2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election

The 2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Governor of North Carolina, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to one-third of the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is eligible to run for re-election to a second term in office, and announced his intention to do so on December 5, 2019.[1] This will be the first gubernatorial election in North Carolina since 2004 where Pat McCrory is not the Republican nominee.

See also: 2020 United States gubernatorial elections

2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election

November 3, 2020

Nominee Roy Cooper Dan Forest Party Democratic Republican

Incumbent Governor Roy Cooper Democratic

Under a 2018 state law, party primary elections were held on March 3, 2020.[2]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Roy Cooper, incumbent Governor[1]

Eliminated in primary

• Ernest T. Reeves, retired U.S. Army captain and perennial candidate[3]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[lower-alpha 1]	Margin of error	Roy Cooper	Ernest Reeves	Undecided
High Point University	February 21–28, 2020	269 (LV)	–	74%	13%	13%
		468 (RV)	–	68%	14%	18%
SurveyUSA/WRAL-TV	February 13–16, 2020	698	± 4.9%	73%	9%	18%
High Point University	January 31 – February 6, 2020	198 (LV)	–	80%	8%	12%
		400 (RV)	–	69%	10%	21%

Results

Results by county:

  Cooper—>90%

  Cooper—80-90%

  Cooper—70-80%

Democratic primary results [4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Roy Cooper (incumbent)	1,128,829	87.19%
	Democratic	Ernest T. Reeves	165,804	12.81%
Total votes			1,294,633	100.00%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dan Forest, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina[5]

Eliminated in primary

• Holly Grange, state representative[6]

Declined

• Pat McCrory, former Governor of North Carolina[7]
• Mark Meadows, former U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, White House Chief of Staff[8]

Endorsements

Dan Forest

U.S. Representatives Dan Bishop (NC-09) Ted Budd (NC-13)[9] Virginia Foxx (NC-5)[9] George Holding (NC-2)[9] Patrick McHenry (NC-10)[9] Mark Meadows former (NC-11) and current White House Chief of Staff[10] Mark Walker (NC-6)[9] State and local officials[11] Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina[12] Senator John M. Alexander Jr. Senator W. Ted Alexander Senator Deanna Ballard Senator Danny Britt Senator Harry Brown Senator Jim Burgin Senator Warren Daniel Senator Jim Davis Senator Chuck Edwards Senator Carl Ford Senator Rick Gunn Senator Eddie Gallimore Senator Kathy Harrington Senator Ralph Hise Senator Rick Horner Senator W. Brent Jackson Senator Todd Johnson Senator Joyce Krawiec Senator Paul Newton Senator Jim Perry Senator Bill Rabon Senator Norman W. Sanderson Senator Vickie Sawyer Senator Bob Steinburg Senator Jerry W. Tillman Representative Jay Adams Representative Dean Arp Representative John R. Bell IV Representative Jamie Boles Representative William Brisson Representative Mark Brody Representative Jerry Carter Representative George G. Cleveland Representative Debra Conrad Representative Ted Davis Jr. Representative Jimmy Dixon Representative Josh Dobson Representative Jeffrey Elmore Representative John Faircloth Representative John A. Fraley Representative Ed Goodwin Representative Kyle Hall Representative Bobby Hanig Representative Jon Hardister Representative Kelly Hastings Representative Craig Horn Representative Julia Howard Representative Chris Humphrey Representative Pat Hurley Representative Frank Iler Representative Steve Jarvis Representative Brenden Jones Representative Keith Kidwell Representative Donny Lambeth Representative David R. Lewis Representative Pat McElraft Representative Allen McNeill Representative Larry Pittman Representative Michele D. Presnell Representative Dennis Riddell Representative David Rogers Representative Stephen M. Ross Representative Jason Saine Representative Wayne Sasser Representative John Sauls Representative Mitchell Setzer Representative Phil Shepard Representative Michael Speciale Representative Sarah Stevens Representative Larry C. Strickland Representative John Szoka Representative John Torbett Representative Rena Turner Representative Harry J. Warren Representative Donna McDowell White Representative Larry Yarborough Organizations Susan B. Anthony List[13] North Carolina Values Coalition [14]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size[lower-alpha 1]	Margin of error	Dan Forest	Holly Grange	Undecided
High Point University	February 21–28, 2020	246 (LV)	–	74%	13%	13%
		443 (RV)	–	64%	12%	24%
SurveyUSA/WRAL-TV	February 13–16, 2020	698	± 5.0%	60%	8%	32%
High Point University	January 31 – February 6, 2020	198 (LV)	–	67%	8%	25%
		400 (RV)	–	54%	10%	36%

Hypothetical polling
Poll source Date(s) administered Sample size[lower-alpha 1] Margin of error Dan Forest Holly Grange Pat McCrory Undecided Harper Polling (R) December 2–4, 2019 500 (LV) ± 4.38% 31% 3% 42% 25%

