Congressional District 4: Price (D) vs. Von Loor (R) vs. Howe (L)

Rating: Strong Democratic

Voter Registration by Race: 63% White, 24% Black, 6% Hispanic, 8% Other

Voter Registration by Party: 43% Democratic, 36% Unaffiliated, 20% Republican

2016 Presidential Election Result: 68% Clinton, 28% Trump, 4% Other

CD-04 is an urban district in North Carolina’s Piedmont region, incorporating much of the Research Triangle area. The district begins in Orange County (Hillsborough, Carrboro, Chapel Hill) and takes four precincts in southern Durham County before entering Wake County, where a majority of its population is situated. The city of Raleigh accounts for most of the district’s Wake County portion, although the suburban towns of Morrisville, Cary, Garner, and Knightdale are also included. CD-04 is clearly designed to pack in Democratic voters so nearby districts elect Republicans – the district’s boundaries in Wake County were drawn to include as many Democratic precincts as possible and exclude Republican precincts, allowing the neighboring CD-02 to incorporate the county’s Republican voters and elect a GOP congressman. Indeed, CD-04 previously tentacled down to Fayetteville to incorporate that city’s Democratic voters as well, but Fayetteville was removed from the district as a result of court-mandated redistricting in 2016. Within the current CD-04, most voters in Orange, Durham, and western Wake counties are relatively affluent, predominantly white progressives, while the district’s portion of eastern Raleigh is predominantly African American. The region’s high rate of growth and urbanization is expected to continue in coming years, meaning its Democratic base may no longer fit within one district come 2020.

2018 Candidates	Total Raised (2017-2018)	Total Spent (2017-2018)	Cash on Hand (June 2018)	Debts Owed (June 2018)
David Price (D)	$611,698.24	$630,811.16	$196,450.18	$00.00
Steve Von Loor (R)	$00.00	$00.00	$00.00	$00.00
Barbara Howe (L)	$2,967.13	$2,762.13	$205.00	$00.00

 

Incumbent Democrat David Price was first elected to Congress in 1986, and although he lost his seat in the 1994 Republican wave by a narrow margin, he won a rematch in the next cycle and has been reelected comfortably ever since. Now seeking his sixteenth term in Congress, the longtime political scientist and former Duke professor is overwhelmingly popular in his solidly Democratic district – Price won reelection in 2016 with over 68% of the vote, and he won this year’s Democratic primary with 77% against two opponents. In November, he faces Libertarian perennial candidate Barbara Howe and Republican businessman Steve Von Loor, who has a history of alleged domestic violence, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and sexually suggestive social media posts (in addition to virtually zero fundraising success). Needless to say, Price is a strong favorite in his bid for another term.