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| Turnout | 68.40% [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Congressional district results
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The1992 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 3, 1992, and was part of the1992 United States presidential election. Voters chose 14 representatives, or electors to theElectoral College, who voted forpresident andvice president.
North Carolina was very narrowly won by incumbentRepublicanPresidentGeorge H. W. Bush ofTexas over hisDemocratic challenger,GovernorBill Clinton ofArkansas. Bush took 43.44% of the vote to Clinton's 42.65%, a margin of 0.79%. North Carolina was the second-closest state in this election behind neighboringGeorgia.[2] This was also the first time since1956 when North Carolina did not support the winning candidate. It has since gone on to back losing RepublicansBob Dole in1996,Mitt Romney in2012, andDonald Trump in2020.
Billionaire businessmanRoss Perot, running as anIndependent, finished in third, with 13.70% of the vote, a relatively strong showing for athird party candidate, and his second highest showing in theSoutheast, behind onlyFlorida.
With the exception ofJimmy Carter's victory in North Carolina in1976, the state had voted for theRepublican presidential nominee in every election since1968.[3] North Carolina held the third-highest number of electoral votes in the south behind Texas and Florida.[4]
Despite being from the South, Bill Clinton became the first Democrat to win the White House without carrying the state of North Carolina sinceJames K. Polk in1844, and Bush became the first ever Republican to carry the state while losing nationally. As of the2016 presidential election[update], the 1992 election constitutes the last occasion the following counties have supported a Democratic presidential nominee:Alleghany,Brunswick,Greene,Pamlico,Pender,Rockingham,Sampson andYancey.[5] This would also be the last election in which North Carolina would vote to the left of neighboringVirginia. Additionally, with Bush and Clinton each winning 50 of North Carolina's 100 counties, this remains the last time that a Republican presidential nominee has failed to win a majority of the state's counties.
Republican nomineeLauch Faircloth defeated incumbent DemocratTerry Sanford in theconcurrent U.S. Senate election.[6]
| 1992 United States presidential election in North Carolina[7] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | Percentage | Electoral votes | |
| Republican | George H. W. Bush (incumbent) | 1,134,661 | 43.44% | 14 | |
| Democratic | Bill Clinton | 1,114,042 | 42.65% | 0 | |
| Independent | Ross Perot | 357,864 | 13.70% | 0 | |
| Libertarian | Andre Marrou | 5,171 | 0.20% | 0 | |
| New Alliance Party | Lenora Fulani(write-in) | 59 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Natural Law | Dr. John Hagelin(write-in) | 41 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Socialist Workers Party | James Warren(write-in) | 12 | 0.00% | 0 | |