Results

Results by county:

  Forest—>90%

  Forest—80–90%

  Forest—70–80%

Republican primary results [15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Dan Forest	698,077	88.95%
	Republican	Holly Grange	86,714	11.05%
Total votes			784,791	100.00%

Other candidates

Libertarian Party

Nominee

• Steven J. DiFiore, candidate for Charlotte City Council in 2017, factory lighting representative[16]

Constitution Party

Nominee

• Al Pisano, chairman of the Constitution Party of North Carolina[17][16]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[18]	Lean D	April 3, 2020
Inside Elections[19]	Lean D	June 19, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball[20]	Likely D	July 14, 2020
Politico[21]	Lean D	July 6, 2020
Daily Kos[22]	Likely D	July 22, 2020
RCP[23]	Lean D	July 27, 2020

Endorsements

Roy Cooper (D)
U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States[24] State and local officials Phil Murphy, Governor of New Jersey[25] Pete Buttigieg, former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana (2012–2020).[26] U.S. Senators Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator from California; 2020 vice presidential nominee[27] Organizations Equality NC[28]

Steven J. DiFiore (L)
Notable individuals Spike Cohen, activist, entrepreneur, and podcaster; Libertarian nominee for Vice President in 2020[29]

Dan Forest (R)

U.S. Executive Branch Officials Donald Trump, President of the United States[30] Mark Meadows, White House Chief of Staff and former U.S. Representative from North Carolina's 11th Congressional District[31] Nikki Haley, former U.N. Ambassador[32] U.S. Representatives Dan Bishop (NC-09) Ted Budd (NC-13)[9] Virginia Foxx (NC-5)[9] George Holding (NC-2)[9] Patrick McHenry (NC-10)[9] Mark Walker (NC-6)[9] State and local officials[11] Henry McMaster, Governor of South Carolina[33] Senator John M. Alexander Jr. Senator W. Ted Alexander Senator Deanna Ballard Senator Danny Britt Senator Harry Brown Senator Jim Burgin Senator Warren Daniel Senator Jim Davis Senator Chuck Edwards Senator Carl Ford Senator Rick Gunn Senator Eddie Gallimore Senator Kathy Harrington Senator Ralph Hise Senator Rick Horner Senator W. Brent Jackson Senator Todd Johnson Senator Joyce Krawiec Senator Paul Newton Senator Jim Perry Senator Bill Rabon Senator Norman W. Sanderson Senator Vickie Sawyer Senator Bob Steinburg Senator Jerry W. Tillman Representative Jay Adams Representative Dean Arp Representative John R. Bell IV Representative Jamie Boles Representative William Brisson Representative Mark Brody Representative Jerry Carter Representative George G. Cleveland Representative Debra Conrad Representative Ted Davis Jr. Representative Jimmy Dixon Representative Josh Dobson Representative Jeffrey Elmore Representative John Faircloth Representative John A. Fraley Representative Ed Goodwin Representative Kyle Hall Representative Bobby Hanig Representative Jon Hardister Representative Kelly Hastings Representative Craig Horn Representative Julia Howard Representative Chris Humphrey Representative Pat Hurley Representative Frank Iler Representative Steve Jarvis Representative Brenden Jones Representative Keith Kidwell Representative Donny Lambeth Representative David R. Lewis Representative Pat McElraft Representative Allen McNeill Representative Larry Pittman Representative Michele D. Presnell Representative Dennis Riddell Representative David Rogers Representative Stephen M. Ross Representative Jason Saine Representative Wayne Sasser Representative John Sauls Representative Mitchell Setzer Representative Phil Shepard Representative Michael Speciale Representative Sarah Stevens Representative Larry C. Strickland Representative John Szoka Representative John Torbett Representative Rena Turner Representative Harry J. Warren Representative Donna McDowell White Representative Larry Yarborough Organizations Susan B. Anthony List[34] North Carolina Values Coalition[35]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Roy Cooper (D)	Dan Forest (R)	Other / Undecided
East Carolina University	August 12–13, 2020	1,255	± 3.2%	52%	38%	10%
Emerson College	August 8–10, 2020	673	± 3.8%	50%	44%	7%
Harper Polling/Civitas (R)	August 6–10, 2020	600	± 4.0%	49%	39%	13%[lower-alpha 2]
Public Policy Polling	July 23–24, 2020	884	± 3.4%	53%	42%	5%
Cardinal Point Analytics (R)	July 22–24, 2020	735	± 3.6%	46%	46%	8%[lower-alpha 3]
Redfield & Wilton Strategies	July 19–23, 2020	919	± 3.2%	51%	37%	12%
NBC News/Marist	July 14–22, 2020	882	± 4.0%	58%	38%	4%
Cardinal Point Analytics (R)	July 13–15, 2020	547	± 4.2%	49%	46%	5%[lower-alpha 4]
East Carolina University	June 22–25, 2020	1,149	± 3.4%	49%	38%	13%[lower-alpha 5]
Public Policy Polling	June 22–23, 2020	1,157	± 2.9%	50%	41%	10%[lower-alpha 6]
NYT Upshot/Siena College	June 8–18, 2020	653	± 4.1%	50%	39%	11%[lower-alpha 7]
Gravis Marketing (R)	June 17, 2020	631	± 3.9%	46%	46%	8%
Redfield & Wilton Strategies	June 14–17, 2020	902	± 3.6%	52%	31%	17%[lower-alpha 8]
Public Policy Polling	June 2–3, 2020	913	± 3.2%	50%	39%	11%[lower-alpha 9]
Harper Polling/Civitas (R)	May 26–28, 2020	500	± 4.4%	49%	37%	14%[lower-alpha 10]
Neighbourhood Research & Media	May 12–21, 2020	391	–	47%	35%	18%
Meeting Street Insights (R)	May 9–13, 2020	500	–	55%	37%	8%
East Carolina University	May 7–9, 2020	1,111	± 3.4%	51%	36%	13%
Civiqs/Daily Kos (D)	May 2–4, 2020	1,362	± 3.0%	53%	44%	3%
Meredith College	April 27–28, 2020	604	± 4.0%	52%	32%	16%
SurveyUSA	April 23–26, 2020	580	± 5.4%	57%	30%	13%
Public Policy Polling	April 20–21, 2020	1,275	± 3.2%	53%	40%	7%
Garin-Hart-Yang/Put NC First (D)	April 13–18, 2020	800	± 3.5%	55%	36%	9%
Public Policy Polling	April 14–15, 2020	1,318	± 3.4%	50%	36%	13%
Harper Polling/Civitas (R)	April 5–7, 2020	500	± 4.4%	50%	33%	17%
East Carolina University	February 27–28, 2020	1,288	± 3.2%	49%	41%	10%
Harper Polling/Civitas (R)	October 15–17, 2019	500	± 4.4%	46%	36%	18%
Meredith College	September 29 – October 7, 2019	996	± 3.0%	46%	33%	21%
Harper Polling/Civitas (R)	August 1–4, 2019	500	± 4.4%	48%	36%	16%
Public Policy Polling	June 17–18, 2019	610	± 4.0%	45%	41%	14%
Harper Polling (R)	June 8–10, 2019	500	± 4.4%	47%	37%	16%
Emerson College	May 31 – June 3, 2019	932	± 3.1%	52%	38%	10%
Spry Strategies (R)[upper-alpha 1]	May 25 – June 1, 2019	730	± 3.5%	40%	44%	16%
Public Policy Polling	January 4–7, 2019	750	± 3.6%	47%	35%	18%

