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All 14North Carolina votes to theElectoral College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County Results
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The1944 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 7, 1944, as part of the1944 United States presidential election. North Carolina voters chose 14[2] representatives, or electors, to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
As a former Confederate state, North Carolina had a history ofJim Crow laws,disfranchisement of itsAfrican-American population and dominance of the Democratic Party in state politics. However, unlike the Deep South, the Republican Party had sufficienthistoric Unionist white support from the mountains and northwestern Piedmont to gain one-third of the statewide vote total in most general elections,[3] where turnout was higher than elsewhere in the former Confederacy due substantially to the state's early abolition ofthe poll tax in 1920.[4] LikeVirginia,Tennessee andOklahoma, the relative strength of Republican opposition meant that North Carolina did not have statewidewhite primaries, although certain counties did use the white primary.[5] A rapid move following disenfranchisement to a completely“lily-white” state GOP also helped maintain Republican support.[6]
In 1928, anti-Catholicism in theOuter Banks and growing middle-class urban Republicanism in Piedmont cities turned North Carolina to GOP nomineeHerbert Hoover,[7] but this was sharply and severely reversed with the coming of the Great Depression. With the South having the highest unemployment in the nation and blaming its fate upon the North andWall Street,[8] exceptionally heavy support was given to Democratic nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 and 1936 everywhere except in a few rock-ribbed Republican mountain bastions.[7] Nevertheless, there was virtually no change to the state's social structure during theNew Deal,[9] and the conservative “Shelby Dynasty” was strong enough to prevent any populist challenge so much as developing.[10] Additionally, the state was among the least isolationist and strongly supported aid to Britain during the early phase ofWorld War II,[11] while the absence of a statewide white primary meant local response to the landmark court case ofSmith v. Allwright was generally calm.[5] However, the precarious health ofincumbent PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt produced strong Southern opposition to vice-presidentHenry A. Wallace, who was viewed as a dangerous liberal throughout the region.[12] Initially the South attempted to have formerSupreme Court JusticeJames F. Byrnes replace Wallace, but Byrnes was unacceptable because of his lapsed Catholicism to the northern Catholic urban bosses, and also to the party's union backers.[13] Consequently,Missouri SenatorHarry S. Truman became Roosevelt's running mate.[14]
Polls were not taken in the state, but less than a week before the poll there were appeals to state Democrats to not support FDR for a fourth term.[15]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Franklin D. Roosevelt (inc.) | 527,399 | 66.71% | |
| Republican | Thomas E. Dewey | 263,155 | 33.29% | |
| Total votes | 790,554 | 100% | ||
| County | Franklin Delano Roosevelt Democratic | Thomas Edmund Dewey Republican | Margin | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | # | % | # | % | # | |
