Governor of North Carolina

North Carolina Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$165,750
2025 FY Budget:	$6,771,035
Term limits:	Two consecutive terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	North Carolina Constitution, Article III, Section I
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder
Governor of North Carolina Roy Cooper Democratic Party Assumed office: 2017-01-01
Elections
Next election:	November 5, 2024
Last election:	November 3, 2020
Other North Carolina Executive Offices
Governor • Lieutenant Governor • Secretary of State • Attorney General • Treasurer • Auditor • Superintendent of Education • Agriculture Commissioner • Insurance Commissioner • Natural Resources Commissioner • Labor Commissioner • Public Service Commission

The Governor of the State of North Carolina is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in North Carolina. The governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality and is limited to two consecutive terms.

North Carolina has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor, while the Republican Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.

North Carolina has a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also: North Carolina State Legislature, North Carolina House of Representatives, North Carolina State Senate

Current officer

The 75th and current governor is Roy Cooper (D). Cooper defeated Pat McCrory (R) in the general election on November 8, 2016. He assumed office on January 1, 2017.

Authority

The state Constitution addresses the office of the governor in Article III, the Executive Department.

Under Article III, Section I:

The executive power of the State shall be vested in the Governor.

Qualifications

State Executives
Current Governors
Gubernatorial Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014
Current Lt. Governors
Lt. Governor Elections
2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014

Candidates for the office of the governor must be:

• at least 30 years old
• a citizen of the United States for at least five years
• a resident of North Carolina for at least two years

Additionally, no governor-elect may take office until he or she has taken an oath before the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court.

Vacancies

See also: How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancies are addressed under Article III, Section 3.

The lieutenant Governor-elect takes office as the governor if the governor-elect fails to qualify. The lieutenant governor also takes over as governor any time the sitting governor dies, resigns, or is removed from office.

If the governor is absent or unable to discharge the office due to mental or physical illness, the lieutenant governor becomes the acting governor.

If the governor wishes to declare his or her temporary or permanent inability to discharge the office, he or she does so in writing, making a declaration to the attorney general. The governor may also resume the office by making a similar written declaration to the attorney general.

The General Assembly of North Carolina may take a vote and declare, by a two-thirds majority of both chambers, that the governor is unfit for the office by reason of mental incapacity. The legislature shall then give the governor notice and hear the case before a joint session. When the legislature is in recess, the General Council may convene for the same purpose and follow the same procedure.

Removing the governor from office for any other reason must be done as an impeachment.

Duties

Excepting the governor's use of the State Seal of North Carolina and the gubernatorial power to make vacancy appointments, all constitutional duties are laid out in Article III, Section 5.

The governor heads the Council of State. The governor is responsible for preparing and presenting the state budget to the General Assembly of North Carolina. Additionally, the governor of North Carolina has extensive powers of appointment of executive branch officials, some judges, and members of boards and commissions. The governor serves as commander-in-chief of the state military forces except in cases when they are deployed by the federal government.

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• Residing at the official residence of the Governor

• Making a periodic address to the state legislature concerning the state of North Carolina and giving recommendations to the legislature

• Regularly monitoring the state budget to ensure that principal and interest on bonds and notes are paid promptly, and "effect[ing] the necessary economies" if revenue will not be sufficient to meet expenditures

• Granting "reprieves, commutations, and pardons," not including convictions for impeachment

• Convening extraordinary sessions of the state legislature

• Appointing all offices "not otherwise provided for" subject to the approval of the Senate

• Requiring written information from the head of any administrative department or office on the state of the office

• Reorganizing the executive branch by making "such changes in the allocation of offices and agencies and in the allocation of those functions, powers, and duties as he considers necessary for efficient administration"

• Reconvening the regular session of the General Assembly, not more than 40 days after sine die, for the sole purpose of reconsidering bills vetoed by the Governor

• Keeping and using "The Great Seal of the State of North Carolina" and signing all commissions granted by the state of North Carolina (§ 10)

• Making vacancy appointments to all other executive offices established by the constitution, including interim appointments

Elections

North Carolina state government organizational chart

North Carolina elects governors in the presidential elections, that is, in leap years. For North Carolina, 2020, 2024, 2028, and 2032 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the gubernatorial inauguration is always set for the first day in the January following an election.

