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East: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% Morgan: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | |||||||||||||||||
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The1980 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 4, 1980, as part of thenationwide elections to the Senate. IncumbentDemocratic U.S. SenatorRobert B. Morgan ran for reelection to a second term, but narrowly lost toRepublican challengerJohn P. East.
This was the first time Republicans had won this seat since 1897, and the inauguration ofJohn East marked the first time sinceReconstruction that they held both Senate seats simultaneously. East won every western congressional district while losing every eastern one.
Robert Morgan was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
John East was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John East | 898,064 | 49.96% | +12.18% | |
| Democratic | Robert Morgan (incumbent) | 887,653 | 49.38% | −12.39% | |
| Libertarian | F.W. (Rick) Pasotto | 7,602 | 0.04% | N/A | |
| Socialist Workers | Rebecca Finch | 4,346 | 0.02% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 1,797,655 | 100.00% | N/A | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | |||||