2016 United States presidential election in North Carolina

The 2016 United States presidential election in North Carolina was held on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, as part of the 2016 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated. North Carolina voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party's nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and her running mate Virginia Senator Tim Kaine. North Carolina had 15 electoral votes in the Electoral College.

Trump won the state with 49.83% of the vote, a small decrease from Mitt Romney's vote percentage in 2012. However, he won by a margin of 3.66%, an increase of 1.62% compared to Romney's margin in 2012. In contrast, Clinton obtained 46.17% of the vote, a decrease of over 2% in 2012 when Obama won 48.35% of the vote. Although both candidates saw decreases in vote share compared to 2012, Trump and Clinton both obtained more votes than the previous election's candidates due to a higher voter turnout in this election. Trump flipped seven counties to the Republican column and was the first Republican to win Robeson, Richmond, and Gates counties since Richard Nixon in 1972. Clinton flipped just one county to the Democratic column, Watauga County, home to Boone.

Trump became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Watauga County since James A. Garfield in 1880, as well as the first to do so without carrying Bumcombe or Forsyth counties since Calvin Coolidge in 1924, the first to do so without carrying Wake County since Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, and the first to do so without carrying Pitt or Wilson counties since Richard Nixon in 1968. It was also the first time since 1980 that North Carolina voted more Democratic than Ohio.

Primary elections The Democratic, Republican, and Libertarian primaries were on March 15, 2016. In North Carolina, registered members of each party only voted in their party's primary, while voters who were unaffiliated chose any one primary in which to vote.

Democratic primary

Four candidates appeared on the Democratic presidential primary ballot: Martin O'Malley (withdrawn) Bernie Sanders Hillary Clinton Rocky De La Fuente

Polling According to a WRAL-TV/SurveyUSA poll conducted the week before the primary: "[Hillary] Clinton holds a commanding lead of 57% to 34% among likely Democratic voters over U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont."

Results

Republican primary

Twelve candidates appeared on the Republican presidential primary ballot: Jeb Bush (withdrawn) Ben Carson (withdrawn) Chris Christie (withdrawn) Ted Cruz Carly Fiorina (withdrawn) Jim Gilmore (withdrawn) Mike Huckabee (withdrawn) John Kasich Rand Paul (withdrawn) Marco Rubio Rick Santorum (withdrawn) Donald Trump

Polling According to a WRAL-TV/SurveyUSA poll conducted the week before the primary: "[Donald] Trump tops U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas 41% to 27% among likely GOP voters. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and Ohio Gov. John Kasich trail far behind, at 14% and 11%, respectively."

Results

Trump managed to pull off a closer than expected win due to both Cruz and his campaigns performances in different metropolitan areas. Trump was strongest in the Charlotte, Fayetteville and Wilmington areas. Cruz did best in Greensboro, Asheville and the Research Triangle region, where North Carolina's major colleges and capital of Raleigh are located.

Libertarian primary Eleven candidates appeared on the Libertarian presidential primary ballot: John David Hale Cecil Ince Gary Johnson Steve Kerbel Darryl W. Perry Austin Petersen Derrick Michael Reid Jack Robinson Jr. Rhett Smith Joy Waymire Marc Allan Feldman

Results + North Carolina Libertarian presidential primary, March 15, 2016 Candidate Votes Percentage Gary Johnson 2,414 41.48% No Preference 2,067 35.52% John David Hale 329 5.65% Joy Waymire 268 4.61% Austin Petersen 189 3.25% Darryl Perry 118 2.03% Steve Kerbel 109 1.87% Derrick Michael Reid 74 1.27% Cecil Ince 72 1% Jack Robinson Jr. 70 1.20% Marc Allan Feldman 66 1.13% Rhett Smith 43 0.74% Total 5,739 100%

General election

Predictions SourceRankingAs ofCNNNovember 4, 2016Cook Political ReportNovember 7, 2016Electoral-vote.comNovember 8, 2016NBCNovember 7, 2016RealClearPoliticsNovember 8, 2016 Rothenberg Political Report November 7, 2016Sabato's Crystal BallNovember 7, 2016

Polling

Up until the summer of 2016, both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump were each winning polls, with Trump leading slightly. From late June 2016 to mid September 2016, Clinton gained momentum and had won most polls conducted in the summer. From mid September 2016 to late October, Clinton's momentum increased as she won every poll but one. The latest polls showed a near tie, with both almost evenly matched. The average of the final 3 polls showed Clinton ahead 46% to 45%. While she had a head-to-head lead in the last polls against Trump, polls with Gary Johnson showed the race a lot closer. The last New York Times poll conducted showed Trump and Clinton tied with 44% for each.

