The 2012 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the other elections to the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

and the

gubernatorial election 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 r ...

Primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

s were held May 8. The offices of

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 ...

and

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

are elected independently. The incumbent, Lt. Gov. Walter H. Dalton, announced on Jan. 26, 2012 that he would run for Governor. In the general election, Republican

Dan Forest Dan Forest (born October 15, 1967) is an American politician who served as the 34th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2021. He is the son of former congresswoman Sue Myrick. An architect by trade, he was the Republican nominee ...

won 50.08% of the vote, narrowly defeating Democrat Linda Coleman. The election result was in doubt for almost two weeks after Election Day, and was within the margin in which Coleman could ask for a recount, but she chose not to do so on Nov. 19. When he took office in January 2013, Forest became the state's first Republican lieutenant governor since

Jim Gardner James or Jim Gardner may refer to: * James Gardner (surveyor), British engineer * James Gardner (designer) (1907–1995), British industrial designer * James Gardner (musician) (born 1962), British musician and composer * James A. Gardner (1943� ...

left office two decades earlier.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

* Linda Coleman, former state representative, state personnel director * Eric L. Mansfield, state senator

Declined

Cal Cunningham James Calvin "Cal" Cunningham III (born August 6, 1973) is an American lawyer, politician, and retired military officer. A member of the Democratic Party and a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve, he served one term as a North C ...

, former state senator *

Hampton Dellinger Hampton Yeats Dellinger (born April 30, 1967) is an American attorney and political candidate serving as the United States Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy. He was previously a partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner and Robinson, Brads ...

, attorney

Polling

Results

2012 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial Democratic primary county map

Republican primary

Candidates

;Declared *

Dale Folwell Dale Robbins Folwell (born December 17, 1958) is an American politician who has been the North Carolina State Treasurer since 2017. A Republican from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folwell spent four terms in North Carolina House of Representat ...

, state representative, former Winston-Salem School Board member, accountant and investment advisor *

, architect, son of Congresswoman

Sue Myrick Sue Myrick (née Wilkins; born August 1, 1941) is an American businesswoman and the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party. She was the first Republican woman to represent North Caroli ...

Tony Gurley Tony Gurley (born April 3, 1956) is an American businessman and political figure from North Carolina, currently serving as chief operating officer for the Office of State Budget and Management. He served on the Wake County Board of Commissioners ...

, Wake County Commissioner, pharmacist, ex-race car driver *

Grey Mills Paul Grey Mills Jr. is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the North Carolina House of Representatives representing the 95th district from 2009 to 2013 and again since 2021. Mills defeated incumbent Karen Ray in the 2 ...

, state representative *Arthur Rich, businessman

Polling

Results

2012 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial Republican primary county map

Under state law, if no candidate receives 40 percent of the vote in the primary, the second-place candidate can request a second primary (runoff). According to unofficial May 8 primary election results, Gurley came in second, and he announced that he would request such a runoff.Tony Gurley statement
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General election

Polling

Results

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Election, 2012 2012 North Carolina elections 2012 United States lieutenant gubernatorial elections

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...