Local Democrats rode a state and nationwide blue wave Tuesday in an election that supplanted several longtime Republican incumbents and saw the party take control of the New Hanover County Board of Commissioners and school board, unofficial election results showed. Voters also approved school bond referendums in New Hanover and Brunswick counties.

The results remain unofficial until they are reviewed and certified through the state’s canvass process. The New Hanover County Board of Elections will conduct its canvass and certify county results on Nov. 13. The State Board of Elections is scheduled to certify the statewide results on Nov. 24.

According to unofficial results, just over 103,000 ballots were cast in New Hanover County, representing 54.1% of registered voters.

In the state legislature, voters ousted a longtime Republican incumbent in the N.C. Senate District 7 race. Democrat newcomer Jessica Bichler won the position, unseating Republican incumbent and Senate Majority Leader Michael Lee. Bichler won 48,310 votes, or 52.6% of the votes cast, while Lee received 43,469, or 47.4%. 

“I think it is part of the larger picture nationwide,” Bichler said Wednesday. “But at the same time, we’ve been under the Republican supermajority (in the legislature) for a good number of years, and there are many issues, including funding for our schools and protecting our waterways, that I think many people are disappointed with the Republican efforts towards, and so they’re ready for change.”

Bichler, co-owner of Wilmington Yoga, has made public school funding, healthcare and water-related environmental concerns core to her campaign.

Lee was first elected to the state Senate in 2014 and served until 2018, when he lost to Democrat Harper Peterson, a former Wilmington mayor. Lee was elected to the seat in 2020 and has served since. 

Democrat incumbent Deb Butler won re-election to the N.C. House of Representatives District 18 seat, defeating Republican Latisha Grady with 70.4% of the vote. In District 19, incumbent Republican Charlie Miller won against Democrat Scott Nasiff, with 55.2% of the vote to Nasiff's 44.8%. 

In the N.C. Senate District 8 race, incumbent Republican Bill Rabon defeated Democrat Richard Combes, with 52% of the vote.

In a tight race for the state’s House District 20 seat, Democrat Tim Merrick beat Republican Dane Scalise, 22,054 to 21,953. The narrow margin falls within the state's 1% threshold for a candidate-requested recount. Scalise may request a recount by Nov. 17, following the Nov. 13 county canvass. As Merrick currently serves on the New Hanover County Board of Education, he would vacate that seat if he took office in the state legislature.

Scalise currently serves as a New Hanover County commissioner, with a term that runs through December 2028. Scalise said he had no comment when asked Wednesday whether he plans to request a recount.

In a race for two seats on New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, incumbent Rob Zapple and LeShonda Wallace won the majority of votes, tipping the five-member board to a Democratic majority as current chair LeAnn Pierce was not elected to serve another term. 

Zapple received 56,259 votes, or 29% of the total votes, while Wallace received 51,063, or 26.3%. Pierce came in third, with 42,217 votes, or 21.7%. Zapple has served for over 12 years as a New Hanover County commissioner.

Democrats also won in the New Hanover Board of Education election, with Jerry Jones Jr., Brittnei LaRue, Margie Gewirtzman and Wendy Dale receiving the most votes in a race for four seats on the school board. 

The four candidates will replace four Republicans currently on the board: Pete Wildeboer, Melissa Mason, Josie Barnhart and Pat Bradford. The election ousts incumbents Barnhart and Bradford, who will finish their terms through the end of December, along with Mason, who lost in the Republican primary, and board chair Wildeboer, who did not seek re-election.

The election also saw the passage of a $320.5 million general obligation bond, which will fund capital projects across New Hanover County Schools over the next several years. The bond amount is the single largest referendum approved by New Hanover County voters to date, with 67.9% of the vote. Brunswick County voters also approved a $349.6 million school bond referendum, with 54% of the vote.

Republicans in outlying Brunswick and Pender counties fared better on election day, with incumbent Republicans Randy Thompson and Patti Hewett winning re-election to the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners. In Pender County, Shanye Frey and Ryan Collins were elected to the Pender County Board of Commissioners in contested races against Democratic opponents. Republicans Andy DeVane and Jimmy Tate both ran uncontested for commissioner seats, leaving Pender County's 5-member commissioner board with a Republican majority. 

The election also resulted in the passage of three state constitutional amendments. The measures authorize the General Assembly to limit increases in local governments’ property tax levies; cap the state income tax at 3.5%; and extend photo ID requirements to all voters, including those casting absentee ballots.