North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2012

| North Carolina's 2012 elections

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North Carolina gubernatorial election

Primary Date:
May 8, 2012
General Election Date:
November 6, 2012

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State Executive Elections
State executive official elections in 2012

The North Carolina gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2012. The primary election was held on May 8, 2012.

Early in the 2012 election cycle, the race appeared to be shaping up as a rematch of the 2008 contest, in which Beverly Perdue narrowly defeated Pat McCrory with approximately 50 percent of the vote. That shifted in January 2012 when Governor Perdue announced she would not seek a second term. Perdue, a first-term Democrat and the first woman to serve as governor of North Carolina, had been declining in the polls and was preparing to introduce a budget that included a proposed sales tax increase to fund education. In explaining her decision, Perdue stated that a re-election campaign would "only further politicize the fight to adequately fund our schools."[1]

Walter Dalton, who was serving as lieutenant governor under Perdue, announced his candidacy for governor the day following her decision not to seek re-election.[2] Dalton defeated former Congressman Bob Etheridge and four other candidates to secure the Democratic nomination.

Pat McCrory won the Republican primary against five challengers and then defeated Dalton in the general election on November 6, 2012.

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# General election[edit]

## Candidates[edit]

Walter Dalton (Democrat)
Pat McCrory (Republican)
Barbara Howe (Libertarian)

## Results[edit]

Governor of North Carolina General Election, 2012

Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes
| Democratic  |  Walter Dalton  | 43.2% | 1,931,580
| Republican  | Pat McCrory | 54.6% | 2,440,707
| Libertarian  |  Barbara Howe  | 2.1% | 94,652
| Write-in  |  Various | 0% | 1,356
Total Votes | 4,468,295
Election results via NC State Board of Elections

# Primary election[edit]

## Democratic[edit]

Governor of North Carolina Democratic Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Walter Dalton | 45.9% | 428,475
Bob Etheridge | 38% | 354,923
Bill Faison | 5.6% | 52,179
Gardenia Henley | 5.2% | 48,982
Gary M. Dunn | 2.9% | 27,358
Bruce Blackmon | 2.4% | 22,370
Total Votes | 934,287
Election results via The North Carolina Board of Elections.

## Republican[edit]

Governor of North Carolina Republican Primary, 2012

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Pat McCrory | 83.4% | 748,180
Paul Wright | 5.3% | 47,403
Scott Jones | 3.5% | 31,191
James Mahan | 3.4% | 30,056
Jim Harney | 3% | 26,485
Charles Moss | 1.5% | 13,822
Total Votes | 897,137
Election results via The North Carolina Board of Elections.

## Former candidates[edit]

* Doug Schell

# Background[edit]

2013 →

<- 2011

2012
State Executive Official Elections

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News • Calendar

## Key dates[edit]

Deadline  | Event

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Feb. 13 - Feb. 29 | Statewide candidate filing
Apr. 13 | Voter registration for primary election
May 8 | Primary election
Oct. 12 | Voter registration for general election
Nov. 6 | General election

## Race ratings[edit]

2012 Race Rankings - North Carolina Governor

Race Tracker  | Race Rating  |
The Cook Political Report[3] | Toss-up  |
Governing Politics[4] | Lean Republican  |
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball[5] | Toss-up  |
Rasmussen Reports Gubernatorial Scorecard[6] | No prediction yet  |
The Rothenberg Political Report[7] | Lean Republican  |
Overall Call |  |

# Polls[edit]

Contents

1 General
2 Primary
2.1 Democratic
2.2 Republican

## General election polls[edit]

### Without Barbara Howe (Libertarian candidate)[edit]

Governor of North Carolina (Dalton and McCrory only)

Poll | Walter Dalton | Pat McCrory| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Rasmussen Reports
October 9, 2012
| 38%| 52%| 10%| +/-4.5| 500
Rasmussen Reports
September 13, 2012
| 38%| 51%| 10%| +/-4.5| 500
Elon University
August 25-30, 2012
| 37%| 52%| 11%| +/-3.0| 1,089
Rasmussen Reports
June 25, 2012
| 35%| 49%| 12%| +/-4.5| 500
NBC News/Marist
June 24-25, 2012
| 41%| 43%| 17%| +/-3.1| 1,208
Public Policy Polling
June 7-10, 2012
| 40%| 47%| 13%| +/-3.4| 810
Public Policy Polling
May 10-13, 2012
| 40%| 46%| 13%| +/-3.8| 666
AVERAGES|  38.43%|  48.57%|  12.29%|  +/-3.83|  753.29
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

