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]
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 CountyDemocratic 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 1995.[8][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 racerRichard Petty. She won the election by a margin of 53% to 45%,[9] becoming the first woman elected to a statewide executive office in North Carolina history.[10][7] Marshall has won re-election six times and in 2008 received the second highest vote total of any candidate in the state.[11][12] 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".[13]
In 2009, Marshall decided to enter the 2010 Senate race against incumbent Republican Richard Burr.[15] She faced Cal Cunningham, Ken Lewis, and other lesser-known candidates in the May 2010 primary, and won the endorsement of The Charlotte Observer.[16] 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.[17]
On June 22, 2010, Marshall defeated Cunningham (with approximately 60 percent of the vote) to secure the Democratic nomination.[18] For the general election, she was again endorsed by The Charlotte Observer, the state's largest newspaper.[19] 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
North Carolina Secretary of State Election, 2016[20]
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.[21]
Marshall married attorney Bill Holdford in 2001. Holdford had two daughters from a previous relationship. He died in 2009 from cancer.[22][23] Marshall married J. Thomas "Tommy" Bunn in 2017.[24]
^Maisel, Louis Sandy; West, Darrell M. (2004). Running on Empty?: Political Discourse in Congressional Elections. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 216. ISBN9780742530768.
1 ▌New Progressive (1 territory) Italics indicate no secretary of state in this state, closest equivalent listed An asterisk (*) indicates that the officeholder is serving in an acting capacity.