| Totals | 2,611,850 | 100.0% | 14 | ||
| Voter turnout | 54.52% | — | |||
| County[8] | George H.W. Bush Republican | Bill Clinton Democratic | Ross Perot Independent | Various candidates Other parties | Margin | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | # | % | ||
| Alamance | 20,637 | 48.33% | 15,521 | 36.35% | 6,444 | 15.09% | 99 | 0.23% | 5,116 | 11.98% | 42,701 |
| Alexander | 6,764 | 49.64% | 4,849 | 35.59% | 2,002 | 14.69% | 11 | 0.08% | 1,915 | 14.05% | 13,626 |
| Alleghany | 1,853 | 39.18% | 2,271 | 48.01% | 600 | 12.68% | 6 | 0.13% | -418 | -8.83% | 4,730 |
| Anson | 2,334 | 27.33% | 5,269 | 61.71% | 921 | 10.79% | 15 | 0.18% | -2,935 | -34.38% | 8,539 |
| Ashe | 5,200 | 46.97% | 4,624 | 41.77% | 1,220 | 11.02% | 26 | 0.23% | 576 | 5.20% | 11,070 |
| Avery | 3,895 | 57.39% | 1,755 | 25.86% | 1,123 | 16.55% | 14 | 0.21% | 2,140 | 31.53% | 6,787 |
| Beaufort | 7,337 | 45.91% | 6,445 | 40.33% | 2,174 | 13.60% | 24 | 0.15% | 892 | 5.58% | 15,980 |
| Bertie | 1,756 | 26.04% | 4,382 | 64.99% | 600 | 8.90% | 5 | 0.07% | -2,626 | -38.95% | 6,743 |
| Bladen | 3,214 | 31.58% | 5,700 | 56.01% | 1,248 | 12.26% | 15 | 0.15% | -2,486 | -24.43% | 10,177 |
| Brunswick | 8,833 | 39.43% | 10,177 | 45.43% | 3,349 | 14.95% | 41 | 0.18% | -1,344 | -6.00% | 22,400 |
| Buncombe | 30,892 | 40.92% | 32,955 | 43.65% | 11,481 | 15.21% | 164 | 0.22% | -2,063 | -2.73% | 75,492 |
| Burke | 13,397 | 44.48% | 12,565 | 41.71% | 4,124 | 13.69% | 36 | 0.12% | 832 | 2.77% | 30,122 |
| Cabarrus | 21,281 | 51.75% | 13,513 | 32.86% | 6,251 | 15.20% | 78 | 0.19% | 7,768 | 18.89% | 41,123 |
| Caldwell | 12,543 | 49.04% | 9,033 | 35.32% | 3,965 | 15.50% | 35 | 0.14% | 3,510 | 13.72% | 25,576 |
| Camden | 1,039 | 38.84% | 1,153 | 43.10% | 479 | 17.91% | 4 | 0.15% | -114 | -4.26% | 2,675 |
| Carteret | 10,334 | 47.36% | 8,028 | 36.79% | 3,401 | 15.59% | 56 | 0.26% | 2,306 | 10.57% | 21,819 |
| Caswell | 2,793 | 33.40% | 4,725 | 56.50% | 827 | 9.89% | 18 | 0.22% | -1,932 | -23.10% | 8,363 |
| Catawba | 25,466 | 51.54% | 16,334 | 33.06% | 7,523 | 15.23% | 86 | 0.17% | 9,132 | 18.48% | 49,409 |
| Chatham | 6,568 | 35.36% | 9,520 | 51.25% | 2,425 | 13.05% | 64 | 0.34% | -2,952 | -15.89% | 18,577 |
| Cherokee | 4,021 | 45.91% | 3,686 | 42.09% | 1,040 | 11.87% | 11 | 0.13% | 335 | 3.82% | 8,758 |
| Chowan | 1,661 | 36.86% | 2,136 | 47.40% | 700 | 15.53% | 9 | 0.20% | -475 | -10.54% | 4,506 |
| Clay | 1,890 | 47.73% | 1,600 | 40.40% | 465 | 11.74% | 5 | 0.13% | 290 | 7.33% | 3,960 |
| Cleveland | 13,650 | 44.72% | 13,037 | 42.71% | 3,784 | 12.40% | 51 | 0.17% | 613 | 2.01% | 30,522 |
| Columbus | 5,462 | 28.88% | 11,469 | 60.63% | 1,963 | 10.38% | 22 | 0.12% | -6,007 | -31.75% | 18,916 |
| Craven | 11,575 | 45.77% | 9,998 | 39.54% | 3,679 | 14.55% | 35 | 0.14% | 1,577 | 6.23% | 25,287 |
| Cumberland | 27,139 | 42.10% | 30,291 | 46.98% | 6,792 | 10.54% | 248 | 0.38% | -3,152 | -4.88% | 64,470 |
| Currituck | 2,188 | 41.31% | 1,935 | 36.53% | 1,163 | 21.96% | 11 | 0.21% | 253 | 4.78% | 5,297 |
