The Dive: Southeast N.C.’s Most Expensive Race

At the New Hanover County GOP watch party Tuesday night, people clamored for pictures with two politicians: a life-size cardboard cutout of President Donald J. Trump, and state Sen. Michael Lee. 

Both would later turn out to have sweeping victories. 

State Senate District 7 was the Cape Fear region’s most expensive local race, with both party machines funneling in a combined $3.2 million, not counting any donations from outside groups or individual fundraising. 

Lee won comfortably by a nearly 9-point margin and outraised his Democratic opponent, physician David Hill, roughly 2 to 1. 

The depth of Lee’s victory came as a surprise in a district that has remained fiercely competitive under a 2-point margin for the past six years. After his first two elections in 2014 and 2016, when he won by more than 10-point margins, Lee lost the seat to Harper Peterson in 2018 by just 231 votes. Lee went on to take back the seat in a 2020 rematch with a 1-point lead and secured it again in 2022 by a nearly 2-point advantage. 

The state Republican Party considered District 7 one of three key state Senate races needed to retain their supermajority, and among those must-win Senate seats, the party handed the most campaign funding to Lee. If results hold, the GOP picked up an extra Senate seat, bringing its majority to 31-19, but lost one seat in the state House, enough for Democrats to break the supermajority there. Now, Republicans won’t be able to override gubernatorial vetos unless they can net some crossover votes. 

Despite the statewide pressure on his race, Lee was calm Tuesday night while waiting for results to trickle in.

“We feel really good,” he said. “It is not unusual in any race that I’ve been in this district that lots and lots of money has come in … but I’m really just focused on just my constituents.”

For The Assembly, Johanna F. Still digs into District 7. 

Parties Poured Millions Into a Wilmington Race. The Incumbent Won Easily.

State Sen. Michael Lee widened his victory margin in the most expensive local race and one of the state’s most competitive legislative districts.

Read this newsletter online or contact The Dive team with tips and feedback at wilmington@theassemblync.com.

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Revolt Averted

After 20 years under former District Attorney Ben David, prosecutors in New Hanover and Pender counties had grown used to an office largely insulated from partisan politics. That changed when David resigned, and the race to replace him went negative. 

In September, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Rebecca Zimmer Donaldson to temporarily replace David, setting up a tense mid-campaign transition period.

Earlier in the year, Republican candidate Jason Smith criticized his Democratic rival Zimmer Donaldson as lacking experience. He cautioned attendees at a GOP event that she might not hew to the same moderate path as David. 

Zimmer Donaldson’s retaliation—a series of attack ads that began last month—claimed Smith had gone soft on crime. They also highlighted Smith’s case involving an undocumented migrant accused of sexually assaulting a child.

The ads drew strong objections from Smith, David, and the majority of the prosecutors in the office. Those prosecutors signed a petition, asking both candidates to avoid negative campaigning. When Zimmer Donaldson’s campaign continued the ads, some prosecutors took to social media—others sent an anonymous letter to media outlets, warning of further dysfunction and possibly even mass resignations.

Now that preliminary results are in, it looks like those prosecutors will stand down. While New Hanover County was a close race, Smith won decisively more votes in Pender County and is the presumptive winner.

Smith said office morale has already improved, and that his first priority after he’s sworn in come January will be “getting the office back together.” 

After that, Smith said he’d build for himself the community relationships that David had established over two decades—no small task.

In the meantime, Zimmer Donaldson told WHQR she’ll remain in office for the duration of her term. “After my term expires, I do not plan to work for Jason Smith,” she said.

– Benjamin Schachtman

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Around the Region

Race Rundown: The New Hanover County Board of Education will remain a 4-2 Republican majority, after voters picked two Democrats and a Republican, WHQR reports.

Incumbents Sweep: Republican Brunswick County Board of Commissioner incumbents faced an organized Democratic opposition bloc on an anti-development platform, but still prevailed, State Port Pilot reports.

Financing Food: Hoping to survive post-pandemic, some Wilmington-area restaurants are pursuing bankruptcy. Greater Wilmington Business Journal has an explainer on how the process works.

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Around the State

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