Wiley Nickel (D) and Bo Hines (R) are running in the November 8, 2022, general election for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District. Incumbent Rep. Ted Budd (R) did not run for re-election, instead running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina.
Spectrum News‘ Reuben Jones wrote North Carolina’s 13th “is one of a limited number of swing districts around the country, so both national parties are focusing on it, with control of the U.S. House potentially hinging on the outcome.”
The district lines of North Carolina’s 13th changed substantially after redistricting, with the new district containing none of the old 13th district. According to FiveThirtyEight, the old 13th district had an R+38 partisan lean, while the new district has an R+3 lean. A partisan lean indicates the difference between how a state or district votes and how the country votes overall.
Mitchel Northam and Jeff Tiberii wrote for North Carolina Public Radio, “This district has been newly reconfigured — and essentially relocated — by redistricting. […] Now, the new 13th District is Triangle-centric. It includes the southern half of Wake, all of Johnston, and portions of Harnett and Wayne Counties — spanning from Apex to Mount Olive.”
Nickel, a criminal defense attorney, has represented District 16 in the North Carolina State Senate since 2019. Nickel previously worked in several district attorney offices and as advance staff for former President Barack Obama (D). In a campaign ad, Nickel said, “I’ll stand up to the extremes in both parties to get things done. Like increasing funding for police and cutting taxes for the middle class, while lowering healthcare and prescription costs.”
Hines, a former college football player for North Carolina State University, interned for Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) and U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). This race marks his first run for political office. A Hines campaign ad said, “North Carolinians deserve a leader who puts in the hours like we do — fighting inflation, creating jobs, standing up to Joe Biden, and protecting North Carolina values.”
The outcome of this race will affect the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts are up for election. As of October 23, 2022, Democrats held a 220-212 majority in the U.S. House with three vacancies. Republicans need to gain a net of five districts to win a majority in the chamber.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 50.1% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 48.4%.
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