North Carolina, State House, District 8

Note: North Carolina's state legislative district maps are the subject of ongoing legal actions. On June 5, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States affirmed a federal district court decision finding that 28 state legislative districts had been subject to an illegal racial gerrymander. The district court then ordered state lawmakers to draft remedial maps for use in the 2018 election cycle. The legislature adopted new state House and Senate district maps on August 30, 2017. On October 26, 2017, the district court appointed a special master "to assist the Court in further evaluating and, if necessary, redrawing" the revised district maps. The special master, Nate Persily, issued final recommendations on December 1, 2017. On January 19, 2018, the district court issued an order adopting Persily's recommendations, which incorporated some changes to the maps drawn by the state legislature. However, on February 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States issued a partial stay against the district court's order. On June 28, 2018, the high court partially affirmed the district court's decision but returned the case to the lower court for reconsideration regarding its original ruling on districts in Wake and Mecklenburg counties. As a result of these actions, several district numbers and boundaries changed. Consequently, the demographic information in this article might not apply to the newly drawn district boundaries. We will update this information as new developments occur. For more information on redistricting in North Carolina, see this article.

North Carolina House of Representatives District 8
Current incumbent	Kandie Smith
Population	83,385
Race	64.27% White, 28.99% Black, 0.31% Native American, 1.10% Asian/Pacific Islander, 3.63% Single Race Other, 1.70% Multi-Race
Ethnicity	94.27% Non Hispanic, 5.73% Hispanic
Voting age	75.2% age 18 and over

North Carolina's eighth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Kandie Smith.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 83,385 civilians reside within North Carolina's eighth state house district. North Carolina state representatives represent an average of 79,462 residents, as of the 2010 Census. After the 2000 Census, each member represented approximately 67,078 residents.

About the office

Members of the North Carolina House of Representatives serve two-year terms and are not subject to term limits. North Carolina legislators assume office the first day of the new General Assembly in January.

Qualifications

Article 2, Section 7 of the North Carolina Constitution states: "Each Representative, at the time of his election, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election."

Salaries

State legislators
Salary	Per diem
$13,951/year	$104/day; set by statute.

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the state House, the governor is responsible for appointing a replacement. The governor must appoint the recommended individual submitted by the political party committee that holds the vacant seat. The appointment must be made by the Governor within seven days of receiving the candidate recommendation. The person selected to the seat serves for the remainder of the unfilled term.

Elections

2020

Elections for the office of North Carolina House of Representatives will take place in 2020. The general election will be held on November 3, 2020. A primary is scheduled for March 3, 2020. The filing deadline was December 20, 2019.

2018

General election

General election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8

Kandie Smith (D) defeated Brenda Smith (R) in the general election for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 on November 6, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kandie Smith (D)	64.6	15,570
	Brenda Smith (R)	35.4	8,515

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 24,085

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8

Kandie Smith defeated Mildred Council and Ernest Reeves in the Democratic primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 on May 8, 2018.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Kandie Smith (D)	50.0	2,791
	Mildred Council (D)	35.6	1,988
	Ernest Reeves (D)	14.3	799

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

Total votes: 5,578

Republican primary election

Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8

Brenda Smith advanced from the Republican primary for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 on May 8, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Brenda Smith (R)

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified.

2016

Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election was held on March 15, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was December 21, 2015.

Incumbent Susan Martin defeated Charlie Pat Farris in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 general election.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 8 General Election, 2016

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Susan Martin Incumbent	50.19%	21,329
	Democratic	Charlie Pat Farris	49.81%	21,166
Total Votes			42,495
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

Charlie Pat Farris ran unopposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 Democratic primary.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 8 Democratic Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Democratic	Charlie Pat Farris (unopposed)

Incumbent Susan Martin ran unopposed in the North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 Republican primary.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 8 Republican Primary, 2016

Party	Candidate
	Republican	Susan Martin Incumbent (unopposed)

2014

Elections for the North Carolina House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election took place on May 6, 2014. The general election took place on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 28, 2014. Incumbent Susan Martin was unopposed in the Republican primary, while Bobi Gregory was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Martin defeated Gregory in the general election.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 8 General Election, 2014

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Susan Martin Incumbent	60.8%	17,035
	Democratic	Bobi Gregory	39.2%	10,981
Total Votes			28,016

2012

Elections for the office of North Carolina House of Representatives consisted of a primary election on May 8, 2012, and a general election on November 6, 2012. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 29, 2012. Susan Martin (R) defeated Mark Bibbs (D) in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the May 8 primary elections.

North Carolina House of Representatives, District 8, General Election, 2012

Party	Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Susan Martin	57.2%	24,019
	Democratic	Mark Bibbs	42.8%	17,982
Total Votes			42,001

Campaign contributions

From 2002 to 2016, candidates for North Carolina House of Representatives District 8 raised a total of $1,739,818. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $91,569 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, North Carolina House of Representatives District 8

Year	Amount	Candidates	Average
2016	$487,066	2	$243,533
2014	$311,463	2	$155,732
2012	$517,978	2	$258,989
2010	$52,185	2	$26,093
2008	$88,917	2	$44,459
2006	$143,295	2	$71,648
2004	$64,101	3	$21,367
2002	$30,191	2	$15,096
2000	$44,622	2	$22,311
Total	$1,739,818	19	$91,569