2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election

The 2020 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 2020, to elect the Governor of North Carolina, concurrently with the 2020 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to one-third of the United States Senate and elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Governor Roy Cooper was eligible to run for re-election to a second term in office, and announced his intention to do so on December 5, 2019.

Under a 2018 state law, party primary elections were held on March 3, 2020.

Cooper was re-elected to a second term by a closer margin than polls forecasted, defeating the Republican nominee, Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest. Cooper's re-election win made him the first Governor of North Carolina to win re-election since fellow Democrat Mike Easley in 2004. Once again, Cooper outperformed other Democrats on the ballot. With a margin of 4.51%, this election was the second closest of the 2020 gubernatorial election cycle, the closest being the election in Puerto Rico.

Nominee

 * Roy Cooper, incumbent governor

Eliminated in primary

 * Ernest T. Reeves, retired U.S. Army captain and perennial candidate

Nominee

 * Dan Forest, lieutenant governor of North Carolina

Eliminated in primary

 * Holly Grange, state representative

Declined

 * Pat McCrory, former Governor of North Carolina
 * Mark Meadows, former U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 11th congressional district, White House Chief of Staff

Nominee

 * Steven J. DiFiore, candidate for Charlotte City Council in 2017, factory lighting representative

Nominee

 * Al Pisano, chairman of the Constitution Party of North Carolina

Debates
A debate between Cooper and Forest occurred 7:00 pm EDT, October 14, 2020.

Polling

 * with Holly Grange


 * with Phil Berger


 * with Pat McCrory


 * with Tim Moore


 * with Thom Tillis

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

 * Jackson (largest city: Cullowhee)

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

 * Lenoir (largest city: Kinston)

By congressional district
Despite winning a majority of the popular vote, Gov. Roy Cooper only won 5 of 13 congressional districts.