United States · Election results history · 1948 Senate · North Carolina

Election 1948 Results

Each election opens in its own mode: the forecast before the votes are counted, the live count while races are still too close to call, and the results once every race is decided.

1948 US Senate election in North Carolina

J. Melville Broughton (Democrat) beat John A. Wilkinson (Republican) in North Carolina in 1948, 71.0% to 28.8%, a margin of 42.2 points and 322,825 votes.

J. Melville Broughton (Democrat) won in North Carolina in 1948 with 100.0% of the vote and no opponent from the other main party. (This was a special election.)

The Democratic hold continued from 1942, when Josiah W. Bailey won.

Democrats led in 92 of the 100 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 8. The largest, Guilford, cast 34,238 votes and went to the Democrat by 37.6 points. The closest was Henderson, where 34 votes separated the two parties.

United States

Results

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If only voted How this works

If the polls miss like

Or set the national mood Turnout

Early projection, based on early and incomplete polling: the likely matchups, each weighted by the betting markets' odds of both nominations, not a result. Each county is its 2024 presidential margin moved by its state's projected swing; set a national vote and every state, district and county moves by the same amount from our projection. Colours run in 100 steps from a safe Republican to a safe Democratic margin. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

Senate

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
J. Melville Broughton won	Democratic	543,132	71.0%
John A. Wilkinson	Republican	220,307	28.8%
All other candidates		1,120	0.1%
Total		764,559

Special election

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
J. Melville Broughton won	Democratic	534,917	100.0%
Total		534,917

