2016 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election

2016 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election

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Turnout	68.98%
Candidate Mark Johnson June Atkinson Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,285,783 2,231,903 Percentage 50.60% 49.40%
County results Johnson:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80% Atkinson:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%
Superintendent of Public Instruction before election June Atkinson Democratic Elected Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson Republican

The 2016 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction, concurrently with the 2016 presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, the Council of State, and other state, local, and judicial elections.

Incumbent Democratic state superintendent June Atkinson ran for re-election to a fourth term in office, but was defeated by Republican attorney Mark Johnson in what was considered an upset. ^{[1] [2]}

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• June Atkinson, incumbent state superintendent (2004–present) ^[3]

Eliminated in primary

• Henry Pankey, retired school principal in Winston-Salem ^{[4] [5]}

Endorsements

June Atkinson

Newspapers and other media

• Indy Week (Democratic primary only) ^[4]

Henry Pankey

Newspapers and other media

• Winston-Salem Chronicle (Democratic primary only) ^[5]

Results

Results by county

  Atkinson

•   50–60%
•   60–70%
•   70–80%
•   80–90%
•   >90%

  Pankey

•   50–60%

Democratic primary results ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	June Atkinson (incumbent)	776,302	79.78%
	Democratic	Henry Pankey	196,703	20.22%
Total votes			973,005	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Mark Johnson, Winston-Salem lawyer ^[7]

Eliminated in primary

• Rosemary Stein, pediatrician ^[7]
• J. Wesley Sills, Harnett County teacher ^[8]

Results

Results by county

  Johnson

•   40–50%
•   50–60%
•   60–70%

  Stein

•   40–50%
•   50–60%

Republican primary results ^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Johnson	441,865	53.35%
	Republican	Rosemary Stein	272,131	32.85%
	Republican	J. Wesley Sills	114,274	13.80%
Total votes			828,270	100.00%

General election

Endorsements

June Atkinson (D)

Newspapers and other media

• Indy Week ^[10]
• The News & Observer ^[11]

Results

2016 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election ^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Johnson	2,285,783	50.60%
	Democratic	June Atkinson (incumbent)	2,231,903	49.40%
Total votes			4,517,686	100.00%
	Republican gain from Democratic

References

1. Herron, Arika (November 9, 2016). "GOP'S Mark Johnson beats incumbent June Atkinson in race for state Superintendent" . Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
2. Clasen-Kelly, Fred (November 10, 2016). "NC education superintendent: Johnson defeats incumbent Atkinson". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved January 5, 2026.
3. Granados, Alex (October 15, 2015). "Superintendent June Atkinson to run for re-election". EdNC. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
4. "Your Participation is Mandatory: The INDY's 2016 Primary Endorsements". Indy Week. March 2, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
5. "Chronicle endorsements in Democratic Primary races". The Chronicle. March 10, 2016. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
6. "NC SBE Election Contest Results". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
7. Bonner, Lynn (February 1, 2016). "Superintendent candidates clash over career training". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
8. Bonner, Lynn (March 16, 2016). "State superintendent: Johnson leading in GOP field". The News & Observer. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
9. "NC SBE Election Contest Details". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved December 31, 2025.
10. "The INDY's Endorsements for Council of State". Indy Week. October 19, 2016. Archived from the original on October 21, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
11. "North Carolina Council of State choices: Our endorsements". The News & Observer. October 20, 2016. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
12. "NC SBE Contest Results". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved December 31, 2025.