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 County results Hodges: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Hayes: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1956 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1956. IncumbentDemocratLuther H. Hodges defeatedRepublican nominee Kyle Hayes with 66.95% of the vote.
This election was unusual for North Carolina at the time, in that a sitting Governor ran for another term. TheConstitution of North Carolina at the time had a one-term limit for governors, but Hodges, as lieutenant governor, had succeededWilliam B. Umstead after the latter died in office, and was running for a full four-year term on his own. In 1977, the state's voters approved an amendment to the state constitution permitting the governor to serve two consecutive four-year terms.
Primary elections were held on May 26, 1956.[1]
19.2% of the voting age population participated in the Democratic primary.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Luther H. Hodges (incumbent) | 401,082 | 85.95 | |
| Democratic | Thomas B. Sawyer | 29,248 | 6.27 | |
| Democratic | Harry P. Stokely | 24,416 | 5.23 | |
| Democratic | C.E. Earle Jr. | 11,908 | 2.55 | |
| Total votes | 466,654 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Luther H. Hodges (incumbent) | 760,480 | 66.95% | ||
| Republican | Kyle Hayes | 375,379 | 33.05% | ||
| Majority | 385,101 | ||||
| Turnout | 1,135,859 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
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