Honestly, if you looked at the 2024 NC election results and walked away thinking it was a simple red-wave story, you missed the real drama. North Carolina is weird. It’s always been weird. It’s a place where voters will check the box for a Republican president and then immediately turn around and hand a landslide victory to a Democratic governor. 2024 was no different, but the scale of the split was something else entirely.
Donald Trump carried the state for the third time in a row, snagging 51% of the vote. That’s about 2.9 million people. Meanwhile, Josh Stein didn’t just win the governor’s race; he crushed it. He pulled in over 3 million votes—the most any candidate has ever received in a statewide North Carolina election.
Think about that. Tens of thousands of people walked into a booth, voted for Trump, and then decided Josh Stein was their guy for Raleigh.
The Top of the Ticket Split
The gap between Trump’s 3.2% margin and Stein’s nearly 15-point blowout is the headline. Most folks expected the governor's race to be tight. It wasn't. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee, ended up with 40.1% of the vote. That is a historically bad showing for a major party candidate in a state that was otherwise leaning Republican.
Robinson’s campaign was basically a slow-motion car crash after those CNN reports about his past comments on a pornographic forum surfaced. Voters who didn’t mind Trump’s brand of politics seemed to draw a hard line at Robinson. Stein took full advantage, positioning himself as the "boring but competent" alternative. It worked.
Breaking the Supermajority
Down the ballot, things got even more complicated. For the last couple of years, Republicans in the General Assembly held a "supermajority." This meant they could override any veto from Governor Roy Cooper without a single Democratic vote.
In the 2024 NC election results, that absolute power finally hit a speed bump.
Democrats managed to flip one seat in the State House. Just one. But in politics, one is enough. By moving to 49 seats in the House, Democrats broke the GOP’s ability to override vetoes automatically.
- State House: Republicans keep control but lose the supermajority (71-49).
- State Senate: Republicans actually strengthened their grip here, maintaining a 31-19 split.
- The Impact: Governor-elect Josh Stein will actually have some leverage. He won't be a king, but he won't be a spectator either.
The state legislature races were tight. In many districts, the margin was a few hundred votes. It’s a reminder that while the big TV ads focus on the presidency, the local neighborhood canvassing is what actually shifts the power dynamics in Raleigh.
The Courtroom Shuffle
Don't ignore the judicial races. They’re boring to talk about at parties, but they matter for everything from redistricting to healthcare. The 2024 NC election results for the state Supreme Court were a nail-biter.
Democrat Allison Riggs held onto her seat by the skin of her teeth—less than 800 votes separated her from Republican Jefferson Griffin. It took weeks of counting and legal posturing to settle it. This "hold" for the Democrats keeps the court at a 5-2 Republican majority. If Griffin had won, it would have been 6-1.
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On the Court of Appeals, it was a different story. Republicans swept three out of the four seats up for grabs.
Why the "Urban-Rural" Gap is Getting Scarier
If you look at a map of the 2024 NC election results, it looks like a sea of red with a few blue islands. But those islands are getting more crowded.
Wake County (Raleigh) and Mecklenburg County (Charlotte) are essentially different countries compared to the western mountains or the eastern coastal plains. Harris won Wake by 26 points and Mecklenburg by 33. On the flip side, Trump won some rural counties like Graham and Mitchell with over 80% of the vote.
This isn't just a political difference; it's a resource difference. The cities are booming, and the rural areas feel left behind. That resentment is a powerful engine for the GOP, while the sheer population growth in the Research Triangle is the only thing keeping Democrats in the game.
Who Else Won?
The Council of State is that group of ten executive officers that most people forget exist until they need a passport or have an insurance claim.
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- Attorney General: Jeff Jackson (D) won a high-profile race against Dan Bishop (R). Jackson is a social media powerhouse, and his transition to the state’s top lawyer will be interesting to watch.
- Lieutenant Governor: Rachel Hunt (D) beat Hal Weatherman (R). She’s the daughter of former Gov. Jim Hunt, so the name recognition definitely helped.
- Superintendent of Public Instruction: Mo Green (D) defeated Michele Morrow (R). This was a big one for educators, as Morrow had been a highly controversial figure with no experience in school administration.
- Agriculture Commissioner: Steve Troxler (R) won again. The man is essentially undefeated at this point.
The Voter Turnout Reality
People actually showed up. We saw about 73.7% turnout across the state. That’s massive.
North Carolinians love early voting. Roughly 74% of the total ballots were cast during the early voting period. Only 21% of people waited until the actual Election Day to cast their vote in person. This shift has completely changed how campaigns spend their money. They aren't "closing" in November; they're closing in mid-October.
We also saw a major constitutional amendment pass. Amendment 1, which explicitly prohibits noncitizens from voting, passed with 77.6% support. It was a landslide that crossed almost every demographic line.
What Happens Next?
The 2024 NC election results set the stage for a four-year-long wrestling match. We have a Democratic Governor and Attorney General sitting across from a Republican-controlled legislature.
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Josh Stein will likely spend his first year fighting over the state budget and private school vouchers. Republicans will likely try to find one or two "moderate" Democrats in the House to help them override Stein’s vetoes on key conservative priorities.
Next Steps for You:
- Check your local reps: The supermajority was broken by a tiny margin. See who represents your specific district in the State House; they are now some of the most powerful people in the state.
- Watch the 2025 Budget: The first big test for the Stein administration will be the spring budget session. This is where the promises about teacher raises and infrastructure actually hit the reality of the ledger.
- Stay updated on the Supreme Court: With a 5-2 split, the judicial branch is still the GOP's strongest backstop against Democratic executive orders.
North Carolina remains the ultimate purple state, even if the "purple" is just a mix of very dark red and very bright blue.