| Dare | 4,357 | 40.73% | 3,925 | 36.70% | 2,388 | 22.33% | 26 | 0.24% | 432 | 4.03% | 10,696 |
| Davidson | 24,869 | 50.01% | 16,462 | 33.11% | 8,324 | 16.74% | 70 | 0.14% | 8,407 | 16.90% | 49,725 |
| Davie | 6,796 | 54.86% | 3,675 | 29.67% | 1,903 | 15.36% | 13 | 0.10% | 3,121 | 25.19% | 12,387 |
| Duplin | 5,286 | 38.45% | 6,816 | 49.58% | 1,636 | 11.90% | 9 | 0.07% | -1,530 | -11.13% | 13,747 |
| Durham | 27,581 | 33.36% | 47,331 | 57.24% | 8,504 | 9.08% | 268 | 0.32% | -19,750 | -23.88% | 82,684 |
| Edgecombe | 6,275 | 31.92% | 11,174 | 56.84% | 2,175 | 11.06% | 33 | 0.17% | -4,899 | -24.92% | 19,657 |
| Forsyth | 52,787 | 45.40% | 49,006 | 42.15% | 14,262 | 12.27% | 219 | 0.19% | 3,781 | 3.25% | 116,274 |
| Franklin | 4,669 | 35.20% | 6,517 | 49.13% | 2,062 | 15.54% | 18 | 0.14% | -1,848 | -13.93% | 13,266 |
| Gaston | 34,714 | 56.51% | 19,121 | 31.12% | 7,490 | 12.19% | 110 | 0.18% | 15,593 | 25.39% | 61,435 |
| Gates | 1,158 | 30.20% | 2,206 | 57.54% | 466 | 12.15% | 4 | 0.10% | -1,048 | -27.34% | 3,834 |
| Graham | 1,919 | 49.51% | 1,551 | 40.02% | 403 | 10.40% | 3 | 0.08% | 368 | 9.49% | 3,876 |
| Granville | 4,538 | 37.42% | 6,178 | 50.94% | 1,321 | 10.89% | 91 | 0.75% | -1,640 | -13.52% | 12,128 |
| Greene | 2,180 | 38.03% | 2,768 | 48.29% | 780 | 13.61% | 4 | 0.07% | -588 | -10.26% | 5,732 |
| Guilford | 60,140 | 41.08% | 66,319 | 45.30% | 19,601 | 13.39% | 339 | 0.23% | -6,179 | -4.22% | 146,399 |
| Halifax | 5,769 | 32.40% | 9,960 | 55.94% | 2,047 | 11.50% | 28 | 0.16% | -4,191 | -23.54% | 17,804 |
| Harnett | 9,751 | 46.58% | 8,473 | 40.48% | 2,684 | 12.82% | 24 | 0.11% | 1,278 | 6.10% | 20,932 |
| Haywood | 7,292 | 34.71% | 10,385 | 49.43% | 3,303 | 15.72% | 29 | 0.14% | -3,093 | -14.72% | 21,009 |
| Henderson | 17,010 | 51.43% | 10,747 | 32.50% | 5,260 | 15.90% | 55 | 0.17% | 6,263 | 18.93% | 33,072 |
| Hertford | 2,208 | 28.78% | 4,609 | 60.08% | 846 | 11.03% | 9 | 0.12% | -2,401 | -31.30% | 7,672 |
| Hoke | 1,711 | 27.00% | 3,730 | 58.86% | 887 | 14.00% | 9 | 0.14% | -2,019 | -31.86% | 6,337 |
| Hyde | 740 | 32.34% | 1,206 | 52.71% | 340 | 14.86% | 2 | 0.09% | -466 | -20.37% | 2,288 |
| Iredell | 19,411 | 49.80% | 13,263 | 34.03% | 6,204 | 15.92% | 102 | 0.26% | 6,148 | 15.77% | 38,980 |
| Jackson | 4,275 | 36.99% | 5,753 | 49.78% | 1,516 | 13.12% | 14 | 0.12% | -1,478 | -12.79% | 11,558 |
| Johnston | 15,418 | 48.67% | 11,284 | 35.62% | 4,939 | 15.59% | 38 | 0.12% | 4,134 | 13.05% | 31,679 |
| Jones | 1,438 | 37.39% | 1,962 | 51.01% | 444 | 11.54% | 2 | 0.05% | -524 | -13.62% | 3,846 |
| Lee | 6,658 | 45.42% | 5,852 | 39.92% | 2,125 | 14.50% | 24 | 0.16% | 806 | 5.50% | 14,659 |
| Lenoir | 8,932 | 45.02% | 8,793 | 44.32% | 2,107 | 10.62% | 10 | 0.05% | 139 | 0.70% | 19,842 |
| Lincoln | 11,018 | 49.29% | 8,150 | 36.46% | 3,142 | 14.06% | 45 | 0.20% | 2,868 | 12.83% | 22,355 |
| Macon | 4,797 | 42.53% | 4,624 | 41.00% | 1,829 | 16.22% | 29 | 0.26% | 173 | 1.53% | 11,279 |