| Martin | 97.07% | 4,408 | 2.93% | 133 | 94.14% | 4,275 |
| Bertie | 96.20% | 3,142 | 3.80% | 124 | 92.41% | 3,018 |
| Greene | 95.72% | 2,528 | 4.28% | 113 | 91.44% | 2,415 |
| Northampton | 95.28% | 3,470 | 4.72% | 172 | 90.55% | 3,298 |
| Pitt | 94.53% | 8,556 | 5.47% | 495 | 89.06% | 8,061 |
| Hertford | 94.11% | 1,996 | 5.89% | 125 | 88.21% | 1,871 |
| Halifax | 94.08% | 6,989 | 5.92% | 440 | 88.15% | 6,549 |
| Edgecombe | 93.79% | 6,762 | 6.21% | 448 | 87.57% | 6,314 |
| Franklin | 93.21% | 3,967 | 6.79% | 289 | 86.42% | 3,678 |
| Hoke | 91.76% | 1,782 | 8.24% | 160 | 83.52% | 1,622 |
| Warren | 91.11% | 2,480 | 8.89% | 242 | 82.22% | 2,238 |
| Granville | 90.82% | 3,215 | 9.18% | 325 | 81.64% | 2,890 |
| Lenoir | 90.46% | 5,253 | 9.54% | 554 | 80.92% | 4,699 |
| Nash | 89.64% | 7,577 | 10.36% | 876 | 79.27% | 6,701 |
| Wilson | 89.39% | 6,480 | 10.61% | 769 | 78.78% | 5,711 |
| Chowan | 88.78% | 1,314 | 11.22% | 166 | 77.57% | 1,148 |
| Scotland | 88.67% | 2,372 | 11.33% | 303 | 77.35% | 2,069 |
| Vance | 88.62% | 4,110 | 11.38% | 528 | 77.23% | 3,582 |
| Gates | 87.84% | 1,105 | 12.16% | 153 | 75.68% | 952 |
| Anson | 87.54% | 3,582 | 12.46% | 510 | 75.07% | 3,072 |
| Robeson | 86.68% | 7,278 | 13.32% | 1,118 | 73.37% | 6,160 |
| Onslow | 86.23% | 2,711 | 13.77% | 433 | 72.46% | 2,278 |
| Craven | 85.50% | 4,872 | 14.50% | 826 | 71.01% | 4,046 |
| Jones | 85.27% | 1,221 | 14.73% | 211 | 70.53% | 1,010 |
| Richmond | 85.19% | 5,394 | 14.81% | 938 | 70.37% | 4,456 |
| Union | 83.72% | 5,729 | 16.28% | 1,114 | 67.44% | 4,615 |
| Currituck | 81.95% | 1,049 | 18.05% | 231 | 63.91% | 818 |
| Wake | 81.87% | 18,050 | 18.13% | 3,996 | 63.75% | 14,054 |
| Lee | 81.02% | 3,448 | 18.98% | 808 | 62.03% | 2,640 |
| Beaufort | 80.60% | 4,706 | 19.40% | 1,133 | 61.19% | 3,573 |
| Person | 80.51% | 2,507 | 19.49% | 607 | 61.01% | 1,900 |
| Pender | 79.71% | 1,732 | 20.29% | 441 | 59.41% | 1,291 |
| Caswell | 79.63% | 1,923 | 20.37% | 492 | 59.25% | 1,431 |
| Duplin | 79.18% | 5,464 | 20.82% | 1,437 | 58.35% | 4,027 |
| Camden | 78.91% | 722 | 21.09% | 193 | 57.81% | 529 |
| Dare | 78.86% | 966 | 21.14% | 259 | 57.71% | 707 |
| Columbus | 78.65% | 5,717 | 21.35% | 1,552 | 57.30% | 4,165 |
| Perquimans | 78.30% | 960 | 21.70% | 266 | 56.61% | 694 |
| Washington | 78.19% | 1,782 | 21.81% | 497 | 56.38% | 1,285 |
| Bladen | 77.67% | 2,542 | 22.33% | 731 | 55.33% | 1,811 |
| Durham | 77.57% | 12,763 | 22.43% | 3,690 | 55.14% | 9,073 |
| New Hanover | 76.99% | 9,467 | 23.01% | 2,829 | 53.99% | 6,638 |
| Cumberland | 76.66% | 6,615 | 23.34% | 2,014 | 53.32% | 4,601 |
| Wayne | 76.49% | 6,228 | 23.51% | 1,914 | 52.98% | 4,314 |
| Cleveland | 75.61% | 8,170 | 24.39% | 2,636 | 51.21% | 5,534 |
| Pasquotank | 74.71% | 2,540 | 25.29% | 860 | 49.41% | 1,680 |
| Rockingham | 74.33% | 8,755 | 25.67% | 3,024 | 48.65% | 5,731 |
| Hyde | 74.10% | 924 | 25.90% | 323 | 48.20% | 601 |
| Mecklenburg | 73.34% | 25,950 | 26.66% | 9,434 | 46.68% | 16,516 |
| Haywood | 72.65% | 7,755 | 27.35% | 2,919 | 45.31% | 4,836 |
| Gaston | 69.53% | 13,744 | 30.47% | 6,023 | 39.06% | 7,721 |
| Orange | 69.06% | 3,274 | 30.94% | 1,467 | 38.11% | 1,807 |
| Carteret | 69.02% | 3,489 | 30.98% | 1,566 | 38.04% | 1,923 |
| Buncombe | 68.96% | 20,878 | 31.04% | 9,398 | 37.92% | 11,480 |
| Tyrrell | 68.50% | 611 | 31.50% | 281 | 37.00% | 330 |
| Cabarrus | 68.17% | 9,064 | 31.83% | 4,233 | 36.33% | 4,831 |
| Harnett | 67.34% | 6,579 | 32.66% | 3,191 | 34.68% | 3,388 |
