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Wrapping up the Election

November 5, 2008 | Jeff Tiberii

Trying to size up just what happened in all of the elections and ballot issues in North Carolina?


Well, mix in the cream and sugar as the WFDD new teams serves up your fixin' of election results from the 2008 general election:

In short, North Carolina made a shift toward the Blue.

--- Of the 6.2 million registered voters in North Carolina, 4,281,715 of them - according to the North Carolina Board of Elections - turned out to vote. That is a voter turnout of 68.37%.

--- President elect Barack Obama claimed North Carolina's 15 electoral college. It was the first time the state turned blue, supporting the Democratic Presidential candidate, in 32 years. President elect Obama and Arizona senator John McCain were in a very close battle all night with projections going back and forth. Obama trailed McCain with more than 85-percent of precincts reporting. Buncombe county (home to Asheville) was late in reporting it's totals, and that late push helped the Obama and Joe Biden ticket to the top.

The last democrat to win North Carolina also won the presidency - Jimmy Carter, in 1976. Oh, and in case you don't believe us when we say it was close: Obama received 49.67% of the vote (2,108,777) and McCain was the recipient of 49.40% (2,097,531) of the vote. That is a difference of 11,246 votes in a state with more than eight million residents.

--- State Senator Kay Hagan unseated incumbent Elizabeth Dole by a 52-44 margin. Hagan has been the 27th district representative for 10 years. She will now spend the next six years in Washington D.C. as North Carolina's junior senator. After her acceptance speech at the Greensboro Coliseum Hagan told WFDD's Jeff Tiberii she is interested in serving on the Senate Banking and Agriculture committees during her first term in Washington. Hagan will be replaced in the State Senate by Don Vaughan (D) who beat out Joe Wilson (R).

Interesting fact: Hagan's uncle, the late Lawton Chiles was a three-term senator as well as a Governor in the state of Florida.

--- In the gubernatorial race Beverly Perdue becomes the first ever female governor of North Carolina with a victory over Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory. Perdue is the 24th governor of North Carolina since 1901. Of those 24, only two (James Holshouser and James G. Martin) were republicans.

--- North Carolina has 13 US House Representatives. Entering the Election those 13 were comprised of a seven-to-six split, with one more democrat. Last night the democrats picked up another seat meaning there are now eight democrats and five republicans representing North Carolina in the House. Health Schuler and Mel Watt were each winners.

--- North Carolina republicans picked up one seat in the state senate. There are now 30 democrats and 20 republicans in the state senate.

--- Virginia Foxx successfully defended her 5th District seat against Democrat Roy Carter. Foxx had more than 58-percent of the vote.

--- In the sixth district Howard Coble had more than twice as many votes as challenger Teresa Sue Bratton.

--- Finally, the referendums:

- Voters in Forsyth county passed a 62.1 million dollar bond referendum which will provide funds to both Forsyth Technical Community College and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth county schools.

- In Guilford county the 20 million dollar pool bond passed. The bond for a new War Memorial Auditorium did not pass.

Listen to the emotional reaction of one Obama supporter our reports from the Hagan and Dole camps on the 2008 Election page.

As for your comments, feedback and questions - we're interested in all three. Shoot us an email at wfdd2008@gmail.com


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