2000 North Carolina gubernatorial election
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November 7, 2000
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 County results Easley: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Vinroot: 50–60% 60–70% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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The 2000 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2000. Incumbent governor Jim Hunt was constitutionally prohibited from seeking a third consecutive term in office. North Carolina attorney general Mike Easley defeated former Charlotte mayor Richard Vinroot in the open race.
Primary elections were held on May 2.[1][2] Easley defeated lieutenant governor Dennis A. Wicker to win the Democratic nomination. Vinroot, who had unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination in 1996, won a plurality of the vote over state representative N. Leo Daughtry and Charles Neely.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bob Ayers
- Mike Easley, North Carolina attorney general
- Ken Rogers
- Dennis Wicker, lieutenant governor of North Carolina
Results
Easley
- Easley—81-90%
- Easley—71-80%
- Easley—61-70%
- Easley—51-60%
- Easley—41-50%
Wicker
- Wicker—71-80%
- Wicker—51-60%
- Wicker—41-50%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Easley | 330,764 | 58.86% | |
| Democratic | Dennis A. Wicker | 203,723 | 36.25% | |
| Democratic | Bob Ayers | 9,224 | 1.64% | |
| Democratic | Ken Rogers | 7,998 | 1.42% | |
| Total votes | 561,940 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- Leo Daughtry, state representative from Smithfield
- Art Manning, candidate for governor in 1996
- Charles Neely, attorney and former state representative from Raleigh[2]
- Richard Vinroot, former mayor of Charlotte and candidate for governor in 1996
Results
Vinroot: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
Daughtry: 30-40% 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90%
Neely: 31-40%
Daughtry/Neely Tie: 31-40%
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Richard Vinroot | 142,820 | 45.48% | |
| Republican | N. Leo Daughtry | 116,115 | 36.97% | |
| Republican | Charles Neely | 48,101 | 15.32% | |
| Republican | Art Manning | 7,019 | 2.23% | |
| Total votes | 314,055 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- Mike Easley, North Carolina attorney general (Democratic)
- Barbara Howe (Libertarian)
- Douglas Schell (Reform)
- Richard Vinroot, former mayor of Charlotte and candidate for governor in 1996 (Republican)
Debates
- Complete video of debate, September 13, 2000
- Complete video of debate, October 27, 2000
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mike Easley | 1,530,324 | 52.02% | −3.96 | |
| Republican | Richard Vinroot | 1,360,960 | 46.26% | +3.51 | |
| Libertarian | Barbara Howe | 42,674 | 1.45% | +0.77 | |
| Reform | Douglas Schell | 8,104 | 0.28% | N/A | |
| Turnout | 2,942,062 | ||||
| Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Alamance (largest municipality: Burlington)
- Onslow (largest town: Jacksonville)
- Polk (Largest city: Tryon)
- Rutherford (Largest city: Forest City)
- Surry (Largest city: Mount Airy)
- Carteret (Largest city: Morehead City)
- Mecklenburg (largest municipality: Charlotte)
Footnotes
- ↑ "THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: THE PRIMARIES; North Carolina's Race For Governor Begins With Focus on Schools". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2026.
- 1 2 Saulsby, Pam (April 27, 2000). "Neely Enjoys Gubernatorial Campaign Run on Message Not Money". WRAL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- 1 2 3 "North Carolina DataNet #46" (PDF). University of North Carolina. April 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 25, 2008. Retrieved June 12, 2009.
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