| Johnston | 65.19% | 8,282 | 34.81% | 4,423 | 30.37% | 3,859 |
| Alamance | 64.86% | 9,184 | 35.14% | 4,976 | 29.72% | 4,208 |
| Guilford | 64.45% | 23,495 | 35.55% | 12,962 | 28.89% | 10,533 |
| Pamlico | 64.30% | 1,295 | 35.70% | 719 | 28.60% | 576 |
| McDowell | 63.96% | 4,008 | 36.04% | 2,258 | 27.93% | 1,750 |
| Iredell | 63.21% | 8,358 | 36.79% | 4,864 | 26.43% | 3,494 |
| Rowan | 62.38% | 9,721 | 37.62% | 5,862 | 24.76% | 3,859 |
| Forsyth | 62.07% | 16,390 | 37.93% | 10,014 | 24.15% | 6,376 |
| Chatham | 61.33% | 3,856 | 38.67% | 2,431 | 22.67% | 1,425 |
| Rutherford | 61.10% | 7,379 | 38.90% | 4,698 | 22.20% | 2,681 |
| Jackson | 60.40% | 4,109 | 39.60% | 2,694 | 20.80% | 1,415 |
| Surry | 60.02% | 7,679 | 39.98% | 5,116 | 20.03% | 2,563 |
| Catawba | 58.45% | 10,146 | 41.55% | 7,211 | 16.91% | 2,935 |
| Swain | 58.37% | 2,110 | 41.63% | 1,505 | 16.74% | 605 |
| Polk | 58.24% | 2,340 | 41.76% | 1,678 | 16.48% | 662 |
| Moore | 58.22% | 3,711 | 41.78% | 2,663 | 16.44% | 1,048 |
| Graham | 58.21% | 1,889 | 41.79% | 1,356 | 16.43% | 533 |
| Yancey | 57.88% | 3,301 | 42.12% | 2,402 | 15.76% | 899 |
| Montgomery | 57.58% | 2,665 | 42.42% | 1,963 | 15.17% | 702 |
| Transylvania | 57.29% | 3,019 | 42.71% | 2,251 | 14.57% | 768 |
| Caldwell | 55.39% | 5,419 | 44.61% | 4,365 | 10.77% | 1,054 |
| Henderson | 55.18% | 5,679 | 44.82% | 4,613 | 10.36% | 1,066 |
| Stokes | 54.90% | 4,110 | 45.10% | 3,376 | 9.80% | 734 |
| Alleghany | 54.77% | 1,810 | 45.23% | 1,495 | 9.53% | 315 |
| Brunswick | 54.02% | 2,346 | 45.98% | 1,997 | 8.04% | 349 |
| Burke | 53.72% | 6,795 | 46.28% | 5,855 | 7.43% | 940 |
| Macon | 53.22% | 2,855 | 46.78% | 2,510 | 6.43% | 345 |
| Lincoln | 53.12% | 4,168 | 46.88% | 3,678 | 6.25% | 490 |
| Davidson | 50.03% | 9,455 | 49.97% | 9,445 | 0.05% | 10 |
| Clay | 49.64% | 1,245 | 50.36% | 1,263 | -0.72% | -18 |
| Cherokee | 49.59% | 2,582 | 50.41% | 2,625 | -0.83% | -43 |
| Ashe | 49.09% | 4,363 | 50.91% | 4,524 | -1.81% | -161 |
| Stanly | 47.48% | 5,499 | 52.52% | 6,083 | -5.04% | -584 |
| Randolph | 45.61% | 7,277 | 54.39% | 8,678 | -8.78% | -1,401 |
| Watauga | 44.84% | 3,214 | 55.16% | 3,954 | -10.32% | -740 |
| Alexander | 43.44% | 2,282 | 56.56% | 2,971 | -13.12% | -689 |
| Davie | 41.13% | 2,266 | 58.87% | 3,244 | -17.75% | -978 |
| Sampson | 41.04% | 4,220 | 58.96% | 6,062 | -17.91% | -1,842 |
| Wilkes | 37.99% | 5,587 | 62.01% | 9,121 | -24.03% | -3,534 |
| Yadkin | 36.00% | 2,470 | 64.00% | 4,392 | -28.01% | -1,922 |
| Madison | 34.30% | 2,291 | 65.70% | 4,388 | -31.40% | -2,097 |
| Mitchell | 24.29% | 1,024 | 75.71% | 3,192 | -51.42% | -2,168 |
| Avery | 20.87% | 838 | 79.13% | 3,178 | -58.27% | -2,340 |
North Carolina was won by Roosevelt with 66.71 percent of the popular vote, againstGovernorThomas E. Dewey (R–New York), running withGovernorJohn Bricker with 33.29 percent.[17][18]
This was nonetheless a decline of over fifteen percentage points upon Roosevelt's 1940 performance, reflecting the significant isolationism inAppalachia,[19] alongside developing hostility towards Democratic liberalism on racial issues. As ofthe 2024 presidential election[update], this is the last election in which the following counties voted for a Democratic presidential candidate:Catawba,Davidson andHenderson.[20]
State and district results of the1944 United States presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
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