1986 Senate elections · North Carolina history
North Carolina U.S. Senate election 1986 (special)
Terry Sanford DEM +1.8 gain · Class II seat · held 11/4/86
- Votes counted
- 1,534,848
- Margin
- 1.8 pts
- Seat held by
- Republicanchanged party
General election 11/4/86
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terry Sanford Won | DEM | 780,967 | 50.88% | |
| James Thomas Broyhill | REP | 753,881 | 49.12% | |
| Total | 1,534,848 | |||
Official source: data
Other North Carolina Senate races
| Year | Seat | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Class III | Ted Budd | 3.2 |
| 2020 | Class II | Thomas Roland Tillis | 1.8 |
| 2016 | Class III | Richard Burr | 5.7 |
| 2014 | Class II | Thomas Roland Tillis | 1.6 |
| 2010 | Class III | Richard Burr | 11.8 |
| 2008 | Class II | Kay R. Hagan | 8.5 |
| 2004 | Class III | Richard Burr | 4.6 |
| 2002 | Class II | Elizabeth H. Dole | 8.6 |
| 1998 | Class III | John Edwards | 4.1 |
| 1996 | Class II | Jesse Helms | 6.7 |
| 1992 | Class III | Lauch Faircloth | 4.0 |
| 1990 | Class II | Jesse Helms | 5.1 |
Full North Carolina Senate history →
Questions and answers
Who won the 1986 North Carolina Senate race (special election)?
Terry Sanford (DEM) won with 50.9% of the vote, ahead of James Thomas Broyhill (49.1%), a margin of 1.8 points.
Did the North Carolina Senate seat change party in 1986?
Yes. It moved from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1986 North Carolina Senate race?
1,534,848 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.