North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District – Rep. Robert Pittenger (R)

For the District Geography series, we’re only supposed to be looking at the competitive races, so some qualification is in order. The 9th district race isn’t supposed to be competitive in any aspect. But it still is an interesting contest, and yet another skirmish in the civil war in the GOP between the establishment and the Tea Party.

The Tea Party’s target? Representative Robert Pittenger, a freshman who represents suburban and exurban Charlotte. Pittenger served in the State Senate, then lost a race for Lieutenant Governor in 2008. After Rep. Sue Myrick announced her retirement from Congress, Pittenger jumped in the race. Leveraging his large personal fortune, he defeated Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph in an ugly and personal primary. The ugliness of that contest spilled over into the general, where Pittenger won a surprisingly close race over Mecklenburg County Commissioner Jennifer Roberts.

Republican Primary

Upon arriving in Washington, Pittenger extended an olive branch to Democrats, forming a bipartisan caucus devoted to fiscal discipline, seeking to remedy some of the divisiveness in Congress. But the Tea Party is more concerned about his votes on various bills. Pittenger’s most serious apostasy? He initially refused to go along with plans to support the government shutdown last fall, arguing that it was doomed to failure and conservatives should focus on fighting winning battles. In the eyes of the Tea Party, that made him a supporter of Obamacare, even though Pittenger has voted numerous times to repeal that legislation. No matter. Tea Party groups vowed to recruit a challenger to Pittenger and send him packing.

So far, the campaign of their candidate, Mike Steinberg, hasn’t gained much traction. Steinberg, a former financial adviser and author, shouldn’t be a threat to Pittenger’s reelection. For the most part, opposition to the incumbent seems confined to corners on the Internet and hasn’t attracted much attention from the “mainstream” Tea Party. Combined with Pittenger’s large financial advantage, which he would be sure to utilize should he feel the need, expect the incumbent to win the primary by anywhere from 30 to 50 points. The result on May 6th will tell us just how disenchanted conservatives are with Pittenger and won’t yield any major surprises. Steinberg exceeding 35% should be seen as a good result for him.

General Election

Tea Partiers can feel free to vote their conscience in this race. No matter who Republicans nominate, the general election is sure to be uncompetitive. This is because Democrats didn’t even field a candidate. That’s right – in a race a Republican won by 6 points in 2012, no Democrat bothered to file. Of course, Pittenger’s 52-46 victory two years ago is a bit misleading. Pittenger came out of a nasty primary, and Roberts was a great candidate running in a good year for Democrats. Still, Democrats should have at least given their voters the opportunity to cast their ballot for someone with a (D) next to their name. In this rapidly growing, suburban Charlotte district, the GOP nominee will go unopposed. Get with it, NC Democrats.

Counties in district: Iredell (part), Mecklenburg (part), Union (part)

Primary Rating: Solid Pittenger
District Rating: Solid Republican

2012 Result
Robert Pittenger (R) – 51.8%
Jennifer Roberts (D) – 45.7%

Voter Registration
38.7% Republican
31.1% Democrat
30.0% Unaffiliated

80.6% White
12.3% Black
7.1% Other

Results in Other Elections

2012 President
56.1% Romney
42.8% Obama

2012 Governor
67.8% McCrory
30.5% Dalton

2010 Senate
62.3% Burr
35.5% Marshall

2008 Senate
50.4% Dole
46.1% Hagan

John Wynne

John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.