North Carolina Senate District 9, which covers most of New Hanover County, saw former Republican incumbent Michael Lee edge out the current Democratic incumbent Harper Peterson.
It was a nasty rematch – with both candidates accusing the other of unfair campaign ads.
In 2018, Harper Peterson edged out Michael Lee by just 231 votes. Two years later, unofficial results show Lee ahead by a wider margin – more than 1400 votes or slightly more than a point.
As Lee looks toward future redistricting based on new census data, he supports finding an independent process that excludes lawmakers.
"I think we need to find a way to do it, but, but the problem is, is those folks who are interested in deciding how the district should be drawn are typically interested in how the district should be drawn. So I think we continue to look at other states and see how they're being successful and finding that."
In neighboring Senate District 8, Republican Incumbent Bill Rabon kept his seat by more than 25 points. It’s the second time Democrat David Sink challenged the five-term incumbent. Rabon begins his sixth term.
