1952 United States presidential election in North Carolina

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1952 United States presidential election in North Carolina

← 1948 November 4, 1952[1] 1956 →

All 14 North Carolina votes to the Electoral College
  CAC CC 001 18 6 0000 0519.jpg Dwight David Eisenhower 1952 crop.jpg
Nominee Adlai Stevenson Dwight D. Eisenhower
Party Democratic Republican
Home state Illinois New York[2]
Running mate John Sparkman Richard Nixon
Electoral vote 14 0
Popular vote 652,803 558,107
Percentage 53.9% 46.1%

North Carolina Presidential Election Results 1952.svg
County Results

President before election

Harry S. Truman
Democratic

Elected President

Dwight D. Eisenhower
Republican

The 1952 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 4, 1952, as part of the 1952 United States presidential election. North Carolina voters chose 14[3] representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Background[]

As a former Confederate state, North Carolina had a history of Jim Crow laws, disfranchisement of its African-American population and dominance of the Democratic Party in state politics. However, unlike the Deep South, the Republican Party had sufficient historic Unionist white support from the mountains and northwestern Piedmont to gain one-third of the statewide vote total in most general elections,[4] where turnout was higher than elsewhere in the former Confederacy due substantially to the state's early abolition of the poll tax in 1920.[5] Like Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma, the relative strength of Republican opposition meant that North Carolina did not have statewide white primaries, although certain counties did use the white primary.[6] This persistent local Republican threat from mountain Unionist descendants meant that there was never any question of the state Democratic party bolting to support Strom Thurmond.[7] Additionally, the greatest support for Thurmond was found in middle- and upper-class urban areas of the Piedmont,[8] so that the best Dixiecrat counties correlated strongly with the largest urban areas.[9]

During Truman's second term, there was little satisfaction in North Carolina with the President, due to unresolved Civil Rights struggles, strikes, and evidence of corruption in the Democratic Party.[10] At the beginning of the presidential campaign, though, there was no indication that the state would not back new Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson, and all state Democrats endorsed him.[11] Stevenson began his campaign in the Tar Heel State in late July,[12] but did not return to the state as it was felt by September that Republican nominee and Columbia University President Dwight D. Eisenhower had less chance than in Florida, Texas or the Dixiecrat states of Louisiana and South Carolina.[13] Stevenson was helped by the fact that, much more than in other Southern States, North Carolina's press largely endorsed him over Eisenhower,[13] although in mid-October one of the two largest papers was endorsing the Republican.[14] Nonetheless, polls ten days before the election suggested Stevenson was very likely to carry the state due to the party loyalty created by viable mountain and northwest Piedmont Republican opposition.[15]

Vote[]

Because the Black Belt of the state, unlike the economically conservative Black Belts of the Deep South, was economically more liberal than the Piedmont region where the establishment Democratic faction led since 1929 by O. Max Gardner was based,[16] its entirely white electorate stayed exceedingly loyal to Stevenson – much more so than the Black Belts of other Outer South states. This Democratic loyalty extended to the Outer Banks, which had been a center of anti-Catholic voting when Herbert Hoover carried the state in 1928,[9] so that apart from a seven-vote win in Brunswick County, every county Eisenhower carried was in the urban Piedmont or traditionally GOP mountains. Thus, unlike Texas, Florida and Virginia, urban middle-class Republican voting was inadequate to carry the state for Eisenhower.

North Carolina was ultimately won by Governor Stevenson with 53.91 percent of the popular vote, against Eisenhower with 46.09 percent of the popular vote.[17][18] Stevenson ran with Alabama Senator John Sparkman and Eisenhower with California Senator Richard Nixon.

Results[]

1952 United States presidential election in North Carolina
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Adlai Stevenson 652,803 53.91%
Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower 558,107 46.09%
Total votes 1,210,910 100%

Results by county[]

