2016Flipped from DemocraticFinal resultsIncumbent defeated
2016 election for North Carolina House District 51
North Carolina House of Representatives · North Carolina
John Sauls (R) won with 55.7% of the vote, defeating Brad Salmon (D) by 11.3 points, a seat Democrats won last time.
John SaulsRepublican · winner
55.7%17,904
Brad SalmonDemocrat · incumbent
44.3%14,262
32,166 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 2016
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Oct 1, 2026, 4:52 AM ET