Hypothetical polling

with Holly Grange Poll source Date(s) administered Sample size Margin of error Roy Cooper (D) Holly Grange (R) Other / Undecided East Carolina University February 27–28, 2020 1,288 ± 3.2% 49% 33% 18% Harper Polling/Civitas (R) October 15–17, 2019 500 ± 4.4% 46% 27% 27% Harper Polling/Civitas (R) August 1–4, 2019 500 ± 4.4% 48% 30% 22% with Phil Berger Poll source Date(s) administered Sample size Margin of error Roy Cooper (D) Phil Berger (R) Other / Undecided Public Policy Polling June 17–18, 2019 610 ± 4.0% 46% 39% 16% Public Policy Polling January 4–7, 2019 750 ± 3.6% 48% 34% 18% with Pat McCrory Poll source Date(s) administered Sample size Margin of error Roy Cooper (D) Pat McCrory (R) Other / Undecided Harper Polling/Civitas (R) October 15–17, 2019 500 ± 4.4% 44% 38% 18% Harper Polling/Civitas (R) August 1–4, 2019 500 ± 4.4% 47% 38% 14% Public Policy Polling January 4–7, 2019 750 ± 3.6% 45% 41% 14% with Tim Moore Poll source Date(s) administered Sample size Margin of error Roy Cooper (D) Tim Moore (R) Other / Undecided Public Policy Polling June 17–18, 2019 610 ± 4.0% 46% 38% 16% Public Policy Polling January 4–7, 2019 750 ± 3.6% 46% 32% 22% with Thom Tillis Poll source Date(s) administered Sample size Margin of error Roy Cooper (D) Thom Tillis (R) Other / Undecided Public Policy Polling January 4–7, 2019 750 ± 3.6% 46% 37% 17%