2024

See also: North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2024

General election

General election for Governor of North Carolina

Josh Stein, Mark K. Robinson, Wayne Turner, and Mike Ross are running in the general election for Governor of North Carolina on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate
		Josh Stein (D)
		Mark K. Robinson (R)
		Wayne Turner (G)
		Mike Ross (L)

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	There are no incumbents in this race.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina

Josh Stein defeated Michael R. Morgan, Chrelle Booker, Marcus Williams, and Gary Foxx in the Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Josh Stein	69.6	479,026
		Michael R. Morgan	14.3	98,627
		Chrelle Booker	6.7	46,045
		Marcus Williams	5.7	39,257
		Gary Foxx	3.7	25,283

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 688,238
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of North Carolina

Mark K. Robinson defeated Dale Folwell and Bill Graham in the Republican primary for Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark K. Robinson	64.8	666,504
		Dale Folwell	19.2	196,955
		Bill Graham	16.0	164,572

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,028,031
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Andy Wells (R)
• Mark Walker (R)
• Jesse Thomas (R)

Green primary election

The Green primary election was canceled. Wayne Turner advanced from the Green primary for Governor of North Carolina.

Libertarian primary election

Libertarian primary for Governor of North Carolina

Mike Ross defeated Shannon Bray in the Libertarian primary for Governor of North Carolina on March 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mike Ross	59.4	2,910
		Shannon Bray	40.6	1,985

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,895
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2020

See also: North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2020

General election

General election for Governor of North Carolina

Incumbent Roy Cooper defeated Dan Forest, Steven DiFiore II, and Al Pisano in the general election for Governor of North Carolina on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Roy Cooper (D)	51.5	2,834,790
		Dan Forest (R)	47.0	2,586,605
		Steven DiFiore II (L)	1.1	60,449
		Al Pisano (Constitution Party)	0.4	20,934

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,502,778
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina

Incumbent Roy Cooper defeated Ernest Reeves in the Democratic primary for Governor of North Carolina on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Roy Cooper	87.2	1,128,829
		Ernest Reeves	12.8	165,804

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,294,633
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of North Carolina

Dan Forest defeated Holly Grange in the Republican primary for Governor of North Carolina on March 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dan Forest	89.0	698,077
		Holly Grange	11.0	86,714

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 784,791
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2016

See also: North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2016

The general election for governor was held on November 8, 2016.

Roy Cooper defeated incumbent Pat McCrory and Lon Cecil in the North Carolina governor election.

North Carolina Governor, 2016
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Roy Cooper	49.02%	2,309,190
	Republican	Pat McCrory Incumbent	48.80%	2,298,927
	Libertarian	Lon Cecil	2.19%	102,986
Total Votes				4,711,103
Source: North Carolina Secretary of State

Term limits

See also: States with gubernatorial term limits

North Carolina governors are restricted to two consecutive terms in office, after which they must wait one term before being eligible to run again.

North Carolina Constitution, Article III, Section 2, Paragraph 2

No person elected to the office of Governor ... shall be eligible for election to more than two consecutive terms of the same office.

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan breakdown of North Carolina governors from 1992 to 2013.

Full history

To view the electoral history dating back to 2000 for the office of Governor of North Carolina, click [show] to expand the section.

2012 See also: North Carolina gubernatorial election, 2012 Bev Perdue (D) did not run for re-election. Pat McCrory (R) defeated Walter Dalton (D) in the November 6, 2012 general election. 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 2008 On November 4, 2008, Bev Perdue won election to the office of Governor of North Carolina. She defeated Pat McCrory and Michael Munger in the general election. Governor of North Carolina, 2008 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Bev Perdue 50.3% 2,146,189      Republican Pat McCrory 46.9% 2,001,168      Libertarian Michael C. Munger 2.8% 121,584 Total Votes 4,268,941 Election results via North Carolina State Board of Elections. 2004 On November 2, 2004, Mike Easley won re-election to the office of Governor of North Carolina. He defeated Patrick Ballantine and Barbara Howe in the general election. Governor of North Carolina, 2004 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Mike Easley Incumbent 55.6% 1,939,154      Republican Patrick J. Ballantine 42.9% 1,495,021      Libertarian Barbara Howe 1.5% 52,513 Total Votes 3,486,688 Election results via North Carolina State Board of Elections. 2000 On November 7, 2000, Mike Easley won election to the office of Governor of North Carolina. He defeated Richard Vinroot, Barbara Howe and Douglas Schell in the general election. Governor of North Carolina, 2000 Party Candidate Vote % Votes      Democratic Mike Easley 52% 1,530,324      Republican Richard Vinroot 46.3% 1,360,960      Libertarian Barbara Howe 1.5% 42,674      Reform Douglas Schell 0.3% 8,104 Total Votes 2,942,062 Election results via North Carolina State Board of Elections.

