1984 North Carolina gubernatorial election
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County results
Martin:
50-60% 60-70% 70-80%
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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The 1984 North Carolina gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1984. Democratic incumbent Jim Hunt was unable to run for a third consecutive term under the North Carolina Constitution. He ran instead for the U.S. Senate against Jesse Helms and lost. Popular 9th District Congressman James G. Martin ran as the Republican gubernatorial nominee against Democratic Attorney General Rufus L. Edmisten, who defeated Hunt's Lt. Governor, James Green, among other candidates, in a hotly contested primary.
Martin won by a comfortable margin on Election Day thanks to the surprise endorsement of Green, and to President Ronald Reagan's coattails (see also 1984 United States presidential election). Martin became just the second Republican elected to the state's highest office in the 20th century. Hunt later served as North Carolina’s Governor again from 1993 to 2001.
An offhand remark by Edmisten during the 1984 campaign became part of the state's political lore. He was quoted as complaining about all the barbecue pork he had to eat on the campaign trail, saying he could not eat anymore of "that damnable stuff", which is widely popular. Edmisten later said he was joking.