Every county

County	Democrat	Republican	Others	Total	Margin
Guilford	23,349 68.2%	10,472 30.6%	417	34,238	D+37.6
Mecklenburg	24,132 77.1%	7,187 22.9%		31,319	D+54.1
Buncombe	20,955 69.9%	9,017 30.1%		29,972	D+39.8
Forsyth	17,051 72.2%	6,555 27.8%		23,606	D+44.5
Wake	19,826 84.8%	3,561 15.2%		23,387	D+69.5
Catawba	10,946 56.4%	8,473 43.6%		19,419	D+12.7
Gaston	12,970 71.2%	5,258 28.8%		18,228	D+42.3
Davidson	9,473 55.9%	7,459 44.1%		16,932	D+11.9
Durham	13,674 82.3%	2,940 17.7%		16,614	D+64.6
Randolph	7,603 49.1%	7,877 50.9%	6	15,486	R+1.8
Rowan	9,751 64.5%	5,319 35.2%	37	15,107	D+29.3
Alamance	10,868 72.8%	4,031 27.0%	29	14,928	D+45.8
Wilkes	6,453 44.7%	7,958 55.2%	11	14,422	R+10.4
Burke	7,851 56.9%	5,940 43.1%		13,791	D+13.9
Johnston	9,601 75.8%	3,070 24.2%		12,671	D+51.5
Cabarrus	8,451 68.6%	3,838 31.1%	36	12,325	D+37.4
Surry	7,963 66.1%	4,086 33.9%		12,049	D+32.2
Rockingham	9,698 80.9%	2,262 18.9%	21	11,981	D+62.1
Rutherford	7,364 63.7%	4,205 36.3%		11,569	D+27.3
Stanly	5,835 51.2%	5,560 48.8%		11,395	D+2.4
Iredell	7,380 64.8%	3,990 35.0%	15	11,385	D+29.8
Caldwell	6,252 57.9%	4,553 42.1%		10,805	D+15.7
Haywood	7,987 76.0%	2,521 24.0%	7	10,515	D+52.0
New Hanover	8,667 83.3%	1,732 16.7%		10,399	D+66.7
Sampson	5,392 51.9%	4,910 47.3%	81	10,383	D+4.6
Henderson	4,595 49.7%	4,629 50.1%	14	9,238	R+0.4
Pitt	8,650 93.6%	501 5.4%	87	9,238	D+88.2
Ashe	4,996 54.6%	4,143 45.3%	9	9,148	D+9.3
Cleveland	7,343 82.4%	1,569 17.6%		8,912	D+64.8
Harnett	6,857 78.3%	1,891 21.6%	12	8,760	D+56.7
Robeson	7,923 91.2%	672 7.7%	92	8,687	D+83.5
Cumberland	7,155 84.0%	1,360 16.0%		8,515	D+68.1
Nash	7,826 94.9%	417 5.1%		8,243	D+89.9
Lincoln	4,534 55.9%	3,569 44.0%	4	8,107	D+11.9
Wayne	6,726 84.1%	1,270 15.9%		7,996	D+68.2
Stokes	4,603 58.8%	3,225 41.2%		7,828	D+17.6
Watauga	3,729 50.5%	3,650 49.5%		7,379	D+1.1
Columbus	6,266 87.4%	902 12.6%		7,168	D+74.8
Edgecombe	6,671 96.0%	281 4.0%		6,952	D+91.9
Duplin	5,989 86.6%	914 13.2%	10	6,913	D+73.4
McDowell	4,482 65.0%	2,411 35.0%		6,893	D+30.0
Halifax	6,490 94.8%	349 5.1%	9	6,848	D+89.7
Jackson	4,324 64.0%	2,432 36.0%		6,756	D+28.0
Wilson	6,185 93.5%	406 6.1%	23	6,614	D+87.4
Moore	4,251 64.7%	2,311 35.2%	11	6,573	D+29.5
Transylvania	3,459 56.0%	2,720 44.0%		6,179	D+12.0
Yancey	3,705 62.7%	2,194 37.2%	6	5,905	D+25.6
Craven	5,349 90.7%	529 9.0%	20	5,898	D+81.7
Yadkin	2,283 39.2%	3,544 60.8%		5,827	R+21.6
Madison	2,582 44.9%	3,165 55.0%	7	5,754	R+10.1
Richmond	5,132 89.3%	618 10.7%		5,750	D+78.5
Lenoir	5,413 95.3%	264 4.7%		5,677	D+90.7
Beaufort	4,244 74.8%	1,422 25.1%	5	5,671	D+49.8
Chatham	3,726 66.8%	1,843 33.1%	6	5,575	D+33.8
Orange	4,286 77.7%	1,232 22.3%		5,518	D+55.3
Cherokee	3,047 55.2%	2,468 44.8%		5,515	D+10.5
Macon	3,018 57.8%	2,203 42.2%		5,221	D+15.6
Carteret	3,711 75.0%	1,229 24.8%	8	4,948	D+50.2
Davie	2,257 46.6%	2,579 53.3%	6	4,842	R+6.7
Union	4,245 88.6%	537 11.2%	9	4,791	D+77.4
Alexander	2,537 53.0%	2,249 47.0%		4,786	D+6.0
Martin	4,608 97.7%	105 2.2%	4	4,717	D+95.5
Franklin	4,509 96.7%	153 3.3%		4,662	D+93.4
Brunswick	2,677 58.8%	1,878 41.2%		4,555	D+17.5
Montgomery	2,600 57.5%	1,921 42.5%		4,521	D+15.0
Vance	4,059 93.3%	257 5.9%	34	4,350	D+87.4
Lee	3,461 83.7%	672 16.3%	2	4,135	D+67.4
Granville	3,769 94.9%	193 4.9%	11	3,973	D+90.0
Polk	2,443 61.6%	1,521 38.4%	2	3,966	D+23.2
Mitchell	1,030 27.0%	2,778 73.0%		3,808	R+45.9
Northampton	3,580 95.3%	176 4.7%		3,756	D+90.6
Bladen	3,310 89.6%	378 10.2%	8	3,696	D+79.3
Avery	923 25.4%	2,709 74.6%		3,632	R+49.2
Anson	3,220 91.7%	290 8.3%		3,510	D+83.5
Onslow	3,259 92.9%	244 7.0%	5	3,508	D+85.9
Person	3,132 90.4%	324 9.4%	7	3,463	D+81.1
Swain	2,068 61.8%	1,276 38.1%	2	3,346	D+23.7
Alleghany	1,895 60.9%	1,219 39.1%		3,114	D+21.7
Bertie	2,930 98.3%	46 1.5%	4	2,980	D+96.8
Pasquotank	2,344 87.3%	342 12.7%		2,686	D+74.5
Graham	1,543 58.5%	1,096 41.5%		2,639	D+16.9
Warren	2,518 95.6%	108 4.1%	7	2,633	D+91.5
Scotland	2,427 92.6%	174 6.6%	21	2,622	D+85.9
Clay	1,376 53.7%	1,188 46.3%		2,564	D+7.3
Greene	2,442 97.5%	59 2.4%	4	2,505	D+95.1
Hertford	2,124 95.1%	105 4.7%	5	2,234	D+90.4
Caswell	1,952 88.3%	258 11.7%		2,210	D+76.7
Pamlico	1,432 68.2%	667 31.8%		2,099	D+36.4
Washington	1,731 87.2%	251 12.6%	4	1,986	D+74.5
Pender	1,669 86.7%	255 13.3%		1,924	D+73.5
Hoke	1,490 93.0%	113 7.0%		1,603	D+85.9
Jones	1,260 95.6%	58 4.4%		1,318	D+91.2
Currituck	1,225 95.9%	53 4.1%		1,278	D+91.7
Chowan	1,140 94.7%	64 5.3%		1,204	D+89.4
Dare	928 82.2%	201 17.8%		1,129	D+64.4
Tyrrell	749 72.2%	288 27.8%		1,037	D+44.5
Gates	936 95.7%	42 4.3%		978	D+91.4
Hyde	739 76.2%	231 23.8%		970	D+52.4
Perquimans	890 92.2%	73 7.6%	2	965	D+84.7
Camden	663 90.6%	69 9.4%		732	D+81.1