Candidates In addition to Clinton, Johnson and Trump, Green Party nominee Jill Stein was granted write-in status by the North Carolina State Board of Elections, the only write-in candidate to qualify.

Results

By county CountyDonald TrumpRepublicanHillary ClintonDemocraticVarious candidatesOther partiesMarginTotal#%#%#%#%Alamance38,81554.55%29,83341.93%2,5093.52%8,98212.62%71,157Alexander13,89376.04%3,76720.62%6113.34%10,12655.42%18,271Alleghany3,81471.76%1,30624.57%1953.67%2,50847.19%5,315Anson4,50642.73%5,85955.56%1801.71%-1,353-12.83%10,545Ashe9,41270.11%3,50026.07%5123.82%5,91244.04%13,424Avery6,29876.35%1,68920.48%2623.17%4,60955.87%8,249Beaufort14,54360.75%8,76436.61%6312.64%5,77924.14%23,938Bertie3,45636.97%5,77861.82%1131.21%-2,322-24.85%9,347Bladen8,55053.78%7,05844.40%2891.82%1,4929.38%15,897Brunswick42,72062.50%23,28234.06%2,3493.44%19,43828.44%68,351Buncombe55,71640.10%75,45254.30%7,7795.60%-19,736-14.20%138,947Burke26,23867.42%11,25128.91%1,4313.67%14,98738.51%38,920Cabarrus53,81957.69%35,52138.08%3,9494.23%18,29819.61%93,289Caldwell26,62173.30%8,42523.20%1,2743.50%18,19650.10%36,320Camden3,54670.83%1,27425.45%1863.72%2,27245.38%5,006Carteret26,56970.32%9,93926.31%1,2733.37%16,63044.01%37,781Caswell6,02654.44%4,79243.29%2522.27%1,23411.15%11,070Catawba48,32466.79%21,21629.32%2,8113.89%27,10837.47%72,351Chatham17,10542.92%21,06552.86%1,6794.22%-3,960-9.94%39,849Cherokee10,84476.47%2,86020.17%4773.36%7,98456.30%14,181Chowan4,01455.53%2,99241.39%2223.08%1,02214.14%7,228Clay4,43773.83%1,36722.75%2063.42%3,07051.08%6,010Cleveland28,47963.75%14,96433.50%1,2302.75%13,51530.25%44,673Columbus14,27260.14%9,06338.19%3971.67%5,20921.95%23,732Craven27,73159.00%17,63037.51%1,6403.49%10,10121.49%47,001Cumberland51,26540.21%71,60556.16%4,6363.63%-20,340-15.95%127,506Currituck9,16372.33%2,91322.99%5934.68%6,25049.34%12,669Dare11,46058.44%7,22236.83%9274.73%4,23821.61%19,609Davidson54,31772.56%18,10924.19%2,4303.25%36,20848.37%74,856Davie15,60271.71%5,27024.22%8844.07%10,33247.49%21,756Duplin12,21758.58%8,28339.72%3561.70%3,93418.86%20,856Durham28,35018.16%121,25077.66%6,5344.18%-92,900-59.50%156,134Edgecombe8,26133.20%16,22465.19%4011.61%-7,963-31.99%24,886Forsyth75,97542.61%94,46452.98%7,8734.41%-18,489-10.37%178,312Franklin16,36853.90%12,87442.39%1,1263.71%3,49411.51%30,368Gaston61,79864.09%31,17732.33%3,4563.58%30,62131.76%96,431Gates2,87453.30%2,38544.23%1332.47%4899.07%5,392Graham3,28378.77%76818.43%1172.80%2,51560.34%4,168Granville13,59149.69%12,90947.19%8533.12%6822.50%27,353Greene4,37454.03%3,60544.53%1161.44%7699.50%8,095Guilford98,06238.10%149,24857.98%10,0953.92%-51,186-19.88%257,405Halifax9,03135.88%15,74862.57%3881.55%-6,717-26.69%25,167Harnett27,61459.95%16,73736.33%1,7143.72%10,87723.62%46,065Haywood18,92961.60%10,47334.08%1,3254.32%8,45627.52%30,727Henderson35,80961.55%19,82734.08%2,5404.37%15,98227.47%58,176Hertford3,09930.42%6,91067.84%1771.74%-3,811-37.42%10,186Hoke7,76042.57%9,72653.35%7444.08%-1,966-10.78%18,230Hyde1,28855.90%96541.88%512.22%32314.02%2,304Iredell54,75466.31%24,73429.96%3,0793.73%30,02036.35%82,567Jackson9,87052.74%7,71341.22%1,1306.04%2,15711.52%18,713Johnston54,37263.29%28,36233.01%3,1753.70%26,01030.28%85,909Jones2,97457.92%2,06540.21%961.87%