Results

2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Roy Cooper (incumbent)
	Republican	Dan Forest
	Libertarian	Steven J. DiFiore
	Constitution	Al Pisano
	Write-in
Total votes				100.0%

Notes

Partisan clients

1. Poll sponsored by the North Carolina Republican Party

General

1. Key:
   A – all adults
   RV – registered voters
   LV – likely voters
   V – unclear
2. Pisano and DiFiore with 1% each; 11% undecided
3. Pisano with 0.9%, DiFiore with 0.7% and 5.9% undecided
4. Undecided with 3.7%; DiFore with 0.5%; Pisano with 0.4%
5. Undecided with 8%; "Some other candidate" with 5%
6. Undecided with 10%
7. Undecided with 10%; "Another candidate" with 1%; would not vote with 0%
8. Undecided with 14%; "Third party/write-in" with 3%
9. Undecided with 11%
10. Undecided with 13%; Pisano with 1%; DiFiore with <1%

References

1. @RoyCooperNC (December 5, 2019). "I've officially filed for re-election! Together, we've made real progress, but there is more work to be done. If you're with me, sign up to join our team → act.roycooper.com/join-our-team" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. North Carolina General Assembly
3. Robertson, Gary D. (December 20, 2019). "N Carolina candidates rush for legislature, Meadows' seat". Raleigh News & Observer. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
4. "North Carolina State Primary Election Results 2020". North Carolina Board of Elections. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
5. "Dan Forest will hold campaign kick off rally in August". North State Journal. July 10, 2019. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
6. Murphy, Brian; Specht, Paul (July 18, 2019). "State lawmaker, Army veteran Grange joins Republican race for governor". www.newsobserver.com. The News & Observer.
7. Fain, Travis (December 19, 2019). "No gubernatorial run for McCrory, but he's eyeing US Senate in 2022". WRAL. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
8. Murphy, Brian (October 4, 2017). "Forest isn't officially running yet, but he's earned a big endorsement for governor". The News & Observer. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
9. Dan Forest. "#ncpol". Twitter.
10. Murphy, Brian (October 4, 2017). "Forest isn't officially running yet, but he's earned a big endorsement for governor". The News & Observer.
11. Dan Forest. "#NCpol". Twitter.
12. Forest, Dan (February 26, 2020). "The Carolina's united! Honored to have the support of South Carolina Governor @henrymcmaster - great event in Charlotte last night. #Forest2020 #RunForestRun #ncpol #ncgov #RFRpic.twitter.com/TAO3GQHie5".
13. "Dan Forest".
14. {{Cite web|url=https://www.ncvalues.org/dan_forest%7Ctitle=Dan Forest for Governor
15. "North Carolina State Primary Election Results 2020". North Carolina Board of Elections. June 3, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
16. "State Board of Elections: Candidate list by contest" (PDF).
17. Batten, Taylor. "For bedrock conservatives, an alternative to the Republican Party". Charlotte Observer.
18. "2020 Governor Race ratings". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
19. "Gubernatorial Ratings | Inside Elections". insideelections.com. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
20. "2020 Governor". Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball. 2019-08-22. Retrieved 2019-09-26.
21. "We rated every gubernatorial race in 2020. Here's who we think will win". Poltico. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
22. "2020 Governor Race Ratings". Daily Kos. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
23. "2020 Govenor's Races". RealClearPolitics. June 13, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
24. Obama, Barack (August 3, 2020). "First Wave of 2020 Endorsements". Medium.
25. https://twitter.com/PhilMurphyNJ/status/1235020698365677568
26. Merica, Dan (May 13, 2020). "Buttigieg highlights importance of local officials in first post-campaign endorsements". CNN. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
27. https://twitter.com/RoyCooperNC/status/1280522744904458247
28. "Equality North Carolina Releases Final Round Of 2020 Electoral Endorsements". Equality NC. April 23, 2020.
29. Spike Cohen [@RealSpikeCohen] (June 29, 2020). "Steven DiFiore is running for Governor of North Carolina, because he believes that with the right kind of leadership, NC can be one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family. Follow him at @Steve4Gov! StevenForNorthCarolina.com" (Tweet). Retrieved July 3, 2020 – via Twitter.
30. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1278830005422874624
31. Murphy, Brian (October 4, 2017). "Forest isn't officially running yet, but he's earned a big endorsement for governor". The News & Observer.
32. https://twitter.com/NCGOP/status/1273994173885054984
33. Forest, Dan (February 26, 2020). "The Carolina's united! Honored to have the support of South Carolina Governor @henrymcmaster - great event in Charlotte last night. #Forest2020 #RunForestRun #ncpol #ncgov #RFRpic.twitter.com/TAO3GQHie5".
34. "Dan Forest".
35. "Dan Forest for Governor".

External links

Official campaign websites

• Roy Cooper (D) for Governor
• Dan Forest (R) for Governor