1992 United States Senate election in North Carolina
![]() | |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
![]() County results Faircloth:40–50%50–60%60–70%70–80% Sanford:40–50%50–60%60–70%70–80% Tie:40–50% | |||||||||||||||||
|
Elections in North Carolina |
---|
![]() |
The1992 United States Senate election in North Carolinawas held on November 3, 1992 as part of thenationwide elections to the Senate.Incumbent DemocratTerry Sanfordlost re-election for a second term toRepublicanLauch Faircloth,the formerNorth Carolina Secretary of Commerce.
Background[edit]
Eventual victor Lauch Faircloth had formerly been an ally of incumbent Terry Sanford. Although Sanford had helped Faircloth raise money for his failed gubernatorial bid in 1984, he angered Faircloth two years later when he allegedly dismissed Faircloth's chances in a statewide contest if the two ran against each other for the Democratic nomination for the Senate.[1]Faircloth withdrew from the1986race after Sanford "blindsided" him by announcing his candidacy.[2]
Party primaries[edit]
Democratic[edit]
Incumbent Senator Terry Sanford was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
Republican[edit]
In 1990, after 40 years as a Democrat, Faircloth switched his party registration and began preparations to seek the Republican Senate nomination in 1992. Enjoying the support of SenatorJesse Helms's political organization, Faircloth defeated Charlotte mayorSue Myrickand former congressmanWalter E. Johnston, IIIin the primary.
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Lauch Faircloth | 129,159 | 47.74% | |
Republican | Sue Myrick | 81,801 | 30.23% | |
Republican | Eugene Johnston | 46,112 | 17.04% | |
Republican | Larry Harrington | 13,496 | 4.99% | |
Total votes | 270,568 | 100.00% |
General election[edit]
Candidates[edit]
- Bobby Yates Emory (L)
- Lauch Faircloth(R), former State Secretary of Commerce under GovernorJim Hunt
- Terry Sanford(D), incumbent U.S. Senator
Faircloth attacked Sanford as a tax-and-spend liberal, and despite a poor performance in a September televised debate, Faircloth won the seat by a 103,877-vote margin. Sanford may have been weakened by his unpopular vote against authorizing military force in thePersian Gulf War,and he suffered health problems in the summer of 1992.[4]
Results[edit]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Lauch Faircloth | 1,297,892 | 50.35% | |
Democratic | Terry Sanford(incumbent) | 1,194,015 | 46.32% | |
Libertarian | Bobby Yates Emory | 85,948 | 3.33% | |
Total votes | 2,577,855 | 100.00% | ||
RepublicangainfromDemocratic |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Howard E. Covington, Jr. and Marion A. Ellis,Terry Sanford: Politics, Progress, and Outrageous Ambitions.Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1999, 489
- ^Rob Christensen.The Paradox of Tar Heel Politics.pp. 280-281.
- ^ab"North Carolina DataNet #46"(PDF).University of North Carolina.April 2008. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on July 25, 2008.RetrievedJune 12,2009.
- ^"Prospects Looking Up For 7 Southern Senators (Published 1992)".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on April 17, 2023.