Fact checks

Fact check/Did recent bills limit North Carolina's gubernatorial powers? January 27, 2017

A Huffington Post article on North Carolina's legislative battles claimed that recently passed bills "drastically limit [Democratic Gov. Roy] Cooper’s ability to make appointments to various state boards and departments." Did recent bills "drastically limit" Gov. Cooper’s ability to make state board and department appointments? Read Ballotpedia's fact check »

Divisions

Note: Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of North Carolina has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, please email us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also: North Carolina state budget and finances

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies in October.
2. State agency budget requests are submitted in December.
3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to the North Carolina State Legislature in March.
4. The legislature adopts a budget between June and August. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
5. The biennial budget cycle begins in July.

North Carolina is one of six states in which the governor cannot exercise line item veto authority.

The governor is constitutionally and statutorily required to submit a balanced budget. Likewise, the legislature is constitutionally and statutorily required to pass a balanced budget.

Governor's office budget

The budget for the governor's office in Fiscal Year 2025 was $6,771,035.

Compensation

See also: Comparison of gubernatorial salaries and Compensation of state executive officers

The governor, along with the rest of North Carolina's elected executives, is entitled to a fixed salary in accordance with Article III, Section 9 of the North Carolina Constitution:

The officers whose offices are established by this Article shall at stated periods receive the compensation and allowances prescribed by law, which shall not be diminished during the time for which they have been chosen.

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $165,750, according to the Council of State Governments.

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $154,743, according to the Council of State Governments.

2020

In 2020, the governor received a salary of $150,969, according to the Council of State Governments.

2019

In 2019, the governor received a salary of $144,349, according to the Council of State Governments.

2018

In 2018, the governor received a salary of $144,349, according to the Council of State Governments.

2017

In 2017, the governor received a salary of $144,349, according to the Council of State Governments.

2016

In 2016, the governor received a salary of $142,265, according to the Council of State Governments.

2015

In 2015, the governor's salary was increased to $142,265, according to the Council of State Governments.

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $141,265, according to the Council of State Governments.

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary was increased to $141,265.

2010

In 2010, the governor was paid $139,590 a year, the 20th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Historical officeholders

There have been 75 governors of North Carolina since 1776. Of the 75 officeholders, 39 were Democratic, 12 Democratic-Republican, eight Republican, five Federalists, five Whigs, four with no party, and two Anti-Federalists.

