‘Double-bunking’ illustrates N.C.’s population shift

North Carolina’s new 2022 redistricting legislative maps have “double-bunked” four incumbent Republican state senators who have traditionally served rural counties. 

This “situation” does not reflect any demerits for the affected lawmakers’ past performance. Rather, it is the political reality of shifting demographics in North Carolina. The urban population centers are gaining legislative seats, while the rural areas are losing them. 

So, this year, the new and strangely drawn new 1st District double bunks Sen. Norman Sanderson of Minnesott Beach in Pamlico County and Sen. Bob Steinburg of Edenton in Chowan County.

 

        Norman Sanderson

 

                Bob Steinburg

The 1st District now includes eight counties – Carteret, Pamlico, Hyde, Dare, Washington, Chowan, Perquimans and Pasquotank. 

In the 2021 session, the North Carolina State Board of Elections showed that Sanderson represented Carteret and Pamlico (with 62,540 registered voters). Steinburg represented Hyde, Dare, Washington, Chowan, Perquimans and Pasquotank (with 89,736 registered voters). 

The winner of the May 17 Republican primary election moves on to the Nov. 8 General Election as a shoo-in, since no Democrat has filed. The primary loser goes home. May the best man win. Both are retired businessmen, highly qualified and respected gentlemen. 

Sanderson, 70, was born in Lumberton, N.C., and earned a bachelor’s degree in Christian education from Logos University, Jacksonville, Fla. 

Steinburg, 73, was born in Oswego, N.Y., and is a graduate of Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa. 

Jim Stirling, a research fellow with the John Locke Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Raleigh, believes the Sanderson v. Steinburg race offers a lot of intrigue. It depends on which candidate can score well on the other’s home turf, Stirling said.

 

In the western part of the state, incumbents Sen. Deanna Ballard of Blowing Rock in Watauga County and Sen. Ralph Hise of Spruce Pine in Mitchell County also find themselves facing off in the GOP primary, competing in the new 47th District. 

The district includes Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, Avery, Mitchell, Yancey and Madison counties as well as a large portion Caldwell and a small section of Haywood.

 

 

In 2021, Ballard represented Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga (with 71,462 registered voters), while Hise represented Mitchell, Yancey and Madison (with 54,438 registered voters). 

Voters in Avery, Caldwell and Haywood (represented by neither Ballard nor Hise in 2021) make up 30% of the new 47th District. This primary election is viewed as a “pins and needles” contest that may well hinge on campaign strategy – a battle of wits between two savvy up-and-coming politicians. 

Ballard, 43, was born in Denver, N.C., and earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. She is employed as director of public policy for Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization headquartered in Boone.

Hise, 45, is a Mitchell County native who graduated from Appalachian State University in Boone. He also earned a master’s degree from North Carolina State University in Raleigh. He is employed as coordinator of special projects at Mayland Community College in Spruce Pine. 

Travis Fain, a WRAL-TV state government reporter, interviewed Dr. J. Michael Bitzer, a history/political science professor at Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., about the effects of double-bunking. 

Dr. Blitzer said: “Redistricting does tend to shuffle the board in more ways than just the lines”…creating “fresh opportunities and interesting challenges.”

 

This is the second time Ballard has been double-bunked in the state senate. She found herself in the same position in 2018, winning a primary showdown with Sen. Shirley Randleman of Wilkesboro. Ballard received 53.6% of the vote in that contest.