North Carolina has always been a weird, purple puzzle for political junkies. Looking back at the 2020 NC election results, you'll see a state that basically refused to commit to one side of the bed. It was a messy, split-ticket masterpiece. While Donald Trump squeezed out a win for the presidency, the state's top job—the Governor's mansion—went comfortably back to a Democrat.
It makes you wonder. How does a state choose two completely different paths on the same piece of paper?
Honestly, the energy in North Carolina during November 2020 was electric and, frankly, exhausting. We saw a record-breaking 75.35% of eligible voters show up. That’s about 5.5 million people making their voices heard in the middle of a global pandemic. They weren't just voting; they were shouting.
The Presidential Squeeze: 2020 NC Election Results Explained
Let’s talk about the big one first. Donald Trump won North Carolina's 15 electoral votes, but it wasn't exactly a landslide. He pulled in 2,758,775 votes, which works out to roughly 49.9% of the total. Joe Biden was right on his heels with 2,684,292 votes, or about 48.6%.
The gap? A measly 1.34%.
This was actually Trump's narrowest victory in any state he won that year. If you look at the map, the story is written in red and blue ink. Biden dominated the urban "big three"—Mecklenburg (Charlotte), Wake (Raleigh), and Guilford (Greensboro). In Mecklenburg, he cleared 66% of the vote. But North Carolina is a vast state of rural stretches and small towns. Trump absolutely crushed it in the "sandhills" and the western mountains, carrying 75 of the state’s 100 counties.
The Rural-Urban Divide
Rural voters in NC are a powerhouse. While cities are growing fast, the small towns in places like Johnston or Union County stayed deep red, providing the firewall Trump needed to hold off Biden’s urban surge.
- Trump's rural grip: He held on to those traditional GOP strongholds with margins that often topped 70%.
- Biden’s urban gains: He didn’t just win the cities; he expanded the margins compared to what Hillary Clinton did in 2016.
- The suburbs: This is where the real fight happened. Places like Cabarrus and Gaston are becoming more competitive, even if they stayed red this time.
Roy Cooper’s Split-Ticket Magic
While the presidential race was a nail-biter, the gubernatorial race was... well, it wasn't. Roy Cooper, the Democratic incumbent, won his second term by defeating Republican Dan Forest. Cooper pulled in 51.5% of the vote compared to Forest’s 47%.
Wait.
How does Cooper win by 4.5 points in a state that Trump won by 1.3?
It’s about the "Cooper voter." There is a specific slice of the North Carolina electorate that likes the GOP’s national platform but prefers Cooper’s low-key, "steady hand" approach to state government. His handling of the COVID-19 pandemic—while controversial in some circles—was generally viewed as pragmatic by suburban moderates.
Dan Forest leaned heavily into reopening the state and fighting mask mandates. In the end, that "all-in" strategy didn't resonate as well as the GOP's national message. Cooper became the first NC governor to win re-election in over 15 years, proving that North Carolinians aren't afraid to pick from both columns.
The Senate Battle: Tillis vs. Cunningham
You can't talk about the 2020 NC election results without mentioning the most expensive Senate race in U.S. history at the time. Thom Tillis, the Republican incumbent, faced off against Democrat Cal Cunningham.
For months, polls showed Cunningham leading. Then, the "texting scandal" broke. News surfaced that Cunningham, a married Army Reserve officer, had exchanged suggestive messages with a woman who wasn't his wife.
Did it matter? Probably.
Tillis won with 48.7% of the vote to Cunningham’s 46.9%. It was another narrow GOP victory that helped Republicans keep a (then) slim majority in the U.S. Senate. It was a wild ride that saw over $280 million in total spending. Think about that. All that money for a 1.8% difference.
Down-Ballot Surprises and the Council of State
The "Council of State" is a group of ten elected officials that run the state's executive branch. In 2020, it stayed mostly Republican, but there were some fascinating outcomes.
Mark Robinson made history by becoming the first Black Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina. He ran a populist, firebrand campaign that energized the GOP base. On the flip side, Josh Stein (Democrat) barely—and I mean barely—held onto his seat as Attorney General, winning by about 13,000 votes out of millions cast.
The state legislature also stayed under Republican control. Democrats had high hopes of flipping the House or Senate, especially after some court-ordered redistricting. But the red wave in rural NC was too strong. Republicans ended up with a 28-22 lead in the Senate and a 69-51 lead in the House. They didn't get a supermajority, though, which meant Roy Cooper’s veto stamp stayed very busy over the next few years.
Judicial Races: A Clean Sweep
One of the most overlooked parts of the 2020 NC election results was the judiciary. Republicans absolutely dominated. They won all eight seats on the state’s appellate courts that were up for grabs. This included the Chief Justice seat on the NC Supreme Court. Paul Newby defeated Cheri Beasley by only 401 votes.
401 votes.
In a state of 10 million people, that's basically a rounding error. But it shifted the court's balance for years.
Why 2020 Still Matters for Voters Today
Looking back at these numbers isn't just a history lesson. It tells us exactly where North Carolina is heading. The state is growing, it's diversifying, but it’s still fundamentally divided between its booming tech hubs and its traditional agricultural roots.
If you're trying to make sense of the current political climate, here are the three biggest takeaways from the 2020 data:
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- Your vote is massive. In a state where a Supreme Court seat is decided by 400 votes, "my vote doesn't count" is a lie.
- Split-ticket voting is alive and well. North Carolinians are independent thinkers. They don't just vote for the "D" or the "R" across the board.
- The Suburbs are the battlefield. The path to victory in NC no longer runs through the deep rural areas or the heart of the cities. It runs through the cul-de-sacs of Cary, Huntersville, and Concord.
To keep track of how these trends are evolving, you can visit the North Carolina State Board of Elections for official precinct-level data. If you want to dive deeper into how demographics are shifting, the Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill has some of the best insights on the state's changing face.
For your next steps, check your current registration status and stay updated on any changes to local polling places. Election laws in NC are frequently updated by the legislature, so knowing the current requirements for ID and mail-in voting is essential for the next cycle.