The 2004 United States House of Representatives special election in North Carolina's 1st congressional district

North Carolina's 1st congressional district

North Carolina's 1st congressional district is located mostly in the northeastern part of the state. This area is located on North Carolina's Coastal plain and contains towns such as Roanoke Rapids, Rocky Mount, Goldsboro, and New Bern....

was held on July 20, 2004 to select the successor to Frank Ballance

Frank Ballance

Frank W. Ballance, Jr. , American politician, was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 2003 to 2004, representing North Carolina's 1st congressional district and is a convicted felon.-Background:...

 (D) who resigned due to health concerns and ongoing investigations which would ultimately culminate in criminal convictions on charges of committing money laundering

Money laundering

Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...

 and mail fraud.

Each party held a nominating convention to choose their nominee for the special election. Democrats nominated Superior Court

North Carolina Superior Court

The Superior Court is North Carolina’s general jurisdiction trial court. It has jurisdiction over all felony cases, cases involving over $10,000, and appeals of misdemeanor and infraction cases from the North Carolina District Courts....

 Judge and former State Supreme Court

North Carolina Supreme Court

The Supreme Court of North Carolina is the state's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists of six associate justices and one chief justice, although the number of justices...

 Associate Justice G. K. Butterfield

G. K. Butterfield

George Kenneth Butterfield, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2004. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state.-Early life and education:...

, while Republicans chose security consultant Greg Dority. Butterfield overwhelmingly won the election to fill out the rest of Ballance's unexpired term. On the same day, he and Dority both won their respective parties primaries on the and would face each other again in the November general election, which Butterfield would win again.

Republicans did not seriously contest this election given the strong Democratic tilt of the district, which has not elected a Republican to the United States House of Representatives

United States House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...

 since Reconstruction nor been represented by a moderate to conservative Representative since 1992 when Walter B. Jones, Sr.

Walter B. Jones, Sr.

Walter Beaman Jones, Sr. , was an American politician from the state of North Carolina who served in the United States House of Representatives, and was the father of Walter Beaman Jones, Jr., who is currently a Representative for the Republican Party.Jones was born in Fayetteville, North Carolina,...

 (D), the father of current 3rd District Representative Walter B. Jones

Walter B. Jones

Walter Beaman Jones, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Republican Party. The district encompasses the Outer Banks and areas near the Pamlico Sound. Jones' father was Walter B. Jones, Sr., a Democratic Party congressman from the neighboring 1st district...

, Jr. (R), died.

Election results

External links

• [ftp://www.app.sboe.state.nc.us/enrs/pricontest07xx20xx2004.txt]