List of officeholders from 1776-present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Richard Caswell	1776 - 1780	No Party
2	Abner Nash	1780 - 1781	No Party
3	Thomas Burke	1781 - 1782	No Party
4	Alexander Martin	1782 - 1785	Federalist
5	Richard Caswell	1785 – 1787	No Party
6	Samuel Johnston	1787 - 1789	Federalist
7	Alexander Martin	1789 – 1792	Federalist
8	Richard Dobbs Spaight	1792 - 1795	Anti-Federalist
9	Samuel Ashe	1795 - 1798	Anti-Federalist
10	William Richardson Davie	1798 - 1799	Federalist
11	Benjamin Williams	1799 - 1802	Democratic-Republican
12	James Turner	1802 - 1805	Democratic-Republican
13	Nathaniel Alexander	1805 - 1807	Democratic-Republican
14	Benjamin Williams	1807 – 1808	Democratic-Republican
15	David Stone	1808 - 1810	Democratic-Republican
16	Benjamin Smith	1810 - 1811	Democratic-Republican
17	William Hawkins	1811 - 1814	Democratic-Republican
18	William Miller	1814 - 1817	Democratic-Republican
19	John Branch	1817 - 1820	Democratic-Republican
20	Jesse Franklin	1820 - 1821	Democratic-Republican
21	Gabriel Holmes	1821 - 1824	Democratic-Republican
22	Hutchins Gordon Burton	1824 - 1827	Federalist
23	James Iredell	1827 - 1828	Democratic-Republican
24	John Owen	1828 - 1830	Democratic
25	Montfort Stokes	1830 - 1832	Democratic
26	David Lowry Swain	1832 - 1835	Whig
27	Richard Dobbs Spaight	1835 - 1836	Democratic
28	Edward Bishop Dudley	1836 - 1841	Whig
29	John Motley Morehead	1841 - 1845	Whig
30	William Alexander Graham	1845 - 1849	Whig
31	Charles Manly	1849 - 1850	Whig
32	David Settle Reid	1851 - 1854	Democratic
33	Warren Winslow	1854 - 1855	Democratic
34	Thomas Bragg	1855 - 1859	Democratic
35	John Willis Ellis	1859 - 1861	Democratic
36	Henry Toole Clark	1861 - 1862	Democratic
37	Zebulon Baird Vance	1862 - 1865	Democratic
38	William Woods Holden	1865 - 1865	Republican
39	Jonathan Worth	1865 - 1868	Democratic
40	William Woods Holden	1868 – 1870	Republican
41	Tod Robinson Caldwell	1870 - 1874	Republican
42	Curtis Hooks Brogden	1874 - 1877	Republican
43	Zebulon Baird Vance	1877 – 1879	Democratic
44	Thomas Jordan Jarvis	1879 - 1885	Democratic
45	Alfred Moore Scales	1885 - 1889	Democratic
46	Daniel Gould Fowle	1889 - 1891	Democratic
47	Thomas Michael Holt	1891 - 1893	Democratic
48	Elias Carr	1893 - 1897	Democratic
49	Daniel Lindsay Russell	1897 - 1901	Republican
50	Charles Brantley Aycock	1901 - 1905	Democratic
51	Robert Broadnax Glenn	1905 - 1909	Democratic
52	William Walton Kitchin	1909 - 1913	Democratic
53	Locke Craig	1913 - 1917	Democratic
54	Thomas Walter Bickett	1917 - 1921	Democratic
55	Cameron A. Morrison	1921 - 1925	Democratic
56	Angus Wilton Mclean	1925 - 1929	Democratic
57	Oliver Max Gardner	1929 - 1933	Democratic
58	John Christopher Blucher Ehringhaus	1933 - 1937	Democratic
59	Clyde Roark Hoey	1937 - 1941	Democratic
60	Joseph Melville Broughton	1941 - 1945	Democratic
61	Robert Gregg Cherry	1945 - 1949	Democratic
62	William Kerr Scott	1949 - 1953	Democratic
63	William Bradley Umstead	1953 - 1954	Democratic
64	Luther Hartwell Hodges	1954 - 1961	Democratic
65	James Terry Sanford	1961 - 1965	Democratic
66	Dan Killian Moore	1965 - 1969	Democratic
67	Robert Walter Scott	1969 - 1973	Democratic
68	James E. Holshouser	1973 - 1977	Republican
69	James B. Hunt	1977 - 1985	Democratic
70	James G Martin	1985 - 1993	Republican
71	James B. Hunt	1993 – 2001	Democratic
72	Michael F. Easley	2001 - 2009	Democratic
73	Bev Perdue	2009 - 2013	Democratic
74	Pat McCrory	2013 – 2017	Republican
75	Roy Cooper	2017 – present	Democratic

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also: Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States and Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, North Carolina