### With Barbara Howe (Libertarian candidate)[edit]

Governor of North Carolina (all 3 candidates)

Poll | Walter Dalton | Pat McCrory| Barbara Howe| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling
October 29-31, 2012
| 39%| 50%| 4%| 7%| +/-3.6| 730
Public Policy Polling (dead link)
October 23-25, 2012
| 37%| 50%| 5%| 8%| +/-3.3| 880
Public Policy Polling
October 12-14, 2012
| 37%| 47%| 5%| 11%| +/-3.0| 1,084
Public Policy Polling
September 27-30
| 37%| 47%| 5%| 11%| +/-3.1| 981
Civitas Institute
September 18-19
| 38%| 49%| 2%| 9%| +/-4| 600
Public Policy Polling
August 31–September 2
| 39%| 45%| 5%| 11%| +/-3.1| 1,012
Public Policy Polling
August 2-5, 2012
| 38%| 45%| 7%| 11%| +/-3.4| 813
Civitas Institute
July 16-18, 2012
| 37%| 47%| 6%| 10%| +/-4.0| 600
Public Policy Polling
July 5-8, 2012
| 36%| 43%| 9%| 12%| +/-3.5| 775
Civitas Institute
June 29 - July 1, 2012
| 44%| 46%| 7%| 3%| +/-4.2| 558
AVERAGES|  38.2%|  46.9%|  5.5%|  9.3%|  +/-3.52|  803.3
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Between March 8th and 11th, Public Policy Polling surveyed 804 North Carolina voters. The respondents were give hypothetical match-ups between Pat McCrory and the Democratic candidates, and asked which of the two candidates they would vote for.[8]

Hypothetical match-ups for Governor of North Carolina

| Bruce Blackmon| Walter Dalton| Bob Etheridge| Gardenia Henley
Percent of the vote| 33%| 35%| 36%| 29%
Pat McCrory's percent of the vote| 48%| 46%| 46%| 49%
Undecided| 18%| 19%| 18%| 22%

On April 10, 2012, Pulse Opinion Research, LLC, conducted a telephone survey of 500 likely voters in North Carolina on behalf of Rasmussen Reports. Similar to the Public Policy Polling survey cited above, respondents were given three separate hypothetical situations that matched presumptive Republican candidate Pat McCrory and three Democratic candidates and asked how they would vote in each if the election were held that day.[9]

Hypothetical match-ups for Governor of North Carolina

| Walter Dalton| Bob Etheridge| Bill Faison
Percent of the vote| 36%| 35%| 30%
Pat McCrory's percent of the vote| 45%| 46%| 47%

## Primary polls[edit]

### Democratic[edit]

Democratic candidates for Governor of North Carolina

Poll | Bruce Blackmon | Walter Dalton| Gary Dunn| Bob Etheridge| Bill Faison| Gardenia Henley| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
John W. Pope Civitas Institute
April 20-23, 2012
| 3%| 32%| 3%| 27%| 4%| 2%| 27%| +/-4.7| 448
Public Policy Polling
April 20-22, 2012
| 4%| 26%| 4%| 25%| 5%| 2%| 35%| +/-4.4| 500
Public Policy Polling
March 23-March 25, 2012
| 5%| 15%| 4%| 26%| 3%| 2%| 45%| +/-4.36| 505
Public Policy Polling
February 29-March 1, 2012
| 5%| 19%| 2%| 26%| 2%| 4%| 41%| +/-4.4| 499
AVERAGES|  4.25%|  23%|  3.25%|  26%|  3.5%|  2.5%|  37%|  +/-4.47|  488
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Democratic candidates for Governor of North Carolina (Pre-filing deadline)

Poll | Walter Dalton | Bob Etheridge| Bill Faison| Dan Blue| Not sure| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling
February 3-5, 2012
| 22%| 25%| 6%| 7%| 40%| +/-4.9| 400
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

### Republican[edit]

Republican candidates for Governor of North Carolina

Poll | Jim Harney | Scott Jones| Jim Mahan| Pat McCrory| Charles Moss| Paul Wright| Undecided| Margin of error| Sample size
Public Policy Polling
March 22-25, 2012
| 2%| 1%| 3%| 64%| 2%| 0%| 28%| +/-4.1| 561
Public Policy Polling
February 29-March 1, 2012
| 3%| 2%| 2%| 57%| 1%| 0%| 35%| +/-4.8| 411
AVERAGES|  2.5%|  1.5%|  2.5%|  60.5%|  1.5%|  0%|  31.5%|  +/-4.45|  486
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

# Campaign sites and media[edit]

### Campaign sites[edit]

Democratic candidates:

* Walter Dalton
* Gary Dunn
* Bob Etheridge
* Bill Faison
* Gardenia Henley

Republican candidates:

* Scott Jones
* Pat McCrory
* Paul Wright

Libertarian candidate:

* Barbara Howe

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## Media[edit]

### Walter Dalton[edit]

### Pat McCrory[edit]

### Republican Governors Association[edit]

### North Carolina Citizens for Progress[edit]

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# Campaign finance[edit]

The North Carolina State Board of Elections administers campaign finance laws and maintains all records online.