| Madison | 3,121 | 39.07% | 3,980 | 49.82% | 857 | 10.73% | 31 | 0.39% | -859 | -10.75% | 7,989 |
| Martin | 2,958 | 36.90% | 4,069 | 50.76% | 981 | 12.24% | 8 | 0.10% | -1,111 | -13.86% | 8,016 |
| McDowell | 6,090 | 45.81% | 5,309 | 39.93% | 1,881 | 14.15% | 15 | 0.11% | 781 | 5.88% | 13,295 |
| Mecklenburg | 99,496 | 43.57% | 97,065 | 42.50% | 31,283 | 13.70% | 531 | 0.23% | 2,431 | 1.07% | 228,375 |
| Mitchell | 4,405 | 62.79% | 1,727 | 24.62% | 877 | 12.50% | 6 | 0.09% | 2,678 | 38.17% | 7,015 |
| Montgomery | 3,543 | 38.67% | 4,422 | 48.27% | 1,185 | 12.94% | 11 | 0.12% | -879 | -9.60% | 9,161 |
| Moore | 12,448 | 46.81% | 9,649 | 36.29% | 4,448 | 16.73% | 46 | 0.17% | 2,799 | 10.52% | 26,591 |
| Nash | 14,446 | 48.34% | 10,809 | 36.17% | 4,544 | 15.20% | 87 | 0.29% | 3,637 | 12.17% | 29,886 |
| New Hanover | 24,338 | 46.67% | 20,291 | 38.91% | 7,401 | 14.19% | 124 | 0.24% | 4,047 | 7.76% | 52,154 |
| Northampton | 1,845 | 23.16% | 5,195 | 65.21% | 916 | 11.50% | 11 | 0.14% | -3,350 | -42.05% | 7,967 |
| Onslow | 11,842 | 48.70% | 8,045 | 33.08% | 4,387 | 18.04% | 44 | 0.18% | 3,797 | 15.62% | 24,318 |
| Orange | 13,009 | 27.50% | 28,595 | 60.45% | 5,535 | 11.70% | 161 | 0.34% | -15,586 | -32.95% | 47,300 |
| Pamlico | 1,929 | 38.77% | 2,229 | 44.80% | 809 | 16.26% | 8 | 0.16% | -300 | -6.03% | 4,975 |
| Pasquotank | 3,419 | 35.69% | 4,709 | 49.15% | 1,434 | 14.97% | 19 | 0.20% | -1,290 | -13.46% | 9,581 |
| Pender | 4,857 | 39.07% | 5,825 | 46.86% | 1,725 | 13.88% | 23 | 0.19% | -968 | -7.79% | 12,430 |
| Perquimans | 1,429 | 36.85% | 1,818 | 46.88% | 624 | 16.09% | 7 | 0.18% | -389 | -10.03% | 3,878 |
| Person | 4,460 | 43.60% | 4,323 | 42.26% | 1,431 | 13.99% | 16 | 0.16% | 137 | 1.34% | 10,230 |
| Pitt | 16,609 | 41.63% | 17,959 | 45.02% | 5,262 | 13.19% | 65 | 0.16% | -1,350 | -3.39% | 39,895 |
| Polk | 3,448 | 45.77% | 2,939 | 39.02% | 1,134 | 15.05% | 12 | 0.16% | 509 | 6.75% | 7,533 |
| Randolph | 20,697 | 53.20% | 11,274 | 28.98% | 6,870 | 17.66% | 61 | 0.16% | 9,423 | 24.22% | 38,902 |
| Richmond | 4,356 | 28.01% | 9,163 | 58.91% | 2,015 | 12.96% | 19 | 0.12% | -4,807 | -30.90% | 15,553 |
| Robeson | 7,777 | 25.52% | 19,378 | 63.59% | 3,277 | 10.75% | 42 | 0.14% | -11,601 | -38.07% | 30,474 |
| Rockingham | 12,678 | 40.54% | 13,880 | 44.39% | 4,671 | 14.94% | 40 | 0.13% | -1,202 | -3.85% | 31,269 |
| Rowan | 21,297 | 49.84% | 14,308 | 33.48% | 7,053 | 16.51% | 74 | 0.17% | 6,989 | 16.36% | 42,732 |
| Rutherford | 9,748 | 47.95% | 7,855 | 38.64% | 2,695 | 13.26% | 31 | 0.15% | 1,893 | 9.31% | 20,329 |
| Sampson | 8,007 | 43.12% | 8,698 | 46.84% | 1,852 | 9.97% | 11 | 0.06% | -691 | -3.72% | 18,568 |
| Scotland | 2,980 | 31.84% | 5,175 | 55.29% | 1,196 | 12.78% | 9 | 0.10% | -2,195 | -23.45% | 9,360 |
| Stanly | 11,030 | 50.91% | 7,735 | 35.70% | 2,855 | 13.18% | 44 | 0.20% | 3,295 | 15.21% | 21,664 |
| Stokes | 7,979 | 47.90% | 6,463 | 38.80% | 2,183 | 13.11% | 32 | 0.19% | 1,516 | 9.10% | 16,657 |
| Surry | 10,866 | 46.33% | 9,392 | 40.05% | 3,164 | 13.49% | 31 | 0.13% | 1,474 | 6.28% | 23,453 |
