The 2004 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2004. The general election was between the Democratic incumbent Mike Easley and the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

nominee

Patrick J. Ballantine Patrick J. Ballantine (born March 17, 1965) is an American attorney and politician who was a United States Republican Party, Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, rising to become the North Carolina General Assembly#North Car ...

. Easley won by 56% to 43%, winning his second term as

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

. This is the last time a Democrat was elected governor of North Carolina by double digits.

Primaries

Democratic

Mike Easley was first elected as governor in 2000 and opted to run for a second term. He faced opposition in the Democratic primary from Rickey Kipfer, a former corporate manager from Lee County. Kipfer campaigned on a platform of abolishing North Carolina's personal income tax and exploring potential natural gas resources in the state. He envisioned the state replacing income tax revenue with revenue from natural gas exploration. Kipfer also proposed a system similar to the

Alaska Permanent Fund The Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976 by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska Stat ...

as a means of distributing potential natural gas revenues to citizens in North Carolina. Easley's campaign manager stated that they did not consider Kipfer as serious competition. Easley did not campaign against Kipfer. Mike Easley won the primary comfortably with over 85% of the vote.

Candidates

=Declared

= * Mike Easley, incumbent governor *Rickey Kipfer, businessman

Results

Republican

Candidates

=Declared

= *

, Minority Leader of the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

(1999-2004) *Dan Barett, attorney and Davie County Commissioner *

Bill Cobey William Wilfred Cobey Jr. (born May 13, 1939) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served one term in the United States House of Representatives for North Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1985 to 1987. Biog ...

, Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party (1999-2003) and

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from NC-04 (1985-1987) * George Little, insurance executive *Fern Shubert, state senator (2003-2005) *

Richard Vinroot Richard A. Vinroot (born April 14, 1941) is an American politician and attorney from Charlotte, North Carolina. He served as the 52nd Mayor of Charlotte from 1991 to 1995. Vinroot ran unsuccessfully for Governor of North Carolina in 1996, 2000 an ...

, Mayor of Charlotte (1991-1995), nominee for governor in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

and candidate for governor in 1996

=Withdrawn

= *Timothy Cook, chemist ('' running for lieutenant governor'')

=Declined

= * James Cain, former president of the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

I. Beverly Lake Jr. Isaac Beverly Lake Jr. (January 30, 1934 – September 12, 2019) was an American jurist and politician, who served as chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Early life I. Beverly Lake Jr. was born on January 30, 1934, in Raleigh, No ...

, Chief Justice of the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

(2001-2006)

Results

2004 North Carolina gubernatorial Republican primary county map

General election

Predictions

Polling

Results

Notes

References

External links

2004 Gubernatorial Republican Primary Election Results
;Official campaign websites (Archived)
Patrick BallantineDan BarrettBill CobeyGeorge LittleFern ShubertRichard VinrootTim Cook
{{United States general elections, 2004

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

2004

gubernatorial A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...