Partisan breakdown of the North Carolina governorship from 1992-2013

From 1992 to 2013 in North Carolina, there were Democratic governors in office for 20 years, while there were Republican governors in office the two years, including the final year (2013). North Carolina is one of seven states that were run by a Democratic governor for more than 80 percent of the years between 1992 and 2013. North Carolina was under a Republican trifecta for the final year of the study period.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of North Carolina, the North Carolina State Senate and the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and Partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the North Carolina state government and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI) ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. During the years of the study, North Carolina experienced many years under a Democratic trifecta, from 1993 to 1994 and from 1999 to 2010. In 2013, however, this trend switched, and the state experienced a Republican trifecta instead. North Carolina's SQLI rating was in the 30s for most of the years of the study, with its lowest ranking in 2003, finishing 41st. However, in more recent years of the study, the state's ranking improved. Its highest ranking was 11th in 2011 during a divided government.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 30.08
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: N/A
• SQLI average with divided government: 30.89

Chart displaying the partisanship of North Carolina government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Noteworthy events

Conflicts between Gov. Roy Cooper and the General Assembly of North Carolina

See also: Conflicts between Gov. Roy Cooper and the General Assembly of North Carolina

Former Gov. Pat McCrory (R)

The 2016 election changed the political landscape of North Carolina. Before the election, Republicans held a state government trifecta, meaning they controlled the governor's office and both chambers of the legislature. As a result of the 2016 election, however, Democrats took control of the governor's office, while Republicans held a 35-15 majority in the Senate and a 74-46 majority in the House, giving them the three-fifths majority needed in each chamber to override gubernatorial vetoes. In losing the 2016 election, incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory (R) became the first North Carolina governor in North Carolina history to lose in a bid for re-election. He was defeated by North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper (D) by 10,263 votes. McCrory did not concede the race until almost a month after the election. He requested a recount since unofficial vote totals had him within 10,000 votes of Cooper.

Gov. Roy Cooper (D)

Following McCrory's concession, conflicts began to emerge between Cooper and the General Assembly of North Carolina. Before Cooper (D) was sworn in, the Republican-controlled legislature began passing legislation that Democrats argued was intended to curtail the governor's power. Legislation included efforts to restructure the state board of elections, to require Senate approval of cabinet-level appointments, and to decrease the number of governor-appointed judges on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue (D) said of the legislation, "What we’re dealing with is a political disaster. Let’s deal with the reality: It’s a power grab. If McCrory had won the election, we wouldn’t be here now, reducing the number of positions he has control over." Cooper said that the legislation had been "unconstitutional and anything but bipartisan."

Republicans maintained that the legislation had been discussed for years and that it was returning power to the legislature that was taken away by Democrats years before. Sen. Chad Barefoot (R) said the legislation returned "power that was grabbed during Democratic administrations in the 1990s, and some in the '70s." Republican Rep. David Lewis said of the legislation, "I think, to be candid with you, that you will see the General Assembly look to reassert its constitutional authority in areas that may have been previously delegated to the executive branch."

	Fact checks:
• Did recent bills limit North Carolina's gubernatorial powers?
• Did the North Carolina legislature eliminate state supreme court oversight of the General Assembly?