| Swain | 1,640 | 37.88% | 2,117 | 48.89% | 568 | 13.12% | 5 | 0.12% | -477 | -11.01% | 4,330 |
| Transylvania | 5,984 | 45.55% | 5,120 | 38.97% | 2,006 | 15.27% | 27 | 0.21% | 864 | 6.58% | 13,137 |
| Tyrrell | 553 | 33.03% | 928 | 55.44% | 189 | 11.29% | 4 | 0.24% | -375 | -22.41% | 1,674 |
| Union | 16,542 | 51.71% | 10,789 | 33.72% | 4,601 | 14.38% | 60 | 0.19% | 5,753 | 17.99% | 31,992 |
| Vance | 4,747 | 37.09% | 6,598 | 51.55% | 1,444 | 11.28% | 11 | 0.09% | -1,851 | -14.46% | 12,800 |
| Wake | 86,798 | 41.84% | 88,979 | 42.89% | 31,140 | 15.01% | 550 | 0.27% | -2,181 | -1.05% | 207,467 |
| Warren | 1,767 | 24.80% | 4,656 | 65.35% | 693 | 9.73% | 9 | 0.13% | -2,889 | -40.55% | 7,125 |
| Washington | 1,780 | 33.89% | 2,902 | 55.24% | 563 | 10.72% | 8 | 0.15% | -1,122 | -21.35% | 5,253 |
| Watauga | 7,899 | 41.09% | 8,262 | 42.98% | 3,007 | 15.64% | 57 | 0.30% | -363 | -1.89% | 19,225 |
| Wayne | 14,397 | 52.29% | 10,307 | 37.44% | 2,798 | 10.16% | 30 | 0.11% | 4,090 | 14.85% | 27,532 |
| Wilkes | 12,547 | 52.57% | 7,991 | 33.48% | 3,307 | 13.86% | 23 | 0.10% | 4,556 | 19.09% | 23,868 |
| Wilson | 10,176 | 44.36% | 10,105 | 44.06% | 2,630 | 11.47% | 26 | 0.11% | 71 | 0.30% | 22,937 |
| Yadkin | 7,311 | 56.34% | 3,913 | 30.15% | 1,725 | 13.29% | 28 | 0.22% | 3,398 | 26.19% | 12,977 |
| Yancey | 3,994 | 43.38% | 4,285 | 46.54% | 917 | 9.96% | 12 | 0.13% | -291 | -3.16% | 9,208 |
| Totals | 1,134,661 | 43.44% | 1,114,042 | 42.65% | 357,864 | 13.70% | 5,283 | 0.20% | 20,619 | 0.79% | 2,611,850 |
| The 1992 presidential vote by demographic subgroup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographic subgroup | Clinton | Bush | Perot | % of total vote | ||
| Total vote | 43 | 44 | 14 | 100 | ||
| Party | ||||||
| Republican | 7 | 84 | 9 | 37 | ||
| Independent | 38 | 36 | 26 | 18 | ||
| Democratic | 73 | 15 | 13 | 45 | ||
| Ideology | ||||||
| Liberals | 72 | 13 | 15 | 15 | ||
| Moderates | 49 | 35 | 16 | 47 | ||
| Conservatives | 20 | 69 | 10 | 38 | ||
| Gender | ||||||
| Men | 39 | 47 | 14 | 50 | ||
| Women | 46 | 41 | 13 | 50 | ||
| Race | ||||||
| White | 34 | 50 | 15 | 83 | ||
| Black | 91 | 5 | 3 | 17 | ||
| Education | ||||||
| High school graduate | 41 | 45 | 13 | 34 | ||
| Some college | 42 | 44 | 14 | 27 | ||
| College | 39 | 46 | 15 | 25 | ||
| Postgraduate work | 54 | 33 | 12 | 14 | ||
| Age | ||||||
| 18–29 years old | 41 | 43 | 15 | 22 | ||
| 30–44 years old | 43 | 42 | 15 | 33 | ||
| 45–59 years old | 40 | 47 | 13 | 25 | ||
| 60 and older | 49 | 43 | 9 | 16 | ||
| Income | ||||||
| Under $30,000 | 51 | 35 | 14 | 42 | ||
| $30,000–50,000 | 35 | 52 | 13 | 28 | ||
| Over $50,000 | 36 | 49 | 15 | 29 | ||
| Church attendance | ||||||
| Attend weekly | 39 | 50 | 11 | 51 | ||
| Attend less often | 47 | 38 | 17 | 49 | ||
Source: Vote Research and Survey (1,563 surveyed)[9]
State and district results of the1992 U.S. presidential election | ||
|---|---|---|
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