County Adlai Stevenson II[19]
Democratic
Dwight David Eisenhower[19]
Republican
Margin
% # % # % #
Greene 94.12% 2,976 5.88% 186 88.24% 2,790
Martin 92.98% 5,493 7.02% 415 85.95% 5,078
Bertie 90.26% 3,557 9.74% 384 80.51% 3,173
Northampton 88.14% 4,334 11.86% 583 76.29% 3,751
Franklin 87.90% 5,376 12.10% 740 75.80% 4,636
Pitt 83.65% 11,271 16.35% 2,203 67.30% 9,068
Jones 83.48% 1,673 16.52% 331 66.97% 1,342
Hertford 83.16% 2,859 16.84% 579 66.32% 2,280
Warren 81.68% 2,960 18.32% 664 63.36% 2,296
Edgecombe 81.53% 8,504 18.47% 1,927 63.05% 6,577
Halifax 79.94% 8,807 20.06% 2,210 59.88% 6,597
Nash 79.82% 10,424 20.18% 2,636 59.63% 7,788
Granville 79.72% 4,583 20.28% 1,166 59.44% 3,417
Currituck 78.04% 1,471 21.96% 414 56.07% 1,057
Gates 77.41% 1,247 22.59% 364 54.81% 883
Onslow 77.22% 4,275 22.78% 1,261 54.44% 3,014
Wilson 77.17% 8,684 22.83% 2,569 54.34% 6,115
Vance 76.80% 5,697 23.20% 1,721 53.60% 3,976
Person 75.64% 4,266 24.36% 1,374 51.28% 2,892
Duplin 75.14% 6,392 24.86% 2,115 50.28% 4,277
Lenoir 75.07% 6,723 24.93% 2,233 50.13% 4,490
Camden 74.55% 996 25.45% 340 49.10% 656
Hoke 74.08% 1,761 25.92% 616 48.17% 1,145
Chowan 72.95% 1,448 27.05% 537 45.89% 911
Caswell 72.75% 2,597 27.25% 973 45.49% 1,624
Washington 71.83% 1,974 28.17% 774 43.67% 1,200
Tyrrell 70.41% 916 29.59% 385 40.81% 531
Columbus 69.81% 6,941 30.19% 3,001 39.63% 3,940
Hyde 69.36% 919 30.64% 406 38.72% 513
Beaufort 69.31% 5,429 30.69% 2,404 38.62% 3,025
Robeson 69.29% 9,311 30.71% 4,127 38.58% 5,184
Anson 69.21% 4,143 30.79% 1,843 38.42% 2,300
Lee 69.01% 4,688 30.99% 2,105 38.02% 2,583
Richmond 68.59% 7,340 31.41% 3,361 37.18% 3,979
Craven 68.34% 6,092 31.66% 2,822 36.68% 3,270
Bladen 67.22% 3,506 32.78% 1,710 34.43% 1,796
Union 66.18% 7,416 33.82% 3,790 32.36% 3,626
Perquimans 65.91% 1,245 34.09% 644 31.82% 601
Johnston 64.81% 9,997 35.19% 5,429 29.61% 4,568
Scotland 64.68% 2,912 35.32% 1,590 29.36% 1,322
Rockingham 64.34% 12,423 35.66% 6,885 28.68% 5,538
Harnett 63.82% 7,595 36.18% 4,306 27.64% 3,289
Pender 63.78% 2,029 36.22% 1,152 27.57% 877
Pasquotank 63.01% 3,579 36.99% 2,101 26.02% 1,478
Durham 62.58% 18,897 37.42% 11,301 25.15% 7,596
Pamlico 61.26% 1,428 38.74% 903 22.52% 525
Wayne 60.96% 7,281 39.04% 4,662 21.93% 2,619
Wake 60.84% 23,393 39.16% 15,057 21.68% 8,336
Carteret 59.06% 4,280 40.94% 2,967 18.12% 1,313
Haywood 58.86% 8,761 41.14% 6,124 17.72% 2,637
Orange 57.49% 5,156 42.51% 3,813 14.97% 1,343
Cleveland 56.07% 9,709 43.93% 7,606 12.15% 2,103
Yancey 55.57% 3,693 44.43% 2,953 11.13% 740
Dare 55.56% 959 44.44% 767 11.12% 192
Chatham 54.41% 4,303 45.59% 3,606 8.81% 697
Stokes 54.29% 4,504 45.71% 3,792 8.58% 712
Cumberland 54.18% 8,839 45.82% 7,474 8.37% 1,365
Alamance 54.06% 13,402 45.94% 11,388 8.12% 2,014
Jackson 53.86% 4,296 46.14% 3,680 7.72% 616
Swain 53.71% 1,949 46.29% 1,680 7.41% 269
Graham 53.54% 1,590 46.46% 1,380 7.07% 210
New Hanover 52.54% 10,330 47.46% 9,330 5.09% 1,000
Surry 51.95% 8,206 48.05% 7,591 3.89% 615
Sampson 51.89% 6,956 48.11% 6,449 3.78% 507
Polk 51.70% 2,741 48.30% 2,561 3.39% 180
Cherokee 51.02% 3,363 48.98% 3,228 2.05% 135
Macon 50.51% 3,396 49.49% 3,327 1.03% 69
Alleghany 50.28% 1,809 49.72% 1,789 0.56% 20
McDowell 50.24% 4,755 49.76% 4,710 0.48% 45
Montgomery 49.96% 3,176 50.04% 3,181 -0.08% -5
Brunswick 49.94% 2,951 50.06% 2,958 -0.12% -7
Clay 49.93% 1,439 50.07% 1,443 -0.14% -4
Ashe 49.85% 4,536 50.15% 4,563 -0.30% -27
Moore 48.21% 5,066 51.79% 5,442 -3.58% -376
Gaston 48.14% 17,781 51.86% 19,157 -3.73% -1,376
Forsyth 48.14% 24,535 51.86% 26,436 -3.73% -1,901
Rutherford 48.04% 7,755 51.96% 8,387 -3.92% -632
Buncombe 47.85% 22,425 52.15% 24,444 -4.31% -2,019
Transylvania 47.36% 3,641 52.64% 4,047 -5.28% -406
Guilford 46.57% 29,028 53.43% 33,310 -6.87% -4,282
Lincoln 46.39% 5,389 53.61% 6,228 -7.22% -839
Caldwell 45.13% 7,533 54.87% 9,160 -9.75% -1,627
Watauga 44.30% 3,600 55.70% 4,527 -11.41% -927
Madison 43.55% 3,666 56.45% 4,751 -12.89% -1,085
Davidson 43.33% 10,931 56.67% 14,299 -13.35% -3,368
Mecklenburg 42.70% 33,044 57.30% 44,334 -14.59% -11,290
Alexander 42.56% 2,665 57.44% 3,597 -14.88% -932
Iredell 42.09% 8,580 57.91% 11,804 -15.82% -3,224
Randolph 41.93% 8,975 58.07% 12,429 -16.14% -3,454
Stanly 41.64% 7,202 58.36% 10,093 -16.72% -2,891
Burke 41.03% 7,732 58.97% 11,113 -17.94% -3,381
Catawba 40.73% 11,554 59.27% 16,814 -18.54% -5,260
Rowan 39.18% 11,296 60.82% 17,535 -21.64% -6,239
Wilkes 38.43% 7,143 61.57% 11,446 -23.15% -4,303
Cabarrus 37.78% 9,140 62.22% 15,053 -24.44% -5,913
Davie 37.50% 2,406 62.50% 4,010 -25.00% -1,604
Yadkin 33.46% 2,786 66.54% 5,540 -33.08% -2,754
Henderson 30.25% 3,803 69.75% 8,768 -39.50% -4,965
Mitchell 23.57% 1,236 76.43% 4,009 -52.87% -2,773
Avery 20.56% 964 79.44% 3,725 -58.88% -2,761