The following timeline details some of the conflicts between Gov. Roy Cooper (D) and the General Assembly of North Carolina during Cooper's first two years in office. Some legislation highlighted in the timeline are bills that Cooper said were intended to undermine his authority as governor. Timeline of conflicts between Gov. Cooper and the legislature Date Event December 27, 2018 The legislature overturned the governor's veto of HB 1029. HB 1029 included provisions to restructure the state Board of Elections and authorize the board to call for new primary elections. It also established a four-year statute of limitations on investigations into campaign finance violations. November 6, 2018 Voters rejected the Legislative Appointments to Elections Board Amendment and Judicial Selection for Midterm Vacancies Amendment, which would have transferred some of the governor's powers to the state legislature. October 16, 2018 A three-judge panel on the Wake County Superior Court ruled that parts of Senate Bill 68 and House Bill 90 were unconstitutional. The court said the laws violated the separation of powers clause. August 4, 2018 The General Assembly of North Carolina overrode Gov. Cooper's veto of SB 3 and HB 3. SB 3 prohibits North Carolina Supreme Court candidates from running with a party affiliation if they registered with the party less than 90 days before the filing deadline. HB 3 transfers the responsibility of writing ballot measure titles from the Constitutional Amendments Publication Commission to the General Assembly. June 28, 2018 The General Assembly of North Carolina referred the Judicial Selection for Midterm Vacancies Amendment to the ballot for the election on November 6, 2018. Two Republicans voted against the amendment, meaning 106 of 108 non-absent Republicans voted for the amendment. No Democrats supported the amendment. The measure would remove the governor's power to fill judicial vacancies and instead require a commission to develop a list of candidates, legislators to narrow the list down to two candidates, and the governor to select the final nominee. June 27, 2018 The General Assembly of North Carolina referred the Legislative Appointments to Elections Board and Commissions Amendment to the ballot for the election on November 6, 2018. More than 99 percent (106/107) of Republican legislators supported the amendment. One Democrat supported the amendment. The measure would remove the governor's power to make appointments to the elections and ethics board, meaning legislative leaders would make all eight appointments to the board, and provide that the legislature controls the powers, duties, appointments, and terms of office for state boards and commissions. June 20, 2018 The General Assembly of North Carolina overrode Gov. Cooper's veto of SB 486 and SB 757. SB 486 barred candidates who sought, but failed, to secure the nomination of a political party from running as a third-party candidate in the general election. It also required criminal background checks for election workers and directed judges to list political affiliation on the ballot. SB 757 changed judicial elections in Wake and Mecklenburg counties into districtwide, rather than countywide, elections. June 12, 2018 The General Assembly of North Carolina overturned Gov. Cooper's veto of Senate Bill 99, a $23.9 billion budget bill. Cooper had vetoed the bill on June 6, 2018. March 16, 2018 Gov. Cooper allowed House Bill 90 to become law without his signature. HB 90 proposed changing the number and partisan affiliation of state board of elections members. March 13, 2018 Gov. Cooper filed a motion challenging House Bill 90. The bill proposed changing the state board of elections. January 26, 2018 The North Carolina Supreme Court reversed a lower court's decision that Senate Bill 68 was constitutional. The supreme court returned the case to the lower court for a second decision. October 17, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina adjourned its 2017 session. In total, Gov. Cooper vetoed 13 bills in 2017. Republicans used their veto-proof majority in the legislature to override 10 vetoes. August 30, 2017 The North Carolina state legislature voted to override House Bill 770. HB 770, which is composed of multiple law changes, would reduce Gov. Cooper's power to appoint members to the North Carolina Medical Board. Cooper had six appointments to the board, but HB 770 removed two of Cooper's appointments and let legislative leaders choose the two members instead. Cooper called it "an intrusion on executive authority." The bill also clarified that state employees can draw another salary for additional work on the state’s Property Tax Commission. (House vote: 71-44; Senate vote: 30-9) August 14, 2017 Gov. Cooper vetoed a regulatory bill (Senate Bill 16) and a bill that would decrease Cooper's power to appoint members to the North Carolina Medical Board. Cooper had six appointments to the board, but House Bill 770 took away two of Cooper's appointments and let legislative leaders choose the two members. Cooper called it "an intrusion on executive authority." August 8, 2017 Gov. Cooper expanded his May 2017 lawsuit. He filed a legal brief on August 8 over provisions in the budget that he called unconstitutional. One provision required the governor to include money in future budget proposals for a school voucher program. Another provision directed how to spend federal block grants and the state's share of the Volkswagen settlement. Jim Phillips, Gov. Cooper's attorney, wrote in the lawsuit, "By dictating what the governor must include in his proposed budget, the