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 County results Helms: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Galifianakis: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1972 was held on 7 November 1972 as part of the nationwide elections to the Senate, and coinciding with the 1972 presidential election. The general election was fought between the Republican nominee Jesse Helms and the Democratic nominee Rep. Nick Galifianakis. Helms won the election, becoming the first Republican to win a Senate seat in North Carolina since 1897, and the first to hold this seat since 1871.
Three-term Representative Nick Galifianakis defeated two-term incumbent Senator B. Everett Jordan in the second ballot in the Democratic primary. Galifianakis was seen as an anti-establishment liberal in North Carolina,[1][2] although an opponent of busing. This was the first time ever that a Republican won a full term to this Senate seat in North Carolina.
Democratic primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
- J. R. Brown
- Nick Galifianakis, U.S. Representative from Durham
- Eugene Grace
- B. Everett Jordan, incumbent Senator since 1958
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nick Galifianakis | 377,993 | 49.25% | |
| Democratic | B. Everett Jordan (incumbent) | 340,391 | 44.35% | |
| Democratic | J. R. Brown | 27,009 | 3.52% | |
| Democratic | Eugene Grace | 22,156 | 2.89% | |
| Total votes | 767,549 | 100.00% | ||
Runoff[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Nick Galifianakis | 338,558 | 55.82% |  6.57
| |
| Democratic | B. Everett Jordan (incumbent) | 267,997 | 44.18% |  0.17
| |
| Total votes | 606,555 | 100.00% | |||
Republican primary[edit]
Candidates[edit]
- William Booe, former member of the Charlotte School Board
- Jesse Helms, WRAL-TV executive and commentator and former Democratic member of the Raleigh City Council
- James Johnson, State Representative from Greensboro
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jesse Helms | 92,496 | 60.13% | |
| Republican | James Johnson | 45,303 | 29.45% | |
| Republican | William Booe | 16,032 | 10.42% | |
| Total votes | 153,831 | 100.00% | ||
General election[edit]
Results[edit]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Jesse Helms | 795,247 | 54.01% | 9.61
| |
| Democratic | Nick Galifianakis | 677,293 | 45.99% | 9.60
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| Total votes | 1,472,540 | 100.00% | |||
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ Hunter, Marjorie (June 5, 1972). "Defeat of Jordan by Rep. Galifianakis In Carolina is Linked to 'New Politics'". The New York Times. p. 26.
- ^ Hunter, Marjorie (October 28, 1972). "Major Races in North Carolina Seem Close". The New York Times. p. 14.
- ^ a b c d "North Carolina DataNet #46" (PDF). University of North Carolina. April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
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