Senate District 17: Sen. Tamara Barringer (R) vs. Bryan Fulghum (D)
The 17th Senate district is located in the southwestern suburbs of Wake County. It contains the booming towns of Cary, Apex, and Holly Springs, places that consistently rank high in “Best Places to Live” lists, and thanks to its proximity to the Research Triangle Park the area has grown immensely in the past couple of decades. The 17th district used to contain all of southern Wake, almost half the county’s area, but was reduced in size after the latest redistricting cycle thanks to population growth.
Although Republicans have the advantage here, the seat is not completely safe for the GOP. The suburbs of Wake County are burgeoning with moderate voters who hold a considerable amount of sway here, and in recent years they have been alienated by the rightward tilt of the GOP. They generally support keeping taxes low and restraints on spending, but are willing to pay a little extra when it comes to education and public services and tend to shy away from social conservatism. Notably, Amendment 1 failed here. The population is highly educated, affluent, with a large proportion of swing voters. But Republicans usually carry the day here, as even John McCain would have won the current district, and Elizabeth Dole won here as well.
Nonetheless, the Democratic floor here seems to be growing, thanks to the continued expansion of subdivisions into what was once farmland and the continued influx of residents from elsewhere, especially areas like Northern Virginia and the Northeast. And if there is a backlash against the General Assembly, as many liberals in the state hope, then moderate, suburban districts like this one will see Democratic candidates much more competitive than usual.
Moderate Republican Richard Stevens represented this area for many years; he was a popular senator who received only token opposition during his term in office. He chose to step down in 2012 rather than seek another term, and the GOP nominated attorney and accounting law professor Tamara Barringer to succeed him. Her Democratic opponent that year was Erv Portman, who served on the Wake County Board of Commissioners. Thanks to its status as an open seat contest, the race was fairly close that year, but Barringer won, beating Portman by over 7 points and outperforming Mitt Romney, who also won the district.
Barringer appears to be following in the moderate to conservative tradition of her predecessor. She votes with her party most of the time, but has paid attention to local issues and has been willing to buck the party line when it goes against the interests of her district. A freshman legislator, she’s kept a low profile. PPP surveyed District 17 last September and found Barringer had only 35% name recognition. Even more significantly, it found her with an underwater approval rating and trailing a generic Democrat by 4 points. This was at the trough of GOP legislative popularity in NC, but still, Barringer is somewhat vulnerable on paper, and if a blue wave developed she would probably be in trouble with the right Democrat running against her.
Sen. Tamara Barringer, the Republican nominee
Bryan Fulghum, the Democratic nominee
Unfortunately for Democrats, it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to take advantage of any blue wave, even in the unlikely case that one appears. The Democratic nominee is Bryan Fulghum, a cashier at Buffalo Wild Wings in Cary. Fulghum (no apparent relation to the late Rep. Jim Fulghum) is running on a progressive platform and points to his career in the food service industry as evidence that he’s attuned to the needs of working class North Carolinians. But he’s unlikely to be able to raise the kind of money it would take to build name recognition and take down the well-funded Barringer in a district located in one of the most expensive media markets in North Carolina. As of July, Fulghum reporting having only $22 cash on hand, compared with Barringer’s $103,644. Even with a better-funded opponent, Barringer would be favored for reelection. If Democrats want to take back the State Senate, this is one of the districts they’re going to have to win. Instead, it looks like the incumbent Republican will cruise to reelection.
As a resident of the 13th congressional district, Barringer is a possible candidate for Congress should Rep. George Holding step down to run for U.S. Senate in 2016.
Counties in district: Wake (part)
District Rating: Likely Republican
2012 Result
53.7% Barringer
46.3% Portman
Voter Registration
35.6% Republican
33.8% Unaffiliated
30.2% Democrat
80.7% White
10.4% Other
8.9% Black
Results in Other Elections
2012 President
52.3% Romney
46.4% Obama
2012 Governor
57.9% McCrory
39.3% Dalton
2010 Senate
57.9% Burr
39.3% Marshall
2008 Senate
48.5% Dole
48.0% Hagan
Social Media Support
Sen. Tamara Barringer – 535
Bryan Fulghum – 94
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.
Actually, I thought Barringer was a solid and appealing candidate when she initially ran for her senate seat. She seemed somewhat thoughtful and somewhat moderate, and not on the wing-nut fringe of her party. But I was really turned off by the misleading negative attack ads–funded by GOP campaign groups–she agreed to run against her opponent. They gave no context to their claims/drivel, and twisted the truth to the nth degree. I feel the same way when non-GOPers do that sort of thing. It seeks to incite those who can’t think critically, appealing to baser needs/impulses/thinking.