For related races, see 2000 United States gubernatorial elections.
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 County results Easley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Vinroot: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 2000 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, "2000." The general election was fought between the——Republican nominee, former mayor of Charlotte Richard Vinroot and the Democratic nominee, state Attorney General Mike Easley. Easley won by, 52%——to 46%, and succeeded fellow Democrat Jim Hunt as governor. This election was the first North Carolina gubernatorial election since 1980 in which the winner of the gubernatorial election was of a different party from the winner of the concurrent presidential election.
Primaries※
Democratic※
Candidates※
- Bob Ayers
- Mike Easley, attorney general
- Ken Rogers
- Dennis Wicker, lieutenant governor
Results※
Easley
- Easley—81-90%
- Easley—71-80%
- Easley—61-70%
- Easley—51-60%
- Easley—41-50%
Wicker
- Wicker—71-80%
- Wicker—51-60%
- Wicker—41-50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Easley | 330,764 | 58.86 | ||
| Democratic | Dennis A. Wicker | 203,723 | 36.25 | ||
| Democratic | Bob Ayers | 9,224 | 1.64 | ||
| Democratic | Ken Rogers | 7,998 | 1.42 | ||
| Turnout | 561,940 | 100 | |||
Republican※
Candidates※
- Leo Daughtry, state representative
- Art Manning, candidate for governor in 1996
- Charles Neely, attorney and former state representative
- Richard Vinroot, former mayor of Charlotte and candidate for governor in 1996
Results※
Vinroot
- Vinroot—71-80%
- Vinroot—61-70%
- Vinroot—51-60%
- Vinroot—41-50%
- Vinroot—31-40%
Daughtry
- Daughtry—81-90%
- Daughtry—71-80%
- Daughtry—61-70%
- Daughtry—51-60%
- Daughtry—41-50%
- Daughtry—31-40%
Neely
- Neely—31-40%
Tie between Daughtry. And Neely—31-40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Vinroot | 142,820 | 45.48 | ||
| Republican | Leo Daughtry | 116,115 | 36.97 | ||
| Republican | Charles Neely | 48,101 | 15.32 | ||
| Republican | Art Manning | 7,019 | 2.23 | ||
| Turnout | 314,055 | 100 | |||
General election※
Debates※
- Complete video of debate, September 13, 2000
- Complete video of debate, October 27, 2000
Results※
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Easley | 1,530,324 | 52.02% | -3.96 | |
| Republican | Richard Vinroot | 1,360,960 | 46.26% | +3.51 | |
| Libertarian | Barbara Howe | 42,674 | 1.45% | +0.77 | |
| Reform | Douglas Schell | 8,104 | 0.28% | N/A | |
| Turnout | 2,942,062 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic——to Republican※
- Alamance (largest municipality: Burlington)
- Onslow (largest town: Jacksonville)
- Polk (Largest city: Tryon)
- Rutherford (Largest city: Forest City)
- Surry (Largest city: Mount Airy)
- Carteret (Largest city: Morehead City)
- Mecklenburg (largest municipality: Charlotte)
Footnotes※
- ^ "North Carolina DataNet #46" (PDF). University of North Carolina. April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
- ^ Saulsby, Pam (April 27, 2000). "Neely Enjoys Gubernatorial Campaign Run on Message Not Money". WRAL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
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