General Assembly is exercising core executive power in violation of separation of powers." June 28, 2017 Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed Senate Bill 257, the $23 billion budget. The Senate voted 34-14 and the House voted 76-43 to override the veto. The spending plan became law. June 21, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina passed a $23 billion budget. The budget included a provision that limits Gov. Cooper's ability to hire private lawyers to challenge legislation passed by the Republican-led legislature. It also transferred the state Industrial Commission, which was under control of an agency in Gov. Cooper's cabinet, to the state insurance commissioner. This position was held by a Republican. (House vote: 77-40; Senate vote: 39-11) June 15, 2017 A three-judge panel rejected Gov. Cooper's request to block Senate Bill 68 pending his appeal. Senate Bill 68 proposed merging the state elections board and ethics commission and splitting the new board between Democrats and Republicans. On June 1, 2017, a three-judge panel unanimously dismissed Gov. Cooper’s lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of Senate Bill 68. June 8, 2017 The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the federal court decision in North Carolina v. Covington on June 5, 2017. In August 2016, a federal court ordered 28 state legislative district maps in North Carolina to be redrawn because they misrepresented the racial groups living in the districts. In reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) called a special session of the legislature to begin on June 8, 2017, to redraw the state’s legislative district maps. The General Assembly of North Carolina voted on June 8, 2017, to cancel the special session because Cooper did not have the constitutional authority to call the session because there was not an “extraordinary occasion" to call a special session, as required by the state constitution. June 1, 2017 A three-judge panel in North Carolina unanimously dismissed Gov. Cooper’s lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of Senate Bill 68. In April 2017, Gov. Roy Cooper (D) filed a lawsuit to block the bill from taking effect after the legislature overrode his veto of the bill. The legislation proposed merging the state elections board and ethics commission and split the new board between Democrats and Republicans. May 26, 2017 Gov. Cooper filed his third lawsuit against the Republican-led legislature over his appointment powers. He sued over House Bill 239, which reduced the number of judges on the appellate bench from 15 to 12. The legislation also prohibited Gov. Cooper from filling the next three vacancies on the court and required them to go unfilled. He also sued over a section of Senate Bill 4, which gave then-Gov. Pat McCrory the power to make a one-time appointment to fill a vacancy on the state Industrial Commission for a six-year term plus the unexpired portion of the commissioner’s term. April 28, 2017 A three-judge panel temporarily blocked Senate Bill 68. This legislation proposed merging the state elections board and ethics commission and split the new board between Democrats and Republicans. A law similar to Senate Bill 68 was ruled unconstitutional on March 17, 2017. April 26, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina voted to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of House Bill 239. The legislation reduced the number of judges on the appellate bench from 15 to 12. The legislation also prohibited Gov. Cooper from filling the next three vacancies on the court and required them to go unfilled. (Senate vote: 34-15; House vote: 73-44) Gov. Cooper filed a lawsuit to block Senate Bill 68 from taking effect. April 25, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina voted to override Gov. Cooper’s veto of Senate Bill 68. The legislation proposed merging the state elections board and ethics commission and split the new board between Democrats and Republicans. A three-judge panel found a law similar to Senate Bill 68 unconstitutional on March 17, 2017. Lawyers for House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger filed motions with the court asking that previous rulings on the merging of the two boards be vacated. (Senate vote: 33-15; House vote: 75-44.) April 24, 2017 Judge Doug McCullough, a Republican, retired early from the appellate bench so that Gov. Cooper (D) could appoint his replacement. McCullough said at his retirement announcement, "I did not want my legacy to be the elimination of a seat and the impairment of a court that I have served on." Cooper appointed Democrat John Arrowood to the bench. House Bill 239, which Cooper vetoed on April 21, 2017, reduced the number of judges on the appellate bench from 15 to 12. The legislation also prohibited Gov. Cooper from filling the next three vacancies on the court and would require them to go unfilled. April 21, 2017 Gov. Cooper (D) vetoed House Bill 239 and Senate Bill 68. April 11, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina sent House Bill 239 and Senate Bill 68 to Gov. Cooper. March 23, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina voted to override Gov. Cooper's veto of House Bill 100. The law made Superior Court and District Court judicial elections partisan. North Carolina became the seventh state to enact partisan judicial elections. (Senate vote: 32-15; House vote: 74-44) March 17, 2017 A three-judge panel found two laws unconstitutional: Senate Bill 4, which would overhaul the state and county board of elections, and House Bill 17, which