United States · Election results history · 1986 Senate · North Carolina

Election 1986 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.

1986 US Senate election in North Carolina

Terry Sanford (Democrat) beat James Broyhill (Republican) in North Carolina in 1986, 51.8% to 48.2%, a margin of 3.5 points and 55,994 votes.

Terry Sanford (Democrat) beat Jim Broyhill (Republican) in North Carolina in 1986, 50.9% to 49.1%, a margin of 1.8 points and 27,086 votes. (This was a special election.)

North Carolina changed party: in 1980 it went Republican, for John P. East.

Democrats led in 69 of the 100 counties as they stood then and Republicans in 31. The largest, Mecklenburg, cast 113,711 votes and went to the Republican by 1.5 points. The closest was Dare, where 7 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
Terry Sanford won	Democratic	823,662	51.8%
James Broyhill	Republican	767,668	48.2%
Total		1,591,330

Special election

Candidate	Party	Votes	Share
Terry Sanford won	Democratic	780,967	50.9%
Jim Broyhill	Republican	753,881	49.1%
All other candidates		27	0.0%
Total		1,534,875

Every county

County	Democrat	Republican	Total	Margin
Mecklenburg	56,014 49.3%	57,697 50.7%	113,711	R+1.5
Wake	51,859 53.9%	44,270 46.1%	96,129	D+7.9
Guilford	44,425 53.5%	38,636 46.5%	83,061	D+7.0
Forsyth	34,540 50.3%	34,137 49.7%	68,677	D+0.6
Buncombe	24,971 50.8%	24,165 49.2%	49,136	D+1.6
Durham	26,494 62.8%	15,697 37.2%	42,191	D+25.6
Gaston	12,580 32.6%	26,065 67.4%	38,645	R+34.9
Cumberland	22,101 61.7%	13,694 38.3%	35,795	D+23.5
Catawba	10,669 31.6%	23,088 68.4%	33,757	R+36.8
Davidson	14,818 44.8%	18,272 55.2%	33,090	R+10.4
Alamance	13,254 46.5%	15,224 53.5%	28,478	R+6.9
New Hanover	14,536 53.6%	12,585 46.4%	27,121	D+7.2
Rowan	11,247 43.2%	14,787 56.8%	26,034	R+13.6
Orange	17,790 68.9%	8,043 31.1%	25,833	D+37.7
Iredell	10,566 41.8%	14,718 58.2%	25,284	R+16.4
Randolph	8,846 37.3%	14,893 62.7%	23,739	R+25.5
Pitt	13,396 59.6%	9,076 40.4%	22,472	D+19.2
Cabarrus	9,287 41.9%	12,857 58.1%	22,144	R+16.1
Burke	8,471 38.8%	13,381 61.2%	21,852	R+22.5
Henderson	8,357 42.1%	11,503 57.9%	19,860	R+15.8
Wilkes	7,560 38.1%	12,295 61.9%	19,855	R+23.8
Caldwell	5,988 30.7%	13,501 69.3%	19,489	R+38.5
Cleveland	7,824 40.3%	11,594 59.7%	19,418	R+19.4
Johnston	9,588 50.1%	9,532 49.9%	19,120	D+0.3
Wayne	9,656 51.2%	9,191 48.8%	18,847	D+2.5
Robeson	13,711 73.3%	5,001 26.7%	18,712	D+46.5
Rockingham	10,531 56.5%	8,112 43.5%	18,643	D+13.0
Moore	7,697 42.8%	10,278 57.2%	17,975	R+14.4
Union	8,589 50.5%	8,430 49.5%	17,019	D+0.9
Nash	8,761 52.2%	8,036 47.8%	16,797	D+4.3
Surry	8,071 50.4%	7,928 49.6%	15,999	D+0.9
Rutherford	8,160 51.3%	7,759 48.7%	15,919	D+2.5
Lincoln	6,849 43.5%	8,900 56.5%	15,749	R+13.0
Sampson	8,733 55.5%	7,002 44.5%	15,735	D+11.0
Stanly	6,577 44.0%	8,371 56.0%	14,948	R+12.0
Haywood	8,773 59.6%	5,958 40.4%	14,731	D+19.1
Brunswick	7,973 55.9%	6,301 44.1%	14,274	D+11.7
