1996 North Carolina Secretary of State election

North Carolina election related races 1996 North Carolina Council of State election March 2025 1996 North Carolina Secretary of State election North Carolina presidential no 1992 North Carolina Secretary of State election 1992 2000 North Carolina Council of State election#Secretary of State 2000 November 5, 1996 Elaine Marshall IACA 2018 (cropped).jpg Elaine Marshall Democratic Party (United States) 1,333,994 53.48% Richard Petty - NASCAR Photography by Darryl Moran 93 (cropped).jpg Richard Petty Republican Party (United States) 1,126,701 45.17% 1996 North Carolina Secretary of State election results map by county.svg 325px County resultsMarshall: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90%Petty: #FFB2B2 40-50%#E27F7F 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% Secretary of State Rufus Edmisten Democratic Party (United States) Elaine Marshall Democratic Party (United States) x150px x150px The 1996 North Carolina Secretary of State election was held on November 5, concurrently with that year's U.S. presidential election, as well as elections for Governor, U.S. Senator, and Council of State. Attorney and former Democratic State Senator Elaine Marshall ran for the open Secretary of State position against stock car racer and former Randolph County commissioner known as "The King", Richard Petty. Marshall won the race. Background Proceeding the election, State Auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. discovered that Secretary of State Rufus Edmisten had allegedly engaged in "unacceptable behavior" that included illegal procurement of a job for his friend, Rosemary McBryde, as well as his use of state employees for personal work, and circumvention of speeding laws with an undercover license plate. The auditor's 132-page report describing Edmisten's misconduct was sent to Attorney General Michael F. Easley. Effective March 31, 1996, Secretary of State Edmisten resigned from his post, seeking opportunities in the fields of law and business. In a press release, Edmisten stated, "I am satisfied that we have proved worthy of the public trust. Of course, my competent and hard-working staff deserves the credit."Secretary of State Edmisten Will Resign https://www.wral.com/news/local/story/147459/ January 26, 2025 WRAL News March 11, 1996 North Carolina is considered to be the birthplace of NASCAR, and the state is still home to most race teams and drivers.Opong Rich 4 Reasons Why NASCAR Drivers Live In North Carolina https://flowracers.com/blog/why-nascar-drivers-live-in-north-carolina/ Flow Racers July 21, 2022 January 28, 2025 Richard Petty, nicknamed "The King" for his success in the sport, won a record 200 NASCAR Cup Series race wins, as well as 7 NASCAR Cup Series championships, tied with Dale Earnhardt and Jimmie Johnson for the most.Gastelu Gary Richard Petty Explains How He Became 'The King' https://americancarsandracing.com/2024/06/10/richard-petty-explains-how-he-became-the-king/ American Cars and Racing June 10, 2024 January 26, 2025 Not a complete political outsider, Petty had been County Commissioner in Randolph County for 16 years. Prior to Edmisten's resignation, Petty had been preparing to run against the incumbent Secretary of State, whom the press noted was also a NASCAR-loving "good ol' boy" with a similar political base to Petty. No Republican primary for Secretary of State was held, as "The King" ran uncontested for that party's nomination.You Can Look, But You Won't Find Richard Petty On Primary Ballot https://www.newspapers.com/article/hickory-daily-record-you-can-look-but-y/164235800/ January 30, 2025 Hickory Daily Record May 4, 1996 Other Republicans on the ballot hoped to ride his coattails, such as future Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey, who said "I need to draw the Democrat vote, and I know he can do that."McKee Sandra Petty Running a Different Race: The Longtime Stock Car King is On the Road Again, This Time Campaigning for State Office in North Carolina https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/10/10/petty-running-a-different-race-candidate-the-longtime-stock-car-king-is-on-the-road-again-this-time-campaigning-for-state-office-in-north-carolina-campaign-1996/ January 26, 2025 October 10, 1996 Democratic primary Candidates Nominee Elaine Marshall, attorney, former national secretary of Young Democrats of America (1977–1979), Harnett County Democratic Party Chair (1991–1992) and State Senator for North Carolina's 15th district (1993–1995) Eliminated in runoff Valeria Lynch Lee, program officer for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, founder and former general manager of WVSP public radio (1973–1985), and UNC Board of Governors member (1993–1995)North Carolina Secretary of State, The Democrats N.C. Secretary of State https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-nc-secretary-of/164235658/ January 29, 2025 The Charlotte Observer May 5, 1996Secretary of state candidates tout experience https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-secretary-of-state/164330446/ January 30, 2025 Raleigh News and Observer June 1, 1996 Eliminated in primary Brenda Pollard, former executive assistant to Secretary of State Thad Eure (1971–1989) Howard Kramer, lawyer and campaign operative for Robert Morgan (1974), Jimmy Carter (1976), Rufus Edmisten (1984), and Harry Payne (1992) Joyce Hill-Langston, retired Greensboro Housing Authority grants writer Mort Hurst, former Robersonville City Council member (1981-1989) Primary results thumb|300x300px|Results by county: Marshall 4170cd 70-80%678cd7 60-70%8da9e2 50-60%b4c7ec 40-50%dee8fb 30-40%eef3fd <30% Lee 73bc84 50-60%a3d5af 40-50%d6efdc 30-40%ebf7ee <30% Pollard fad6e4 30-40%fcebf2 <30% Kramer fcf0e2 <30% Langston f8effe <30% Hurst ecfafa <30% Tie f4f2f1 Marshall and Kramer tied Democratic primary resultsNorth Carolina Manual 1997-1998 https://archive.org/details/northcarolinaman19971998nort/page/1184/mode/2up North Carolina Secretary of State January 29, 2025 Democratic Party (United States) Elaine Marshall 130,520 27.13% Democratic Party (United States) Valeria Lynch Lee 98,581 20.49% Democratic Party (United States) Brenda Pollard 83,332 17.32% Democratic Party (United States) Howard Kramer 70,000 14.55% Democratic Party (United States) Joyce Hill-Langston 67,583 14.05% Democratic Party (United States) Mort Hurst 31,143 6.47% 481,159 100.0% Runoff results Runoff results (2,378 of 2,522 precincts reporting)Marshall to face Petty for N.C. office https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-marshall-to-face/164329734/ January 30, 2025 Charlotte Observer June 5, 1995 Democratic Party (United States) Elaine Marshall 68,258 60.48% Democratic Party (United States) Valeria Lynch Lee 44,601 39.52% 112,859 100.0% General election Campaign Petty's campaign strategy mostly consisted of travelling across the state to connect with his many fans, signing autographs and asking for their votes. When his campaign bus rolled through rural North Carolina, stunned citizens like Connie Perry of Bunn reacted, "Nothing ever happens around here. That's the highlight of our life. Of course, I'm going to vote for him." Perry's coworker at the Silver Spring Grill, Rhonda Cox, "about squeezed his neck to death." Elaine Marshall attacked Petty for refusing to put his racing businesses in a blind trust and for his comments about continuing to appear in commercials for Pepsi and STP as well as continuing to race stock cars if he won. Richard Petty took pride in his ethical fundraising practices, saying "the only people I'm going to owe anything to is the people who vote for me. I don't want to owe anyone nothing." He was reported as telling his campaign manager, Bill Colby, "don't promise anybody nothing and don't take any money from anybody who wants something." Hit-and-run incident On September 11, 1996, on his way home from Charlotte Motor Speedway, Richard Petty was brake-checked while tailgating another driver. The incident resulted in a damaged bumper and a $25 ticket, which was later raised to a $65 fine and license penalty for "following too close." Richard Petty said that "the Democrats have nothing to criticize me for except the dumb things I do to myself," and attacked the "Democrat-controlled state police" for making him "a political victim." The press reported on the incident as both a high-profile celebrity scandal and a question of Petty's readiness to serve in a statewide executive office.Ahearn Lorraine Richard Petty Faces Hit-and-Run Charge https://greensboro.com/richard-petty-faces-hit-and-run-charge/article_9b367971-70ea-5a5a-97a6-af97a4975884.html January 27, 2025 Greensboro News & Record September 18, 1996 The event had an impact on some voters, as one woman interviewed by the Greensboro News & Record said, "how could he have any feeling for you and me when he hit-and-runs somebody?" Results Elaine Marshall underperformed against Governor Jim Hunt, but overperformed some Democratic incumbents such as State Auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. and Labor Commissioner Harry E. Payne Jr. Marshall's coalition, relative to other Democrats, was strongest in her home of Harnett County as well as urban areas like Durham, Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and Wilmington. Marshall did not win Republican-leaning western counties that Hunt and other Democrats won that year, such as Polk, Rutherford, Burke, McDowell and Watauga, demonstrating Petty's strength in that portion of the state. Petty also did well in parts of eastern North Carolina, winning Onslow County. thumb|300x300px|Results by countyMarshall: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90%Petty: #FFB2B2 40-50%#E27F7F 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% General election resultshttp://www.app.sboe.state.nc.us/NCSBE/Elec/Results/PastElect/results9/secstate.htm Secretary of State North Carolina State Board of Elections January 26, 2025 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081126222502/http://www.app.sboe.state.nc.us/NCSBE/Elec/Results/PastElect/results9/secstate.htm November 26, 2008 Democratic Party (United States) Elaine Marshall 1,333,994 53.48 Republican Party (United States) Richard Petty 1,126,701 45.17 Libertarian Party (United States) Lewis Guignard 20,734 0.83 Natural Law Party (United States) Stephen Richter 12,896 0.52 2,494,325 Aftermath Elaine Marshall The first woman elected to a statewide executive office in North Carolina, Elaine Marshall has prioritized making it easier to do business in the state.Marshall Elaine Elaine Marshall https://www.elainemarshall.com January 27, 2025 Marshall was re-elected as Secretary of State of North Carolina every subsequent election including 2024.March 2025 Mike Causey's plan to win Democrat votes with the help of Petty was a failure, as Democrats won every Council of State election in 1996, but Republican U.S. Senator Jesse Helms won re-election on the same ballot by a wide margin. He was the first of many North Carolina Republicans that Marshall has won statewide elections alongside. Richard Petty Following his landslide defeat, Richard Petty said "if I knew I was going to lose, I wouldn'ta run."Berkow Ira The King Recovers From Defeat https://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/06/sports/the-king-recovers-from-defeat.html January 26, 2025 The New York Times December 6, 1996 He expressed frustration with the political world, saying "don't talk politics today... it'll be a couple years before I think about anything in politics again." He acknowledged the "bump" in traffic did not help his campaign and pinned the loss on his reputation, saying "people see me as Richard Petty, race-car driver, not as Richard Petty, politician." He pointed out that even in politics "we Pettys aren't complete losers", as his wife Lynda had won re-election to the Randolph County Board of Education.McKay Rich Election Loss Turns Petty Off of Politics https://greensboro.com/election-loss-turns-petty-off-of-politics/article_954a5dd6-c5b2-5f66-94c4-00ae0222026f.html January 26, 2025 Greensboro News & Record November 6, 1996 Petty has been criticized by some for electoral overconfidence, relying on his name recognition, and failing to make a coherent argument for why he should be the Secretary of State.Cunningham Eric How Richard Petty Blew a State Election in North Carolina https://elections-daily.com/2020/07/13/how-richard-petty-blew-a-state-election-in-north-carolina/ Elections Daily July 13, 2020 January 28, 2025 Additionally, Petty himself pointed out that the traffic incident so close to the election may have reinforced the perception of him as a race car driver, not a steady-handed politician. See also 1996 North Carolina Council of State election 1996 United States presidential election in North Carolina 1996 United States Senate election in North Carolina 1996 United States House of Representatives elections in North Carolina 1996 North Carolina gubernatorial election 1996 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election 1996 North Carolina judicial elections References Category:1996 North Carolina elections Category:1996 elections in the United States