In Guilford County, as far as the state House races are concerned, Tuesday, Nov. 3 was a good time to be an incumbent.
All the incumbents – two Republicans and four Democrats – were reelected.
Republican District 59 state House Rep. Jon Hardister held on to his seat despite the fact that the Democrats reportedly spent over $1 million on Nicole Quick’s campaign. All the campaign finance figures won’t be in for a while, but it appeared that Quick outspent Hardister by about two to one, which means the Republicans put about $500,000 into this one state House race. In 2018, the total spent by both candidates in this race was about $100,000.
The candidate who spends the most money doesn’t always win and Hardister, with 28,288 votes for 52.3 percent, defeated Quick, with 25,789 votes for 47.7 percent.
In a “Thank You/Victory” email, after thanking everyone including his opponent for taking part in the democratic process, Hardister states, “As we move beyond the election, we will focus on advancing policies that are beneficial to the well-being of our citizens. We will continue working to make North Carolina the best place to live, work and raise a family.”
Hardister serves as the majority whip, which is the third highest leadership position in the House Republican Caucus.
Republican District 60 Rep. John Faircloth had an easier time getting reelected with 30,466 votes for 57.4 percent to 22,620 votes for 42.6 percent for Democrat Brandon Gray.
Democrat District 57 state Rep. Ashton Clemmons won with 68.4 percent of the vote to 31.6 percent for Republican Chris Meadows.
Democrat District 58 state Rep. Amos Quick, with 76 percent of the vote, easily defeated Clinton Horney, with 24 percent.
Democrat District 60 state Rep. Cecil Brockman, with 64 percent of the vote, defeated Republican Frank Ragsdale, with 36 percent.
Democrat District 61 state Rep. Pricey Harrison had no opponent and won with 100 percent of the vote.
The results were similar across the state with the Republicans maintaining a majority in the state House for the sixth election in a row.
I have never understood the voters of NC.
How can we (in my district) have a Republican State House Representative, a Democratic State Senate Representative, vote in a Republican State House and Senate, a Republican Lt. Governor and a Democratic Governor, (be forcefully redistricted from a historically Republican district to one that will now be consistently Democratic)? It’s so puzzling to me. It provides lots of interesting politics yet also means very little is actually accomplished.
It’s beyond frustrating and tiring. I’m fed up with voting when I feel it never accomplishes anything.