## Walter Dalton[edit]

Walter Dalton Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
2012 First Quarter Report (Amended)[10]| June 15, 2012| $590,298.28| $657,847.68| $(577,789.82)| $670,356.14
Second Quarter Report[11]| July 11, 2012| $670,356.14| $1,053,979.05| $(1,009,992.83)| $714,342.36
Third Quarter Report[12]| October 20, 2012| $714,342.36| $1,434,293.91| $(1,880,402.41)| $268,233.86
| | | Running totals|
| | | $3,146,120.64| $(3,468,185.06)|

## Pat McCrory[edit]

Pat McCrory Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
First Quarter Report[13]| April 27, 2012| $2,049,467.25| $1,697,563.05| $(604,157.22)| $3,142,873.08
Second Quarter Report[14]| July 11, 2012| $3,142,873.08| $2,221,250.20| $(1,003,095.07)| $4,361,028.21
Third Quarter Report[15]| October 20, 2012| $4,361,028.21| $5,017,072.66| $(7,694,695.81)| $1,683,405.06
| | | Running totals|
| | | $8,935,885.91| $(9,301,948.1)|

## Barbara Howe[edit]

Barbara Howe Campaign Finance Reports

Report| Date Filed| Beginning Balance| Total Contributions
for Reporting Period| Expenditures| Cash on Hand
First Quarter Report[16]| April 27, 2012| $238.03| $16,725.00| $(62.57)| $16,900.46
Second Quarter Report[17]| July 11, 2012| $16,900.46| $5,694.60| $(5,954.47)| $16,640.59
Third Quarter Report[18]| October 20, 2012| $16,640.59| $108,910.68| $(76,091.59)| $49,459.68
| | | Running totals|
| | | $131,330.28| $(82,108.63)|

# News[edit]

* Gov. Beverly Perdue bows out of 2012 gubernatorial race; opens Democratic field January 26
* 68 days and counting until the North Carolina primary election: Do you know your state executive candidates? March 1
* State executive primary preview: More than Amendment One on the ballot in North Carolina tomorrow May 7
* Six of North Carolina's state executive races headed to a primary runoff May 9

## Additional reading[edit]

* WRAL, "2012 NC gubernatorial candidates on education policy"

## See also[edit]

* Governor of North Carolina
* Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina
* North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2012
* North Carolina state executive official elections, 2012
* North Carolina down ballot state executive elections, 2012
* State executive official elections, 2012

## External links[edit]

| Suggest a link

|

* North Carolina Governor's office
* North Carolina State Board of Elections

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Chicago Tribune, "NC Gov. Perdue gives up on 2nd term run; says it would politicize school funding fight," January 26, 2012
2. ↑ Watuga Democrat.com, "Walter Dalton announced run for governor," January 27, 2012
3. ↑ The Cook Political Report, “Governors: Race Ratings”
4. ↑ Governing Politics, “Looking Ahead: The 2011-2012 Gubernatorial Landscape”, December 2, 2010
5. ↑ Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball', “2011 Governor Ratings”
6. ↑ Rasmussen Reports', “Election 2010: Scorecard Ratings”
7. ↑ Rothenberg Political Report, “Governor Ratings”
8. ↑ Public Policy Polling, "McCrory tops Etheridge, Dalton by ten to eleven points," accessed March 19, 2012
9. ↑ '"Rasmussen Reports, "Election 2012:North Carolina Governor," accessed April 24, 2012
10. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Walter Dalton: First Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed July 18, 2012
11. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Walter Dalton: Second Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed July 18, 2012
12. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Walter Dalton: Third Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed October 31, 2012
13. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Pat McCrory: First Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed May 29, 2012
14. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Pat McCrory: Second Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed July 18, 2012
15. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Pat McCrory: Third Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed October 31, 2012
16. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Barbara Howe: First Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed May 29, 2012
17. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Barbara Howe: Second Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed July 18, 2012
18. ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Barbara Howe: Third Quarter Disclosure Report," accessed October 31, 2012

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