Carteret	7,399 52.4%	6,728 47.6%	14,127	D+4.7
Onslow	7,540 54.3%	6,354 45.7%	13,894	D+8.5
Columbus	10,064 74.1%	3,514 25.9%	13,578	D+48.2
Craven	7,489 55.6%	5,982 44.4%	13,471	D+11.2
Halifax	8,574 64.4%	4,734 35.6%	13,308	D+28.9
Wilson	7,472 56.5%	5,745 43.5%	13,217	D+13.1
Lenoir	7,235 55.5%	5,810 44.5%	13,045	D+10.9
Edgecombe	8,734 68.3%	4,051 31.7%	12,785	D+36.6
Harnett	7,256 57.2%	5,425 42.8%	12,681	D+14.4
Stokes	6,028 48.9%	6,309 51.1%	12,337	R+2.3
Watauga	5,059 42.5%	6,847 57.5%	11,906	R+15.0
Chatham	6,895 60.9%	4,426 39.1%	11,321	D+21.8
Alexander	4,183 37.4%	6,996 62.6%	11,179	R+25.2
Beaufort	5,850 52.4%	5,322 47.6%	11,172	D+4.7
Richmond	6,947 66.3%	3,525 33.7%	10,472	D+32.7
Franklin	6,199 62.2%	3,772 37.8%	9,971	D+24.3
McDowell	4,860 49.2%	5,010 50.8%	9,870	R+1.5
Yadkin	3,703 38.8%	5,850 61.2%	9,553	R+22.5
Ashe	4,418 47.4%	4,900 52.6%	9,318	R+5.2
Vance	5,568 61.0%	3,562 39.0%	9,130	D+22.0
Macon	4,220 48.1%	4,549 51.9%	8,769	R+3.8
Transylvania	4,174 47.6%	4,591 52.4%	8,765	R+4.8
Jackson	4,976 57.7%	3,645 42.3%	8,621	D+15.4
Duplin	5,731 66.7%	2,864 33.3%	8,595	D+33.4
Granville	5,579 66.4%	2,821 33.6%	8,400	D+32.8
Davie	3,168 38.0%	5,176 62.0%	8,344	R+24.1
Lee	4,413 53.5%	3,833 46.5%	8,246	D+7.0
Yancey	4,160 55.8%	3,290 44.2%	7,450	D+11.7
Hertford	5,155 74.5%	1,762 25.5%	6,917	D+49.1
Pender	4,207 61.0%	2,692 39.0%	6,899	D+22.0
Cherokee	3,048 44.8%	3,757 55.2%	6,805	R+10.4
Madison	3,595 52.9%	3,207 47.1%	6,802	D+5.7
Northampton	5,019 76.4%	1,551 23.6%	6,570	D+52.8
Montgomery	3,602 57.6%	2,652 42.4%	6,254	D+15.2
Bladen	4,323 69.7%	1,877 30.3%	6,200	D+39.5
Caswell	4,221 69.3%	1,867 30.7%	6,088	D+38.7
Dare	2,795 50.1%	2,788 49.9%	5,583	D+0.1
Anson	3,976 72.3%	1,526 27.7%	5,502	D+44.5
Person	3,181 58.7%	2,236 41.3%	5,417	D+17.4
Martin	3,874 71.9%	1,517 28.1%	5,391	D+43.7
Polk	2,724 51.1%	2,605 48.9%	5,329	D+2.2
Pasquotank	3,404 65.2%	1,813 34.8%	5,217	D+30.5
Avery	1,348 27.4%	3,567 72.6%	4,915	R+45.1
Scotland	3,384 70.1%	1,445 29.9%	4,829	D+40.2
Warren	3,572 74.1%	1,247 25.9%	4,819	D+48.2
Mitchell	1,445 30.5%	3,291 69.5%	4,736	R+39.0
Bertie	3,364 76.6%	1,026 23.4%	4,390	D+53.3
Alleghany	2,273 53.1%	2,009 46.9%	4,282	D+6.2
Hoke	3,013 74.1%	1,055 25.9%	4,068	D+48.1
Clay	1,797 44.7%	2,219 55.3%	4,016	R+10.5
Swain	2,044 50.9%	1,971 49.1%	4,015	D+1.8
Greene	2,805 72.8%	1,048 27.2%	3,853	D+45.6
Graham	1,777 46.4%	2,055 53.6%	3,832	R+7.3
Pamlico	2,140 60.8%	1,381 39.2%	3,521	D+21.6
Washington	2,399 70.1%	1,021 29.9%	3,420	D+40.3
Chowan	2,191 66.5%	1,102 33.5%	3,293	D+33.1
Gates	2,179 75.2%	720 24.8%	2,899	D+50.3
Jones	1,830 66.6%	917 33.4%	2,747	D+33.2
Currituck	1,665 63.1%	973 36.9%	2,638	D+26.2
Perquimans	1,336 63.9%	754 36.1%	2,090	D+27.8
Hyde	1,256 65.9%	651 34.1%	1,907	D+31.7
Camden	882 68.8%	400 31.2%	1,282	D+37.6
Tyrrell	682 65.6%	358 34.4%	1,040	D+31.2

Counties as they stood in 1986; 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