Hoke County

About

Last week, North Carolina House Republicans reserved $5.28 million in 10 battleground districts across the state in an effort to maintain their supermajority. While the list looked to be a top-10 of the most competitive districts, one allocation caught our eye: $388k in HD-48, held by Democratic Rep. Garland Pierce. The district has long favored Democrats but by modest margins in recent elections. Comprised of both Hoke and Scotland in their entirety, this week we take a look at the county that makes up 60% of that district’s vote share: Hoke.

After failed attempts in 1907 and 1909, Hoke County was established in 1911 from Cumberland and Robeson Counties. Hoke was planned to be named Glenn County until Senator William McLaughlin proposed Hoke – named after Confederate Major General Robert F. Hoke. After surrendering to Union forces and receiving a pardon in 1865, General Hoke later served as the director of North Carolina Railroad.

Raeford, the county seat, was incorporated in 1901 and named after John McRae and A.A. Williford. McRae and Williford operated a turpentine distillery and general store, respectively, in the area and each chose to take syllables from their surnames to establish Raeford. Raeford’s city seal has four pillars: Agriculture, Churches, Education and Manufacturing.
In the northern part of the county, you will find approximately one-third of Fort Liberty, formerly known as Fort Bragg. As part of the government’s plans to expand then-Fort Bragg, they acquired 92,000 acres of land in Hoke County.

Agriculture is a major economic driver of the area, where Hoke is one of the nation’s leading turkey producers. Hoke celebrates its agricultural history each year with the North Carolina Fall Festival – a week-long event that includes a turkey cooking contest.

Hoke is a fast-growing and safe county for Democrats, who hold a 40% to 22% registration advantage over Republicans, though Democrat registration has fallen 12% over the last decade. Unaffiliated voters have climbed from 26% to 37% in the same time frame.

President Barack Obama comfortably carried the county by a 19% margin in 2012, while President Trump was able to make slight inroads, losing by 11%. The last Republican presidential nominee to carry Hoke County was President Richard Nixon in 1972, winning with 56% of the vote.

Geography

County Seat: Raeford
Biggest Cities:
  • Raeford
  • Rockfish
  • Silver City
  • Ashley Heights
  • Five Points
Media Market: Raleigh-Durham

Elected Officials

County Data