 | |
| Number of elections | 59 |
|---|---|
| Voted Democratic | 30 |
| Voted Republican | 18 |
| Voted Whig | 3 |
| Voted Democratic-Republican | 7 |
| Voted other | 1[a] |
| Voted for winning candidate | 40 |
| Voted for losing candidate | 19 |
Following is a table ofUnited States presidential elections in North Carolina, ordered by year. Since its admission to statehood in 1789,North Carolina has participated in every U.S. presidential election except the election of 1864, during theAmerican Civil War, when the state had seceded to join theConfederacy. North Carolina did not participate in the1788–89 United States presidential election, as it did not ratify theConstitution of the United States until months after the end of that election and afterGeorge Washington had assumed office asPresident of the United States.[1]
Winners of the state are inbold. The shading refers to thestate winner, and not the national winner.
The election of 1860 was a complex realigning election in which the breakdown of the previous two-party alignment culminated in four parties each competing for influence in different parts of the country. The result of the election, with the victory of an ardent opponent ofslavery, spurred the secession of eleven states and brought about theAmerican Civil War.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860 | Abraham Lincoln | no ballots | Stephen A. Douglas | 2,737 | 2.8 | John C. Breckinridge | 48,846 | 50.5 | John Bell | 45,129 | 46.7 | 10 |
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Other national candidates[b] | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | James Buchanan | 48,243 | 56.78 | John C. Frémont | no ballots | Millard Fillmore | 36,720 | 43.22 | 10 | ||
| 1852 | Franklin Pierce | 39,778 | 50.43 | Winfield Scott | 39,043 | 49.49 | John P. Hale | no ballots | 10 | ||
| 1848 | Zachary Taylor | 44,054 | 55.17 | Lewis Cass | 35,772 | 44.80 | Martin Van Buren | no ballots | 11 | ||
| 1844 | James K. Polk | 39,287 | 47.61 | Henry Clay | 43,232 | 52.39 | — | 11 | |||
| 1840 | William Henry Harrison | 46,567 | 57.68 | Martin Van Buren | 34,168 | 42.32 | — | 15 | |||
| 1836 | Martin Van Buren | 26,631 | 53.1 | Hugh Lawson White | 23,521 | 46.9 | various[e] | no ballots | 15 | ||
| 1832 | Andrew Jackson | 25,261 | 84.77 | Henry Clay | 4,538 | 15.23 | William Wirt | no ballots | 15 | ||
| 1828 | Andrew Jackson | 37,814 | 73.07 | John Quincy Adams | 13,918 | 26.90 | — | 15 |
The election of 1824 was a complex realigning election following the collapse of the prevailingDemocratic-Republican Party, resulting in four different candidates each claiming to carry the banner of the party, and competing for influence in different parts of the country. The election was the only one in history to be decided by the House of Representatives under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution after no candidate secured a majority of the electoral vote. It was also the only presidential election in which the candidate who received a plurality of electoral votes (Andrew Jackson) did not become president, a source of great bitterness for Jackson and his supporters, who proclaimed the election of Adams acorrupt bargain.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Runner-up (nationally) | Votes | Percent | Electoral votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1824 | Andrew Jackson | 20,231 | 56.03 | John Quincy Adams | no ballots | Henry Clay | no ballots | William H. Crawford | 15,622 | 43.26 | 15 |
In the election of 1820, incumbent PresidentJames Monroe ran effectively unopposed, winning all 15 of North Carolina's electoral votes, and all electoral votes nationwide except one vote in New Hampshire. To the extent that a popular vote was held, it was primarily directed to filling the office of vice president.
| Year | Winner (nationally) | Runner-up (nationally) | Electoral votes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | James Monroe | — | 15 | Monroe effectively ran unopposed. |
| 1816 | James Monroe | Rufus King | 15 | |
| 1812 | James Madison | DeWitt Clinton | 15 | |
| 1808 | James Madison | Charles C. Pinckney | 14 | Electoral vote split, eleven for Madison, three for Pinckney. |
| 1804 | Thomas Jefferson | Charles C. Pinckney | 14 | |
| 1800 | Thomas Jefferson | John Adams | 12 | Electoral vote split, eight for Jefferson, four for Adams. |
| 1796 | John Adams | Thomas Jefferson | 12 | Electoral vote split, eleven for Jefferson, one for Adams. |
| 1792 | George Washington | — | 12 | Washington effectively ran unopposed. |
North Carolina did not participate in the1788–89 United States presidential election, as it did not ratify theConstitution of the United States until months after the end of that election and afterGeorge Washington had assumed office asPresident of the United States.[1]