North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
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← 2020
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| Governor of North Carolina |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary Libertarian primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: December 15, 2023 |
| Primary: March 5, 2024 Primary runoff: May 14, 2024 General: November 5, 2024 Pre-election incumbent(s): Roy Cooper (D) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in North Carolina |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic Inside Elections: Likely Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2024 Impact of term limits in 2024 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024 |
| North Carolina executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant Governor |
A Democratic Party primary took place on March 5, 2024, in North Carolina to determine which candidate would earn the right to run as the party's nominee in the state's gubernatorial election on November 5, 2024.
Josh Stein advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina.
This was one of 11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2024. The governor serves as a state's top executive official and is the only executive office elected in all 50 states. At the time of the 2024 elections, there were 27 Republican governors and 23 Democratic governors. Click here for an overview of all 11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2024.
Heading into the 2024 elections, there were 23 Republican trifectas, 17 Democratic trifectas, and 10 divided governments where neither party held trifecta control. There were 25 Republican triplexes, 20 Democratic triplexes, and five divided governments where neither party held triplex control.
A state government trifecta refers to a situation where one party controls a state's governorship and majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. A state government triplex refers to a situation where the governor, attorney general, and secretary of state are all members of the same political party.
This page focuses on North Carolina's Democratic Party gubernatorial primary. For more in-depth information on North Carolina's Republican and Libertarian gubernatorial primaries and the general election, see the following pages:
- North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
- North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2024 (March 5 Libertarian primary)
- North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2024
Candidates and election results
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina
Josh Stein defeated Michael R. Morgan, Chrelle Booker, Marcus Williams, and Gary Foxx in the Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Josh Stein  | 69.6 | 479,026 |
 | Michael R. Morgan | 14.3 | 98,627 | |
 | Chrelle Booker | 6.7 | 46,045 | |
 | Marcus Williams | 5.7 | 39,257 | |
 | Gary Foxx | 3.7 | 25,283 | |
| Total votes: 688,238 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Submitted Biography: "I learned early on that some things are worth fighting for, no matter the opposition. Julius Chambers, James Ferguson, and my father Adam started North Carolina’s first integrated law firm in Charlotte in the mid-1960s, and they won important victories in our nation’s legal battle for equality. My parents grounded me in values of freedom, justice, and opportunity for everyone, and my faith teaches me that we are called to make a difference. As Attorney General, I have worked to: -Protect vulnerable North Carolinians from fraudsters and scammers. -Tackle the largest backlog of untested rape kits in the country, bringing justice to victims. - Lead the national effort by state Attorneys General to hold accountable the big drug companies that created and fueled the opioid crisis, securing more than $55 billion in settlement funds – $1.5 billion of which will fund much-needed treatment and recovery services for North Carolinians. -Hold e-cigarette manufacturer Juul accountable for sparking a teen vaping epidemic – setting a standard the rest of the nation followed. -Defend women’s reproductive freedoms and people’s right to vote and to vote in fair districts. As the next Governor of North Carolina, I will bring people together to tackle the issues that impact North Carolinians, including lowering the cost of living, creating good-paying jobs, protecting our public schools, keeping communities safe, and making sure everyone has access to quality, affordable health care."
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of North Carolina in 2024.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in North Carolina
Election analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about demographics, past elections, and partisan control of the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the state.
- Statewide elections - Information about recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections in the state.
- State partisanship - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
Cook PVI by congressional district
| Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index for North Carolina, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| District | Incumbent | Party | PVI |
| North Carolina's 1st | Donald Davis |  Democratic |
R+1 |
| North Carolina's 2nd | Deborah Ross | Democratic |
D+15 |
| North Carolina's 3rd | Gregory Murphy |  Republican |
R+11 |
| North Carolina's 4th | Valerie Foushee | Democratic |
D+21 |
| North Carolina's 5th | Virginia Foxx | Republican |
R+10 |
| North Carolina's 6th | Kathy Manning | Democratic |
R+11 |
| North Carolina's 7th | David Rouzer | Republican |
R+8 |
| North Carolina's 8th | Dan Bishop | Republican |
R+11 |
| North Carolina's 9th | Richard Hudson | Republican |
R+9 |
| North Carolina's 10th | Patrick McHenry | Republican |
R+10 |
| North Carolina's 11th | Chuck Edwards | Republican |
R+8 |
| North Carolina's 12th | Alma Adams | Democratic |
D+23 |
| North Carolina's 13th | Wiley Nickel | Democratic |
R+11 |
| North Carolina's 14th | Jeff Jackson | Democratic |
R+11 |
2020 presidential results by 2024 congressional district lines
| 2020 presidential results in congressional districts based on 2024 district lines, North Carolina[1] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
| ||
| North Carolina's 1st | 50.4% | 48.8% | ||
| North Carolina's 2nd | 66.9% | 31.5% | ||
| North Carolina's 3rd | 40.7% | 58.0% | ||
| North Carolina's 4th | 72.4% | 26.2% | ||
| North Carolina's 5th | 41.8% | 57.2% | ||
| North Carolina's 6th | 41.2% | 57.5% | ||
| North Carolina's 7th | 43.9% | 54.9% | ||
| North Carolina's 8th | 40.6% | 58.3% | ||
| North Carolina's 9th | 42.4% | 56.3% | ||
| North Carolina's 10th | 41.4% | 57.4% | ||
| North Carolina's 11th | 43.8% | 54.8% | ||
| North Carolina's 12th | 74.4% | 24.2% | ||
| North Carolina's 13th | 40.7% | 57.9% | ||
| North Carolina's 14th | 41.4% | 57.5% | ||
2012-2020
