HD-06: Commissioner vs. Commissioner

by | Aug 11, 2016 | 2016 Elections, Carolina Strategic Analysis, Features, NC House Races

State House District 6: Beverly Boswell (R) vs. Warren Judge (D)

The state’s Sixth House District consists of part of Beaufort County as well as Dare, Hyde, and Washington counties. It’s located in eastern North Carolina and contains part of the Outer Banks. Currently, it’s represented by Paul Tine, the only unaffiliated member of the legislature. Tine was originally elected as a Democrat (a conservative one), reelected as a Democrat, and then became unaffiliated and a member of the Republican caucus following a dispute with the Democratic Party leadership.

Despite the switch, Tine’s voting record remained center-left, which would have made seeking reelection as a Republican difficult. With reelection as an unaffiliated member of the House looking equally difficult, Tine decided to retire. Thus, this is an open seat and on paper should be a strong pickup opportunity for the GOP.

Seeking the office this time around are Republican Beverly Boswell and Democrat Warren Judge, both Dare County Commissioners. Judge became the Democratic nominee after defeating Judy Justice (making for a judicial-sounding Judge/Justice primary contest). And he’s also raised a healthy amount of money – as of the last financial quarter, he had over $55,000 cash on hand. Boswell’s campaign report, on the other hand, indicates she’s going to need significant assistance from the Republican caucus if she hopes to get elected, as she had only $150 cash on hand (with $230 listed under ‘Contributions to be Refunded’).

On his campaign website, Judge talks about his opposition to the General Assembly, including their ‘ill-advised budgets’ and unfunded mandates. He supports increasing investment in public education and also in the infrastructure of District 6. His Republican opponent talks about her dedication to education and especially her opposition to Common Core, her opposition to Obamacare, and her support for Second Amendment rights.

Given Tine’s success here, it’s clear that this district is willing to give the right Democrat a chance. Judge just might fit the mold. And with his huge cash advantage, he’ll have no problem getting his message out there, something that’s still an open question for his Republican opponent. This seat should be competitive no matter what, but Boswell needs money.

Counties in district: Beaufort (part), Dare, Hyde, Washington

District Rating: Leans Democratic

2014 Result
53.6% Tine (D)
46.4% Lawson (R)

Voter Registration
45.3% Democrat
28.4% Republican
26.1% Unaffiliated

81.7% White
15.8% Black
2.5% Other

Results in Other Elections
2012 President
57.7% Romney
41.3% Obama

2012 Governor
57.7% McCrory
39.8% Dalton

2010 Senate
60.7% Burr
37.1% Marshall

2008 Senate

51.7% Dole
45.5% Hagan

0 Comments

Related Posts

GET UPDATES

Get the latest posts from PoliticsNC delivered right to your inbox!

You have Successfully Subscribed!