Election Reflections, Part Deux: Murphy’s old NC House seat goes BLUE
Tillis had it happen to him in 2018. Looks like congressman Greg Murphy is getting a taste in 2020. Dr. Perrin Jones of Greenville was appointed to replace Murphy in the state House after his election to Congress. Jones was a Murphy friend. Murphy endorsed him and campaigned for him. (Murphy represents his old state House district in Congress.)
Democrat Brian Farkas was making his second run for House District 9 in four years. Here were the 2016 results:
Greenville has been trending Republican over the last decade. The district is strong Republican, and Murphy appeared to handle Farkas quite well. Murphy also hadn’t been in Raleigh long in 2016. So, he was still on kind of a honeymoon.
So, here we are in 2020. Murphy is in Washington. Jones got all kinds of press for being a record fundraiser. Farkas lost big before in the district. How could this be anything but an encore? (Farkas was running against a Murphy pal.)
Well, here are the 2020 results:
*My, how things change in four years.*
Could this be an omen for Murphy’s fortunes in — say — 2022? From what my DC and Third District sources are telling me, Third District voters are not going to be happy when they learn Murphy is not living up to what he pledged on the 2019 campaign trail. (*Details are forthcoming.*)
You could always count on Walter Jones to do what he said he was going to do. Even when you thought it was dead wrong.
That district became more blue when it was redrawn by the General Assembly last year.
Greenville has been going more red more often locally. Murphy’s predecessor in the NC House was also a Republican.
2,000 less voters in 2020? Absolutely amazing for presidential election? Sheer less numbers is questionable.
And for the record, Biden carried Pitt Co in 2020; not Trump. Biden polled 46.6k and Trump 38.8k; thus Pitt Co isn’t leaning Republican by a long shot! Beaufort Co (62% Trump), Craven Co (58% Trump); adjoining counties rolled Trump.
East Carolina University is the reason Pitt County has turned blue. It’s happening in any county with a UNC system school. The Republican UNC Board of Governors keeps hiring liberal chancellors and refusing to implement conservative reforms at UNC system schools. So Pitt County turning blue should surprise no one. It’s just what the BOG ordered. It’s happening all over the state.
I agree with ECU; also School of Medicine is there and has expanded and brought in mega employees. MOST MD’s coming out of SOM and those moving into the medical community in Gv are outside NC. Most actually are from the northeast and most are not conservative . ECU, Vidant and SOM are large Pitt Co employers and the vast majority of employees/nurses/MD’s are blue, not red. Speak with anyone inside Vidant and the environment w/in that institution is far from conservative. Same for ECU; internal employees will state ratio of blue/red is 10%/90%. And I agree, Gen Assembly has destroyed BOG.
See numbers above, Pitt Co far from red, 8k differential in Presidential election, for Biden.
Perrin Jones’ district was one of the seats that the GOP caucus considered most at risk because redistricting had made it considerably more Democrat for this election than it had been in the past. That also made it a target seat for the Democrats who dumped a ton of money into it. The Democrat candidate Farkas, by all accounts, is a real lightweight, but with all the out of state money the Democrats put in that race, they were able to put all the lipstick they needed on that pig. All they really wanted was a vote for their redistricting plans and their legislative leadership team.