November 4th was voting day for many North Carolinians and there were many interesting aspects to this years election. This year, North Carolina spent the most money on campaigning in the nation’s history ($111 million). But of course, what goes on at Capitol Hill is by far the least concerning thing on a teenagers’ mind. You have tests to study for and papers to write, which makes it easier for students to lose sight of what’s really important: their rights.

For those who want to know the facts without having to scroll down the News & Observer for articles that were published weeks ago, PCNN gathered all the important facts one should know about the most recent election in North Carolina. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the PCNN’s Shmoop of the North Carolina State Elections! (Disclosure: All information regarding a candidate’s platform can be directly found on the candidate’s website. All other statistics and information came from here.)

The Runners-Up for the US Senate:

• Thom Tillis (Republican)
• Kay Hagan (Democrat)
• Sean Haugh (Libertarian)

Each of the Candidates’ Platforms:

• Thom Tillis
  • Believes that government has become to involved with citizens’ lives and wishes to “shrink [government] to its core Constitutional role so the private sector can thrive”
  • Wants to reduce the national debt by using the “cut, cap, and balance” approach: a method that will give certain sequesters, or deadlines to cut funding on government programs
  • Wants to strike down the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
  • Not an advocate for gay rights and against institutions like Planned Parenthood. In his platform, he mentions that he plans to appoint pro-life judges to NC’s Supreme Court
  • Wishes to further efforts that will protect Second Amendment rights
  • Wants to tighten border security
  • Supports the building of the Keystone Pipeline and wants to make North Carolina energy independent and plans to fight the Energy Protection Association’s regulations
• Kay Hagan
  • Spent ten years representing North Carolina in the U.S. Senate
  • Voted to raise the minimum wage to $10.10
  • Supported legislation that would ensure equal pay for women
  • Believes that a long-term, balanced, bipartisan plan will help the small businesses of North Carolina thrive
  • Supports gay marriage
  • Pro-choice
  • Supports gun control
• Sean Haugh
  • Supports the legalization of marijuana
  • Against the coalition in the Middle East
  • Against the Common Core State Standards Educational Initiative
  • Supports gay marriage
  • Pro-choice

Runners-Up for the U.S. House of Representatives in District 02:

• Renee Ellmers (Republican)
• Clay Aiken (Democrat)

Runners-Up’s Platform:

• Renee Ellmers
  • Wants to cut unnecessary spending and “[rollback] on harmful government regulations”
• Clay Aiken
  • Wants to increase minimum wage and lower taxes for middle and lower-income citizens
  • Wishes to increase US export
  • Pro-choice and supports gay marriage
  • Wishes to protect Social Security and Medicare for the elderly

Important Information on the Campaign…

• One of the most expensive campaigns for state elections in the nation’s history
  • According to WRAL, all three candidates’ expenses combined would amount to nearly $111 million
• North Carolina has about 6,627,000 registered voters
  • The voter turnout was about 44%, with about 2,490,000 registered voters that participated in the General Elections
• Clay Aiken, runner-up for U.S. House, was a finalist on the hit TV show American Idol

RESULTS

• Thom Tillis won with 48.86% of the votes
  • Hagen received 47.22% of votes
  • Haugh received 3.74% of votes
• Renee Ellmers (Rep.) won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives representing our district
  • There are four Democrats and nine Republicans in the House representing North Carolina
• Larry Yarborough (Rep.) won a seat for North Carolina’s House of Representatives for our district
  • There are 45 Democrats in NC’s House of Reps and 75 Republicans
• Norman W. Sanderson (Rep.) won a seat the state’s Senate representing our district
  • There are 14 Democrats and 36 Republicans in the state’s senate