Results in the five most expensive Democratic North Carolina House primaries


Democratic primary elections for 92 of 120 seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives took place on May 17, 2022. Of the 92 seats up for election in 2022, 22 had a primary election with more than one candidate.

Across all contested Democratic primary elections, candidates raised $1.2 million. Incumbents raised an average of $30,986 per candidate and challengers raised an average of $23,604 per candidate.

Five primary elections with the most fundraising

The table below details the five Democratic primary elections with the most fundraising in the House of Representatives. Winning candidates’ names are in bold.

District Money Raised Officeholder Candidates
District 56 $343,845 Allen Buansi and Jonah Garson
District 44 $180,628 William Richardson (D) Charles Smith and Terry Johnson
District 50 $99,756 Graig R. Meyer (D) Renée Price and Matt Hughes
District 27 $81,679 Michael Wray (D) Michael Wray and Jerry McDaniel
District 66 $74,521 Ben Moss (R) Sarah Crawford, Wesley Knott, and Jeremiah Pierce

#1 District 56 – $343,845

Jonah Garson raised $191,037 and Allen Buansi raised $152,808.

Allen Buansi advanced to the general election with 51 percent of the vote and Jonah Garson received 49 percent of the vote.

#2 District 44 – $180,628

Terry Johnson raised $149,875 and Charles Smith raised $30,753.

Charles Smith advanced to the general election with 62 percent of the vote and Terry Johnson received 38 percent of the vote.

#3 District 50 – $99,756

Matt Hughes raised $59,220 and Renée Price raised $40,536.

Renée Price advanced to the general election with 72 percent of the vote and Matt Hughes received 28 percent of the vote.

#4 District 27 – $81,679

Incumbent Michael Wray raised $81,679 and Jerry McDaniel raised $0.

Michael Wray advanced to the general election with 79 percent of the vote and Jerry McDaniel received 21 percent of the vote.

#5 District 66 – $74,521

Sarah Crawford raised $48,802, Wesley Knott raised $25,719, and Jeremiah Pierce raised $0.

Sarah Crawford advanced to the general election with 47 percent of the vote, Wesley Knott received 45 percent of the vote, and Jeremiah Pierce received 8 percent of the vote.

The data above are based on campaign finance reports that active North Carolina PACs submitted to the North Carolina State Board of Elections (NCSBE). Federal PACs are not required to report to state agencies. Transparency USA publishes campaign finance data following major reporting deadlines. State or federal law may require filers to submit additional reports.

Report Name Report Due Date
2022 Semiannual 1/28/2022
2022 Q1 Plus 5/10/2022
2022 Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) 7/29/2022
2022 Q3 Plus 10/31/2022
2022 Q4 1/11/2023
2022 Year End Semiannual (only candidates not on 2022 ballot) 1/27/2023

This article is a joint publication from Ballotpedia and Transparency USA, who are working together to provide campaign finance information for state-level elections. Learn more about our work here.