The 2018 mid-term elections brought historic turnout across the country and in North Carolina. Across the state, more than 52% of registered voters cast ballots. That’s in line with the local numbers: New Hanover County turnout was at 51%, Pender County saw a 50% turnout, but Brunswick County's number was even higher at 57%.
The last time the state saw such numbers was 1990 when Republican Governor Jim Martin would have been in office and the U.S. President was George H.W. Bush.
While no U.S. House seats flipped in North Carolina, voters did undo the veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature. One of those races, Senate District 9 in New Hanover County, saw Democratic challenger Harper Peterson win by a razor-thin margin. Will the 36-vote lead hold?
Brunswick and Pender Counties voted red across the board. Brunswick County’s Board of Commissioners and Board of Education remained all-Republican bodies; Pender County’s Board of Education went 100% red.
On this edition, we take a closer look at the results, what it tells us about the Cape Fear region and what surprised both political junkies and newcomers to the process.
We also look at the issues that voters identified as their reasons for participating this year.
Guests:
Tim Buckland, Senior Government and Politics Reporter for StarNews Media
Jon Evans, Evening Anchor for WECT and Fox Wilmington
