In a close North Carolina senate race, Republican incumbent Richard Burr beat Democratic challenger Deborah Ross by a 52 to 45 percent margin.
The race has been contentious and has drawn significant funding. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, both have spent just a little less than 10 million dollars this cycle on television, online and radio ads. Outside spending on the race has neared $60 million. And the race was considered one of several pivotal contests in the fight for control of the Senate, which the Republican Party won.
Some of the biggest issues Ross faced during the campaign involved her work as the state director of the American Civil Liberties Union. There has been criticism attacking her for opposing the creation of a sex offender registry—allegations she has denied—and her position on flag burning. Burr, on the other hand, has been attacked for getting rich in the Senate and his vote against a ban on insider trading.
Although House Bill 2 has been a major issue in the gubernatorial race, Burr has largely managed to avoid being associated with the law—although blame continues to be hurled back and forth by incumbent Republican governor Pat McCrory and Democratic challenger Roy Cooper.
However, prior to the election, Burr was attacked for controversial comments he made about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton joking about a “bullseye” on the candidate. He has since apologized for the remarks.
“I would say that the result of the Senate election isn’t really that unexpected. Burr was the incumbent, and you have this other person coming in,” sophomore Luke Potter said. “Ross really was up for a challenge against Burr. The incumbency advantage can’t be underestimated. That’s why the Senate is so tied up, and that’s why the Democrats are having a tough time taking up the Senate.”
Burr has supported the coal, oil and natural gas industries, favors limited government spending and is in favor of preventing federal money from being given to organizations that support abortion. In his acceptance speech, Burr promised to continue advocating for conservative principles in the Senate.
Key to his re-election platform has been his foreign policy experience as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has opposed closing the Guantanamo Bay prison and has criticized the Obama Administration’s Iran Deal as a “foreign policy disaster.”
“I think we had high turnout rates in the western region of North Carolina, and that pushed him over the brink,” said Chronicle columnist and senior Addison Merryman. “The polling data we’ve seen over the last few weeks suggested that he would have a two to three point lead, and that’s what we’re seeing.”
Merryman added that Burr can help fix problems with the Affordable Care Act, which has been largely decried by Republicans. Regarding Burr’s next term, Merryman said he was “hopeful and optimistic.”
Sophomore Sabriyya Pate, also a columnist for The Chronicle, said it was a shame North Carolina had elected “another Washington insider.” In her concession speech, Ross said she would continue working to inspire young people.
“The way I see it, this is not only a loss for Deborah Ross, it’s also a loss for the people of North Carolina,” Pate said. “Deborah Ross was a prime candidate for this position. Furthermore, we have Richard Burr, in many ways he’s reflective of Donald Trump.”
First-year Leah Abrams, also a columnist for The Chronicle, said Burr’s re-election might actually harm the reputation of students graduating from Duke.
“Your degree is worth more when the state has a good reputation,” Abrams said.
Libertarian candidate and pizza delivery driver Sean Haugh received less than four percent of the vote.
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