would cut the number of exempt employees that the governor could appoint. The court also found that House Bill 17, which required Senate approval of the governor's cabinet appointments, did not violate the constitution. March 16, 2017 Gov. Cooper (D) vetoed House Bill 100, which would have made Superior Court and District Court judicial elections partisan. March 8, 2017 The General Assembly of North Carolina passed House Bill 100. (House vote: 74-43; Senate vote: 32-15) February 14, 2017 A three-judge panel rejected Gov. Cooper's request to continue to block the law that required Senate confirmation of his cabinet appointments. (House Bill 17) February 13, 2017 The North Carolina Supreme Court reinstated the order to temporarily block the overhaul of the election boards. (Senate Bill 4) February 10, 2017 The North Carolina Court of Appeals temporarily reinstated Senate Bill 4. February 8, 2017 A three-judge panel temporarily blocked the North Carolina law that required Senate approval of the governor's cabinet appointments. (House Bill 17) January 10, 2017 Gov. Cooper amended his lawsuit against Senate Bill 4 to include elements of House Bill 17. Cooper looked to block the parts of the law that would require Senate approval of cabinet positions and the law that would reduce the number of people that the governor could appoint to exempt positions. January 5, 2017 A three-judge panel ruled that the law to overhaul the state and county board of elections would not take effect until Gov. Cooper's lawsuit was resolved. (Senate Bill 4) January 1, 2017 Cooper (D) was sworn in as the 75th governor of North Carolina. December 30, 2016 Cooper (D), as governor-elect, filed a lawsuit to block Senate Bill 4. Wake County Superior Court Judge Don Stephens temporarily blocked Senate Bill 4 from going into effect on January 1, 2017. December 19, 2016 Gov. McCrory (R) signed House Bill 17, which required the governor's cabinet appointments to be approved by the Senate and eliminated the governor's power to appoint members to the UNC board of trustees. The bill also reduced the number of people that the governor could appoint to exempt positions from 1,500 to 425. Jobs designated as exempt allow the governor to hire or fire state employees at will. The General Assembly of North Carolina passed House Bill 17 on December 16, 2016. (House vote: 61-23; Senate vote: 24-13) December 16, 2016 Gov. McCrory (R) signed Senate Bill 4 on December 16, 2016, less than an hour after it passed the legislature. The bill expanded the state board of elections from five to eight members and equally split the board's membership between Democrats and Republicans. Before the law, the governor appointed three of five members to the state board of elections and two of three members to each county board. After the law, the governor would appoint four of eight members to the state board of elections, while Republicans would pick the other four. The governor would also choose two members on each county board. Republicans would choose the other two members. The bill also made state Supreme Court elections partisan. (House vote: 63-27 vote; Senate vote: 26-12.) December 5, 2016 Gov. McCrory (R) conceded his bid for re-election to Roy Cooper (D). Cooper received 49.02% of the vote to McCrory's 48.80%. McCrory lost the race by 10,263 votes. Prior to the 2016 elections, Republicans controlled the Senate, House, and governor's office. As a result of the election, Republicans lost control of the governor's office and NC became one of 19 states under divided government. November 22, 2016 Gov. McCrory requested a recount by the state board of elections because unofficial vote totals had Gov. McCrory within 10,000 votes of Cooper. November 8, 2016 Gov. Pat McCrory (R) faced Roy Cooper (D) in the general election, but the race was too close to call on election night. Republicans gained one seat in the state Senate, and Democrats gained one seat in the state House in the November 2016 election. Following the election, Republicans held a 35-15 majority in the Senate and a 74-46 majority in the House.

State profile

Demographic data for North Carolina
	North Carolina	U.S.
Total population:	10,035,186	316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):	48,618	3,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:	69.5%	73.6%
Black/African American:	21.5%	12.6%
Asian:	2.5%	5.1%
Native American:	1.2%	0.8%
Pacific Islander:	0.1%	0.2%
Two or more:	2.4%	3%
Hispanic/Latino:	8.8%	17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:	85.8%	86.7%
College graduation rate:	28.4%	29.8%
Income
Median household income:	$46,868	$53,889
Persons below poverty level:	20.5%	11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in North Carolina. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in North Carolina

North Carolina voted Republican in five out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, six are located in North Carolina, accounting for 2.91 percent of the total pivot counties.

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. North Carolina had six Retained Pivot Counties, 3.31 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More North Carolina coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in North Carolina
• United States congressional delegations from North Carolina
• Public policy in North Carolina
• Influencers in North Carolina
• North Carolina fact checks
• More...

Contact information

Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-0301
Phone: (919) 814-2000

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the North Carolina Governor