Summary
The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1968 was held on 5 November 1968 as part of the nationwide elections to the Senate. The general election was fought between the Democratic incumbent Sam Ervin and the Republican nominee Robert Somers. Ervin won re-election to a third full term, with over 60% of the vote.[1] This was the last time any incumbent was re-elected in this seat until 2010.[2] To date, this is also the last time a Democrat was re-elected as a senator in North Carolina.[3]
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 County results Ervin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Somers: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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This is the last time that a Senate candidate was voted for and elected to the United States Senate in North Carolina at the same time that a presidential candidate of a different political party was voted for in North Carolina and had won North Carolina.
Primaries edit
Democratic primary edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sam Ervin (incumbent) | 499,392 | 78.25% | |
| Democratic | Charles Pratt | 60,362 | 9.46% | |
| Democratic | John Gathings Sr. | 48,357 | 7.58% | |
| Democratic | Fred Brummitt | 30,126 | 4.72% | |
Republican primary edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Somers | 48,351 | 36.62% | |
| Republican | J.L. Zimmerman | 43,644 | 33.06% | |
| Republican | Edwin Tenney Jr. | 40,023 | 30.32% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Robert Somers | 8,816 | 60.59% | |
| Republican | J.L. Zimmerman | 5,734 | 39.41% | |
General election edit
The general election was held on November 5, 1968.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Sam Ervin | 870,406 | 60.56% | |
| Republican | Robert Somers | 566,934 | 39.44% | |
Footnotes edit
- ^ a b "1968 Senatorial General Election Results - North Carolina". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. October 13, 2018. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ Craver, Richard (November 3, 2010). ""Burr 'breaks curse' with re-election win"". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Senate: States in the Senate | North Carolina Senators". www.senate.gov. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NC US Senate - D Primary Race - May 04, 1968".
- ^ a b c North Carolina Manual 1969 (Report). N.C. Department of the Secretary of State. 1969. pp. 331–334. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NC US Senate - R Runoff Race - Jun 01, 1968".
- ^ Wicker, Tom (November 5, 1968). "Nation Will Vote Today: Close Presidential Race Predicted in Late Polls". The New York Times. Retrieved September 27, 2023.