Senator Michael Lee pulls ahead in race for re-election

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — The votes are now in and it looks like the North Carolina Senator of District 9, Michael Lee will keep his seat.

After a long year of campaigning Republican Senator Michael Lee will most likely continue to represent New Hanover County.

According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections, Tuesday night Lee lead opponent Democratic candidate Andrew Barnill 57% to 42%. Dozens of people came out to the New Hanover County Government center to see the results.

Lee says he is glad to be re-elected, and excited Election Day is finally here.

“It feels great ya know,” Senator Lee said. “We’ve been working really hard toward not just the reelection, but also with the policy we’ve been putting forth in representing New Hanover County. So it feels good to be re-elected and so that we can continue some of the things that we started on. There’s a lot left to be done and I’m excited about doing it.”

Senator Lee says the first thing he is going to do once officially re-elected is take a break. After that break he plans to hold a special session to address the devastation following Hurricane Matthew.

WWAY spoke with opponent Andrew Barnhill about the results and says he will continue to work across the aisle to create a positive image for North Carolina.