Elaine Marshall
Marshall in 2018
23rd Secretary of State of North Carolina
Assumed office
January 3, 1997
Governor
Preceded byJanice H. Faulkner
Member of the North Carolina Senate
from the 15th district
In office
1992–1996
Preceded byWilliam W. Staton
Succeeded byDan Page
Personal details
Born (1945-11-18) November 18, 1945
Lineboro, Maryland, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BS)
Campbell University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Elaine Folk Marshall (born November 18, 1945) is an American attorney and politician who has served as the North Carolina Secretary of State since 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman to be elected to statewide office in North Carolina. Marshall was also the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for the United States Senate seat then held by Republican Richard Burr[1] in the 2010 election.[2] In 2020, Marshall was re-elected to a seventh term as North Carolina Secretary of State with 51.16 percent of the vote.[3]

Early life, education and career

Marshall was born on November 18, 1945, in Lineboro, Maryland.[4] Her father was a farmer who, for many years, served as a volunteer fire fighter and community leader, and her mother was the organist in the family's small rural church for more than 60 years. She attended public schools as a child and became the first person in her family to graduate college. She studied textiles at the University of Maryland from 1964 to 1968, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Textiles and Clothing.[4] While at Maryland, she became a member of Alpha Gamma Delta. During her undergraduate years, she spent her summers working as a camping director for the Maryland 4-H Foundation, an organization she has continued to support.[5]

After graduation, Marshall taught in the public schools of Lenoir County, North Carolina, and then ran a book and gift store. She later returned to the field of education as an instructor at Lenoir Community College and Johnston Technical Community College.[5][6]

Marshall returned to school to study law at the Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law at Campbell University and earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1981,[4] where she was accepted into the Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges honors program. She has been admitted to practice before all North Carolina courts, the U.S. District courts in the Eastern and Middle Districts of North Carolina, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the NC State Bar, the NC Bar Association, the NC Association of Women Attorneys, and the Delta Theta Phi legal fraternity. She also holds multiple honorary degrees from Campbell University, Meredith College, Lees–McRae College and Testemitanu State University.[5][7] She was a partner in Lillington, North Carolina law firms Bain & Marshall (1985–1992) and Marshall & Marshall (1993–1997).[5][6]

Political career

From the early 1970s, she was active in the Young Democrats organization and eventually became National Secretary of the Young Democrats of America. In Harnett County, where she practiced law, Marshall served in 1983–1987 as President of Democratic Women and in 1991–1992 served as chair of the Harnett County Democratic Party.[5]

State senator

Marshall was first elected to public office in 1992 as a member of the North Carolina Senate representing the 15th Senate District, serving from 1993 to 1994.[6]

Secretary of State

Marshall in 2021

In 1996, she ran for the post of North Carolina Secretary of State against Republican challenger and former stock car racer Richard Petty. She won the election by a margin of 53% to 45%,[8] becoming the first woman elected to a statewide executive office in North Carolina history.[9][7] Marshall has won re-election six times and in 2008 received the second highest vote total of any candidate in the state.[10][11] Elaine Marshall is only the third elected Secretary of State of North Carolina since 1936, as office-holders have commonly been re-elected many times. Marshall has been credited with bringing the office into the technological age by introducing e-commerce and providing online registration for lobbyists and businesses. Marshall's work has been recognized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Notary Association and Campbell University. In 2007, Marshall served as president of the National Electronic Commerce Coordinating Council, "an organization of public and private sector leaders aimed at identifying best technology practices that make government agencies more efficient and modernize their services".[12]

2002 U.S. Senate campaign

In 2002, Marshall ran for United States Senate in the race to replace retiring Sen. Jesse Helms. However, she was defeated in the Democratic primary by Erskine Bowles, who served as White House Chief of Staff under President Bill Clinton.[4][13]

2010 U.S. Senate campaign

In 2009, Marshall decided to enter the 2010 Senate race against incumbent Republican Richard Burr.[14] She faced Cal Cunningham, Ken Lewis, and other lesser-known candidates in the May 2010 primary, and won the endorsement of The Charlotte Observer.[15] After failing to garner above 40% of the vote in the May 4 primary election, Marshall had to face Cunningham in a runoff in June.[16]

On June 22, 2010, Marshall defeated Cunningham (with approximately 60 percent of the vote) to secure the Democratic nomination.[17] For the general election, she was again endorsed by The Charlotte Observer, the state's largest newspaper.[18] On election day Marshall lost to incumbent Richard Burr, who had received 55% of the vote.[2]

