The 2012 North Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the 2012 U.S. presidential election, U.S. House elections, statewide judicial elections, Council of State elections and various local elections.
Incumbent Democratic Governor Bev Perdue was eligible to run for re-election to a second term. However, she announced on January 26, 2012, that she would not seek re-election. The Democratic nominee was incumbent Lieutenant Governor Walter H. Dalton, the Republican nominee was former Mayor of Charlotte Pat McCrory and the Libertarian nominee was Barbara Howe.
Pat McCrory won the election with almost 55 percent of the vote to Dalton's 43 percent, the largest margin of victory for a Republican in an open-seat race for governor since Reconstruction. When he became the 74th governor of North Carolina in January 2013, the Republicans won complete control of state government for the first time since Reconstruction.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bruce Blackmon, physician
- Walter H. Dalton, Lieutenant Governor
- Gary M. Dunn, salesman and UNC-Charlotte student
- Bob Etheridge, former U.S. Representative
- Bill Faison, State Representative
- Gardenia Henley, retired U.S. Agency for International Development auditor
Declined
- Dan Blue, State Senator
- Erskine Bowles, Chairman of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, former UNC System president, former White House Chief of Staff
- Roy Cooper, Attorney General of North Carolina
- Janet Cowell, State Treasurer
- Cal Cunningham, former State Senator
- Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte
- Kay Hagan, U.S. Senator
- Jim Hunt, former Governor
- Allen Joines, Mayor of Winston-Salem
- Mike McIntyre, U.S. Representative
- Brad Miller, U.S. Representative
- Richard H. Moore, former North Carolina State Treasurer and candidate for Governor in 2008
- Bev Perdue, incumbent Governor
- Heath Shuler, U.S. Representative
Polling
Debates
A series of televised debates between candidates Dalton, Etheridge and Faison, held April 16â€"18, was considered potentially pivotal, since "the governor’s race has so far attracted little attention, created little buzz and produced few political commercials" and "polls suggest there is still a large swath of Democratic voters who have yet to decide" for whom to vote. The first debate, conducted by WRAL-TV and broadcast statewide, featured few differences between the candidates, but Faison was seen as the aggressor. The second debate (conducted by UNC-TV) was more contentious, with Dalton criticizing Etheridge's support of a free trade agreement while he was in Congress, and Etheridge attacking Dalton over his attendance record on boards and commissions and his alleged failure to speak out against the actions of the majority-Republican legislature. In the final debate of the series, this one conducted by WNCN-TV and the North Carolina League of Women Voters, candidates were considered to be more "muted" in their criticisms of each other. All three spoke out strongly against a voter ID bill proposed by Republicans in the state legislature. Dalton emphasized modernizing the state's economy, Etheridge continued his themes of leadership and education, and Faison most sharply attacked Republicans and called for action on the state's unemployment problem.
Results
Republican primary
Candidates
- Jim Harney, businessman
- Scott Jones, businessman
- Jim Mahan, small businessman and former teacher
- Pat McCrory, former Mayor of Charlotte and nominee for Governor in 2008
- Charles Kenneth Moss, businessman and preacher
- Paul Wright, attorney and former District Court and Superior Court judge
Declined
- Phil Berger, State Senate President Pro Tem
- Cherie Berry, state labor commissioner (running for re-election)
- Peter Brunstetter, state senator
- Paul Coble, former mayor of Raleigh and current Chairman of the Wake County Board of Commissioners (running for Congress)
- Steve Troxler, state Agriculture Commissioner (running for re-election)
Polling
Results
General election
Candidates
- Walter H. Dalton (D), Lieutenant Governor
- Pat McCrory (R), former Mayor of Charlotte and nominee for Governor in 2008
- Barbara Howe (L), nominee for Governor in 2000 and 2004
Polling
Debates
Dalton and McCrory met for their first televised debate at the studios of UNC-TV on Oct. 3, 2012. Two debates were sponsored by the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Educational Foundation, with the third and final debate sponsored by WRAL-TV and the Rocky Mount Chamber of Commerce. Howe was not invited to participate in any of the scheduled debates. The Associated Press characterized Dalton as going "on the offensive" against McCrory in the first debate. The final encounter between the two candidates, held Oct. 24 on the campus of North Carolina Wesleyan College, featured "more subdued disagreements over taxes, education, health care and mental health."
- Complete video of debate, C-SPAN, October 3, 2012
- Complete video of debate, C-SPAN, October 24, 2012
Results
Note: The ±% column reflects the change in total number of votes won by each party from the previous election. Neither the vote shares nor turnout figures account for write-ins. Turnout percentage is the portion of registered voters (6,649,188 as of 11/6/2012) who voted.
See also
- North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
- United States gubernatorial elections, 2012
References
External links
- North Carolina State Board of Elections
- Campaign sites
- Walter Dalton for Governor
- Barbara Howe for Governor
- Pat McCrory for Governor