90917.71%5,135Lee13,71254.66%10,46941.74%9033.60%3,24312.92%25,084Lenoir13,61350.78%12,63447.13%5602.09%9793.65%26,807Lincoln28,80671.97%9,89724.73%1,3203.30%18,90947.24%40,023Macon12,12768.38%4,87627.50%7314.12%7,25140.88%17,734Madison6,78360.19%3,92634.84%5604.97%2,85725.35%11,269Martin5,89749.29%5,84648.86%2211.85%510.43%11,964McDowell14,56873.30%4,66723.48%6403.22%9,90149.82%19,875Mecklenburg155,51832.89%294,56262.29%22,7774.82%-139,044-29.40%472,857Mitchell6,28277.59%1,59619.71%2182.70%4,68657.88%8,096Montgomery7,13061.79%4,15035.96%2602.25%2,98025.83%11,540Moore30,49062.62%16,32933.54%1,8733.84%14,16129.08%48,692Nash23,31948.92%23,23548.75%1,1112.33%840.17%47,665New Hanover55,34449.46%50,97945.56%5,5824.98%4,3653.90%111,905Northampton3,58236.37%6,14462.39%1221.24%-2,562-26.02%9,848Onslow37,12264.97%17,51430.65%2,4994.38%19,60834.32%57,135Orange18,55722.54%59,92372.78%3,8604.68%-41,366-50.24%82,340Pamlico4,25861.98%2,44835.63%1642.39%1,81026.35%6,870Pasquotank8,18047.04%8,61549.54%5963.42%-435-2.50%17,391Pender17,63963.26%9,35433.54%8923.20%8,28529.72%27,885Perquimans4,17762.27%2,31934.57%2123.16%1,85827.70%6,708Person11,18557.02%7,83339.93%5973.05%3,35217.09%19,615Pitt35,69144.32%41,82451.94%3,0123.74%-6,133-7.62%80,527Polk6,76861.90%3,73534.16%4313.94%3,03327.74%10,934Randolph49,43076.55%13,19420.43%1,9513.02%36,23656.12%64,575Richmond10,38353.72%8,50143.98%4442.30%1,8829.74%19,328Robeson20,76250.82%19,01646.54%1,0802.64%1,7464.28%40,858Rockingham26,83063.46%14,22833.65%1,2202.89%12,60229.81%42,278Rowan42,81066.51%19,40030.14%2,1593.35%23,41036.37%64,369Rutherford21,87172.16%7,51224.79%9243.05%14,35947.37%30,307Sampson14,83857.23%10,54740.68%5432.09%4,29116.55%25,928Scotland6,25644.92%7,31952.55%3532.53%-1,063-7.63%13,928Stanly21,96473.42%7,09423.71%8592.87%14,87049.71%29,917Stokes17,11675.90%4,66520.69%7693.41%12,45155.21%22,550Surry23,67173.52%7,48823.26%1,0373.22%16,18350.26%32,196Swain3,56558.21%2,19635.86%3635.93%1,36922.35%6,124Transylvania10,52058.87%6,55836.70%7914.43%3,96222.17%17,869Tyrrell97556.07%72041.40%442.53%25514.67%1,739Union66,70763.10%34,33732.48%4,6664.42%32,37030.62%105,710Vance7,33236.70%12,22961.22%4162.08%-4,897-24.52%19,977Wake196,08237.16%302,73657.38%28,8065.46%-106,654-20.22%527,624Warren3,21432.66%6,41365.16%2152.18%-3,199-32.50%9,842Washington2,56441.59%3,51056.93%911.48%-946-15.34%6,165Watauga13,69745.68%14,13847.15%2,1507.17%-441-1.47%29,985Wayne27,54054.33%21,77042.95%1,3792.72%5,77011.38%50,689Wilkes23,75275.89%6,63821.21%9062.90%17,11454.68%31,296Wilson17,53145.97%19,66351.56%9412.47%-2,132-5.59%38,135Yadkin13,88078.76%3,16017.93%5843.31%10,72060.83%17,624Yancey6,38564.11%3,19632.09%3793.80%3,18932.02%9,960Totals2,362,63149.83%2,189,31646.17%189,6174.00%173,3153.66%4,741,564

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican Bladen (largest town: Elizabethtown) Gates (largest town: Gatesville) Granville (largest city: Oxford) Martin (largest town: Williamston) Nash (largest city: Rocky Mount) Richmond (largest city: Rockingham) Robeson (largest city: Lumberton)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Watauga (largest town: Boone)

By congressional district Trump won ten of North Carolina's 13 congressional districts.