How a state's counties vote in a presidential election and the size of those counties can provide additional insights into election outcomes at other levels of government including statewide and congressional races. Below, four categories are used to describe each county's voting pattern over the 2012, 2016, and 2020 presidential elections: Solid, Trending, Battleground, and New. Click [show] on the table below for examples:
| County-level voting pattern categories | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Democratic | D | D | D | ||||
| Trending Democratic | R | D | D | ||||
| Battleground Democratic | D | R | D | ||||
| New Democratic | R | R | D | ||||
| Republican | |||||||
| Status | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | ||||
| Solid Republican | R | R | R | ||||
| Trending Republican | D | R | R | ||||
| Battleground Republican | R | D | R | ||||
| New Republican | D | D | R | ||||
Following the 2020 presidential election, 47.1% of North Carolinians lived in one of the state's 22 Solid Democratic counties, which voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 2012 to 2020, and 46.3% lived in one of 68 Solid Republican counties. Overall, North Carolina was Solid Republican, having voted for Mitt Romney (R) in 2012, Donald Trump (R) in 2016, and Donald Trump (R) in 2020. Use the table below to view the total number of each type of county in North Carolina following the 2020 election as well as the overall percentage of the state population located in each county type.
| North Carolina county-level statistics, 2020 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Democratic | 22 | 47.1% | |||||
| Solid Republican | 68 | 46.3% | |||||
| Trending Republican | 6 | 2.7% | |||||
| New Democratic | 1 | 2.2% | |||||
| Battleground Democratic | 1 | 0.9% | |||||
| Trending Democratic | 1 | 0.5% | |||||
| New Republican | 1 | 0.3% | |||||
| Total voted Democratic | 25 | 50.7% | |||||
| Total voted Republican | 75 | 49.3% | |||||
Historical voting trends
North Carolina presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 18 Democratic wins
- 13 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R |
This section details the results of the five most recent U.S. Senate and gubernatorial elections held in the state.
U.S. Senate elections
The table below details the vote in the five most recent U.S. Senate races in North Carolina.
| U.S. Senate election results in North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2022 | 50.5% |
47.3%
|
| 2020 | 48.7% |
46.9%
|
| 2016 | 51.1% |
45.3%
|
| 2014 | 48.8% |
47.3%
|
| 2010 | 55.0% |
42.9%
|
| Average | 51.3 | 45.3 |
Gubernatorial elections
- See also: Governor of North Carolina
The table below details the vote in the five most recent gubernatorial elections in North Carolina.
| Gubernatorial election results in North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Race | Winner | Runner up |
| 2020 | 51.5% |
47.0%
|
| 2016 | 49.0% |
48.8%
|
| 2012 | 54.6% |
43.2%
|
| 2008 | 50.3% |
46.9%
|
| 2004 | 55.6% |
42.9%
|
| Average | 52.2 | 45.8 |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of North Carolina's congressional delegation as of May 2024.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Carolina | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Republican | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 14 | 16 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in North Carolina's top four state executive offices as of May 2024.
| State executive officials in North Carolina, May 2024 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | Roy Cooper
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Mark Robinson
|
| Secretary of State | Elaine Marshall
|
| Attorney General | Josh Stein
|
State legislature
North Carolina State Senate
| Party | As of February 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 30 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
North Carolina House of Representatives
| Party | As of February 2024 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 48 | |
| Republican Party | 72 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 120 | |
Trifecta control
The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.
North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2024
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
The table below details demographic data in North Carolina and compares it to the broader United States as of 2022.
| Demographic Data for North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | United States | |
| Population | 10,439,388 | 331,449,281 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 48,623 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 65% | 65.9% |
| Black/African American | 20.9% | 12.5% |
| Asian | 3.1% | 5.8% |
| Native American | 1% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 4% | 6% |
| Multiple | 5.9% | 8.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 10% | 18.7% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 89.4% | 89.1% |
| College graduation rate | 33.9% | 34.3% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $66,186 | $75,149 |
| Persons below poverty level | 9.5% | 8.8% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2020). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2017-2022). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for North Carolina | ||
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 10,035,186 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 48,618 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69.5% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 21.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2.5% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 1.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.4% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 85.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 28.4% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $46,868 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 20.5% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Carolina. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
North Carolina voted Republican in six out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, six are located in North Carolina, accounting for 2.91 percent of the total pivot counties.[2]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Carolina had six Retained Pivot Counties, 3.31 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More North Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in North Carolina
- United States congressional delegations from North Carolina
- Public policy in North Carolina
- Endorsers in North Carolina
- North Carolina fact checks
- More...
See also
| North Carolina | State Executive Elections | News and Analysis |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' presidential results by congressional district for 2020, 2016, and 2012," accessed December 15, 2023
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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