Counties as they stood in 1948; some have since been split, merged or renamed. Margin: the Democrat's share of all votes minus the Republican's. Sources and how the results were checked.

North Carolina Senate elections we hold

Year	Winner	Margin
2022	Ted Budd (R)	R+3.2
2020	Thom Tillis (R)	R+1.7
2016	Richard Burr (R)	R+5.7
2014	Thom Tillis (R)	R+1.6
2010	Richard Burr (R)	R+11.8
2008	Kay Hagan (D)	D+8.5
2004	Richard Burr (R)	R+4.6
2002	Elizabeth H. Dole (R)	R+8.6
1998	John Edwards (D)	D+4.1
1996	Jesse Helms (R)	R+6.7
1992	Lauch Faircloth (R)	R+4.0
1990	Jesse Helms (R)	R+5.1
1986	Terry Sanford (D)	D+3.5
1984	Jesse Helms (R)	R+3.9
1980	John P. East (R)	R+0.6
1978	Jesse Helms (R)	R+9.0
1974	Robert B. Morgan (D)	D+24.0
1972	Jesse Helms (R)	R+8.0
1968	Sam J. Ervin (D)	D+21.1
1966	B. Everett Jordan (D)	D+11.2
1962	Sam J. Ervin (D)	D+20.9
1960	B. Everett Jordan (D)	D+22.9
1956	Sam J. Ervin (D)	D+33.1
1954	W. Kerr Scott (D)	D+31.8
1950	Clyde R. Hoey (D)	D+37.3
1948	J. Melville Broughton (D)	D+42.2
1944	Clyde R. Hoey (D)	D+40.5
1942	Josiah W. Bailey (D)	D+31.8
1938	Robert R. Reynolds (D)	D+27.6
1936	Josiah W. Bailey (D)	D+41.5
1932	Robert R. Reynolds (D)	D+37.2
1930	Josiah W. Bailey (D)	D+21.2
1926	Lee S. Overman (D)	D+21.0
1924	Furnifold Simmons (D)	D+23.1
1920	Lee S. Overman (D)	D+15.0
1918	Furnifold Simmons (D)	D+21.0
1914	Lee S. Overman (D)	D+16.4