Democratic primary elections for 37 of 50 seats in the North Carolina State Senate took place on May 17, 2022. Of the 37 seats up for election in 2022, seven had a primary election with more than one candidate.

Across all contested Democratic primary elections, candidates raised $1.1 million. Incumbents raised an average of $87,754 per candidate and challengers raised an average of $64,075 per candidate.

Five primary elections with the most fundraising

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

#1 District 19 – $482,291

Incumbent Kirk deViere raised $270,326, Val Applewhite raised $211,965, and Ed Donaldson raised $0.

Val Applewhite advanced to the general election with 56 percent of the vote, Kirk deViere received 37 percent of the vote, and Ed Donaldson received 7 percent of the vote.

#2 District 23 – $340,584

Graig R. Meyer raised $251,683 and Jamie DeMent Holcomb raised $88,901.

Graig R. Meyer advanced to the general election with 82 percent of the vote and Jamie DeMent Holcomb received 18 percent of the vote.

#3 District 13 – $180,048

Patrick Buffkin raised $119,790 and Lisa Grafstein raised $60,258.

Lisa Grafstein advanced to the general election with 66 percent of the vote and Patrick Buffkin received 34 percent of the vote.

#4 District 49 – $62,326

Incumbent Julie Mayfield raised $61,481, Sandra Kilgore raised $845, and Taylon Breeden raised $0.

Julie Mayfield advanced to the general election with 68 percent of the vote, Sandra Kilgore received 21 percent of the vote, and Taylon Breeden received 11 percent of the vote.

#5 District 4 – $39,058

Incumbent Milton F. Fitch Jr. raised $19,210 and Raymond Smith Jr. raised $19,848.

Milton F. Fitch Jr. advanced to the general election with 54 percent of the vote and Raymond Smith Jr. received 46 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.

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.