1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina

1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina
	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

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

J. R. Brown
Nick Galifianakis, U.S. Representative from Durham
Eugene Grace
B. Everett Jordan, incumbent Senator since 1958

22% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.^[3]

Results

1972 Democratic Senate primary^[4]
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^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Nick Galifianakis	338,558	55.82%	6.57
	Democratic	B. Everett Jordan (incumbent)	267,997	44.18%	0.17
Total votes			606,555	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

William Booe, former member of the Charlotte School Board
Jesse Helms, WRAL-TV executive and commentator and former Democratic member of the Raleigh City Council
James Johnson, State Representative from Greensboro

4.4% of the voting age population participated in the Republican primary.^[3]

Results

1972 Republican Senate primary^[4]
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^[4]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Jesse Helms	795,247	54.01%	9.61
	Democratic	Nick Galifianakis	677,293	45.99%	9.60
Total votes			1,472,540	100.00%

References

^ Hunter, Marjorie (June 5, 1972). "Defeat of Jordan by Rep. Galifianakis In Carolina is Linked to 'New Politics'". The New York Times. p. 26.
^ Hunter, Marjorie (October 28, 1972). "Major Races in North Carolina Seem Close". The New York Times. p. 14.
^ ^a ^b Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 28.
^ ^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.

Works cited

Steed, Robert; Moreland, Laurence; Baker, Tod, eds. (1980). Party Politics in the South. Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0030565863.

[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.

[Major_races_in_NC_seem_close-2] Hunter, Marjorie (October 28, 1972). "Major Races in North Carolina Seem Close". The New York Times. p. 14.

[FOOTNOTESteedMorelandBaker198028-3] Steed, Moreland & Baker 1980, p. 28.

[SouthNow_46-4] "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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