Archived 2008-05-17 at the Wayback Machine
19. News & Observer: Labor candidates want a recount Archived 2008-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
20. News & Observer: No recount in Labor race Archived 2008-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
21. Romoser, James. Runoff for labor post goes to Donnan. Winston-Salem Journal, 2008-06-25. Accessed 2008-06-25
22. Beckwith, Ryan Teague. News & Observer: Donnan wins runoff that few bothered to vote in. Accessed 2008-06-25
23. FayObserver.com - AP Article Page
24. "Libertarian Party of NC press release: Libertarians File List of 2008 Candidates". Archived from the original on September 21, 2008. Retrieved July 12, 2008.

External links

• News & Observer: Council of State Republican primary
• News & Observer: Council of State Democratic primary
• Public Policy Polling: first General Election polls of Council of State races (minus Labor Commissioner)
• State Board of Elections: Primary Election Results

• 2008 North Carolina elections
• North Carolina Council of State elections
• 2008 state constitutional officer elections in the United States