1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina
← 1966 November 7, 1972 1978 →
 
Nominee Jesse Helms Nick Galifianakis
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 795,247 677,293
Percentage 54.01% 45.99%
County results
Helms:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Galifianakis:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
U.S. senator before election

B. Everett Jordan
Democratic

Elected U.S. Senator

Jesse Helms
Republican

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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

Candidates

Results

1972 Democratic Senate primary[3]
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

1972 Democratic Senate runoff[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Nick Galifianakis 338,558 55.82% Increase6.57
Democratic B. Everett Jordan (incumbent) 267,997 44.18% Decrease0.17
Total votes 606,555 100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Results

1972 Republican Senate primary[3]
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

Results

1972 U.S. Senate election in North Carolina[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jesse Helms 795,247 54.01% Increase9.61
Democratic Nick Galifianakis 677,293 45.99% Decrease9.60
Total votes 1,472,540 100.00%

Footnotes

  1. ^ Hunter, Marjorie (June 5, 1972). "Defeat of Jordan by Rep. Galifianakis In Carolina is Linked to 'New Politics'". The New York Times. p. 26.
  2. ^ Hunter, Marjorie (October 28, 1972). "Major Races in North Carolina Seem Close". The New York Times. p. 14.
  3. ^ 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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