1990 United States Senate election in North Carolina

none March 2026 September 2023 1990 United States Senate election in North Carolina North Carolina presidential no 1984 United States Senate election in North Carolina 1984 1996 United States Senate election in North Carolina 1996 November 6, 1990 1885 150x150px JesseHelmsCropped.png Jesse Helms Republican Party (United States) 1,089,012 52.58% Harvey Gantt (Taps 1965).png Harvey Gantt Democratic Party (United States) 981,573 47.39% 325px County results 325px Precinct results 1 325px Helms: #e27f7f 50–60% #d75d5d 60–70% #d72f30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90%Gantt: #7996e2 50–60% #6674de 60–70% #584cde 70–80% #3933e5 80–90% #0D0596 >90%Tie: #d2b1d9 40–50% #ae8bb1 50% U.S. Senator Jesse Helms Republican Party (United States) Jesse Helms Republican Party (United States) The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1990 was held on November 6, 1990, as part of the nationwide elections to the Senate. The general election was fought between the Republican incumbent Jesse Helms and the Democratic nominee former mayor of Charlotte Harvey Gantt. Helms won re-election to a fourth term by a slightly wider margin than the close election in 1984. The election received renewed attention in 2020 with the release of ESPN miniseries The Last Dance, which mentioned Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan refusing to endorse Gantt, who was seeking to become the first African-American to represent North Carolina - Jordan's home state - in the United States Senate.https://nesn.com/2020/05/the-last-dance-recap-five-biggest-takeaways-from-episodes-5-6/ 'The Last Dance' Recap: Five Biggest Takeaways From Episodes 5, 6 - NESN Adam London www.nesn.com When asked to endorse Gantt, Jordan said in jest, "Republicans buy sneakers, too."Bontemps Tim Michael Jordan stands firm on 'Republicans buy sneakers, too' quote, says it was made in jest https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29130478/michael-jordan-stands-firm-republicans-buy-sneakers-too-quote-says-was-made-jest 26 May 2025 ESPN 2020-05-04 Primaries Republican primary 1990 North Carolina U.S. Senate Republican primary election Republican Party (United States) Jesse Helms (Incumbent) 157,345 84.32% -6.33% Republican Party (United States) L. C. Nixon 15,355 8.23% N/A Republican Party (United States) George Wimbish 13,895 7.45% -1.90% 186,595 Democratic primary 1990 North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary election – First round Democratic Party (United States) Harvey Gantt 260,179 37.52% N/A Democratic Party (United States) Mike Easley 209,934 30.27% N/A Democratic Party (United States) John Ingram 120,990 17.45% -8.78% Democratic Party (United States) R. P. Thomas 82,883 11.95% N/A Democratic Party (United States) Lloyd Gardner 11,528 1.66% N/A Democratic Party (United States) Robert Hannan 7,982 1.15% N/A 693,496 1990 North Carolina U.S. Senate Democratic primary election – Second round Democratic Party (United States) Harvey Gantt 273,567 56.89% +19.37% Democratic Party (United States) Mike Easley 207,283 43.11% +12.84% 480,850 General election The Helms campaign against black Democratic nominee Harvey Gantt was racially charged, as he focused on messaging of black people taking jobs from white people.Black Black 2002 103-109 He ran an advertisement in which a white person was denied a job due to racial quotas. Carter Wrenn, who was involved in the ad's creation, stated that "We played the race card".September 10, 2012 Political Pro With Race-Baiting Past Doesn't See It In Romney's Welfare Charge NPR https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/09/10/160885683/political-pro-with-race-baiting-past-doesnt-see-it-in-romneys-welfare-charge live https://web.archive.org/web/20230924042131/https://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2012/09/10/160885683/political-pro-with-race-baiting-past-doesnt-see-it-in-romneys-welfare-charge September 24, 2023 60% of white voters supported Helms while 94% of black voters supported Gantt.November 7, 1990 Helms Defeats Gantt The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/07/helms-defeats-gantt/7c710262-58fa-4eb9-9666-e2ce7f5ef266/ live https://web.archive.org/web/20230925143854/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/07/helms-defeats-gantt/7c710262-58fa-4eb9-9666-e2ce7f5ef266/ September 25, 2023 Results 1990 North Carolina U.S. Senate election North Carolina DataNet #46 http://southnow.org/southnow-publications/nc-datanet/DataNet%20April08.pdf April 2008 University of North Carolina June 12, 2009 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20080725034758/http://southnow.org/southnow-publications/nc-datanet/DataNet%20April08.pdf July 25, 2008 mdy-all Republican Party (United States) Jesse Helms (Incumbent) 1,089,012 52.58% +0.92% Democratic Party (United States) Harvey Gantt 981,573 47.39% -0.42% Socialist Workers Party (United States) Rich Stuart 681 0.03% -0.08% 2,071,266 Republican Party (United States) See also 1990 United States Senate elections References Works cited Black Earl Earl Black (political scientist) Black Merle Merle Black The Rise of Southern Republicans Harvard University Press 2002 https://archive.org/details/riseofsouthernre00earl_0 067400728X 1990 North Carolina Category:Jesse Helms Category:1990 North Carolina elections