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1980 North Carolina Gubernatorial Election

North Carolina · 2 candidates · See every 1980 Governor race

Who won the 1980 North Carolina Gubernatorial Election?

Jim Hunt won the 1980 North Carolina Gubernatorial Election. Jim Hunt received 1,143,145 popular votes (61.88%). The main challenger was I. Beverly Lake (37.43%).

See the full head-to-head between Hunt and Lake

Hunt +24.5 pts · won by 451,696 votes
Jim HuntDemocraticWINNER61.88%
1,143,145 votes
I. Beverly LakeRepublican37.43%
691,449 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.