Electoral history

North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 1996
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall 1,333,994 53.48
Republican Richard Petty 1,126,701 45.17
Libertarian Lewis Guignard 20,734 0.83
Natural Law Stephen Richter 12,896 0.52
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2000
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 1,512,076 54.44
Republican Harris Durham Blake 1,265,654 45.56
North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Election, 2002
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Erskine Bowles 277,329 43.40
Democratic Dan Blue 184,216 28.83
Democratic Elaine Marshall 97,392 15.24
Democratic Cynthia Brown 27,799 4.35
Democratic Albert Lee Wiley Jr. 12,725 1.99
Democratic Bob Ayers 12,326 1.93
Democratic David Tidwell 10,510 1.64
Democratic Duke Underwood 9,940 1.56
Democratic Randy Crow 6,788 1.06
North Carolina Secretary of State Democratic Primary Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 327,848 80.59
Democratic Doris Sanders 78,953 19.41
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2004
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 1,911,585 57.32
Republican Jay Rao 1,423,109 42.68
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 2,316,903 56.79
Republican Jack Sawyer 1,762,928 43.21
North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall 154,605 36.35
Democratic Cal Cunningham 115,851 27.24
Democratic Ken Lewis 72,510 17.05
Democratic Marcus Williams 35,984 8.46
Democratic Susan Harris 29,738 6.99
Democratic Ann Worthy 16,655 3.92
North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic Primary Runoff Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall 95,390 59.96
Democratic Cal Cunningham 63,691 40.04
North Carolina U.S. Senate Election, 2010
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Richard Burr (inc.) 1,458,046 54.81
Democratic Elaine Marshall 1,145,074 43.05
Libertarian Michael Beitler 55,687 2.09
Write-ins Write-ins 1,272 0.05
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2012
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 2,331,173 53.79
Republican Ed Goodwin 2,003,026 46.21
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2016[19]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 2,368,091 52.26
Republican Michael LaPaglia 2,163,185 47.74
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2020 [3]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Elaine Marshall (inc.) 2,755,571 51.16
Republican E.C. Sykes 2,630,559 48.84

Personal life

Marshall has five stepchildren and seven grandchildren.[20]

Marshall married attorney Bill Holdford in 2001. Holdford had two daughters from a previous relationship. He died in 2009 from cancer.[21][22] Marshall married J. Thomas "Tommy" Bunn in 2017.[23]

References

  1. ↑ News & Observer blog Archived December 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  2. 1 2 Baker, Mike (November 2, 2010). "Burr vanquishes Marshall to keep US Senate seat". The Washington Post.
  3. 1 2 "State Composite Abstract Report - Contest.pdf" (PDF). North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Baker, Mike (October 18, 2010). Marshall recalls roots, woos rural N.C. Star News.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Secretary Marshall's Resume. Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall.
  6. 1 2 3 The Honorable Elaine F. Marshall. Our Board of Visitors. Campbell University.
  7. 1 2 Fitzsimon, Chris (June 19, 2006).Marshall sees stronger enforcement of lobbying. NC Policy Watch. NC Justice Center.
  8. ↑ "Secretary of State". App.sboe.state.nc.us. November 5, 1996. Archived from the original on November 26, 2008. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  9. ↑ Covington, Owen (September 20, 2017). N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall outlines her keys to economic success for the state. Today at Elon. Elon University.
  10. ↑ http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/NC/7937/14537/en/summary.html
  11. ↑ Battaglia, Danielle (February 8, 2020). NC Republicans once considered impeaching Elaine Marshall. Now 3 want to unseat her. The News & Observer.
  12. ↑ "N.C. Secretary of State to head national council – Triangle Business Journal". Triangle Business Journal. Triangle.bizjournals.com. December 21, 2006. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  13. ↑ Maisel, Louis Sandy; West, Darrell M. (2004). Running on Empty?: Political Discourse in Congressional Elections. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 216. ISBN 9780742530768.
  14. ↑ "Marshall running for U.S. Senate". Projects.newsobserver.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  15. ↑ Observer: Marshall the best choice in strong Democratic field
  16. ↑ "Coats, Fisher win nominations – James Hohmann". Politico.Com. May 4, 2010. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  17. ↑ News & Observer: Marshall triumphs over party powers Archived June 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ Observer: Marshall is strongest choice for U.S. Senate
  19. ↑ "11/08/2016 OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections & Ethics Enforcement. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  20. ↑ Meet Elaine Marshall. Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall.
  21. ↑ "Husband Of NC's Secretary Of State Dies Of Cancer".
  22. ↑ November 29, 2009. William Holdford, N.C. official's husband, dies. Winston-Salem Journal.
  23. ↑ News & Observer: Secretary of State Marshall remarries
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