References[]

  1. ^ "United States Presidential election of 1952 - Encyclopædia Britannica". Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  2. ^ "U.S. presidential election, 1952". Facts on File. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved October 24, 2013. Eisenhower, born in Texas, considered a resident of New York, and headquartered at the time in Paris, finally decided to run for the Republican nomination
  3. ^ "1952 Election for the Forty-Second Term (1953-57)". Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  4. ^ Phillips, Kevin P.; The Emerging Republican Majority, pp. 210, 242 ISBN 978-0-691-16324-6
  5. ^ Key, Valdimer Orlando; Southern Politics in State and Nation, p. 502, Alfred A. Knopf (1949)
  6. ^ Klarman, Michael J.; 'The White Primary Rulings: A Case Study in the Consequences of Supreme Court Decision-Making'; Florida State University Law Review, volume 29 (2001), pp. 55-107
  7. ^ Ader, Emile B.; 'Why the Dixiecrats Failed'; The Journal of Politics, volume 15, no. 3 (August 1953), pp. 356-369
  8. ^ Phillips; The Emerging Republican Majority, p. 297
  9. ^ a b See Strong, Donald S.; 'The Presidential Election in the South, 1952'; The Journal of Politics, volume 17, no. 3 (August 1955), pp. 343-389
  10. ^ Grayson, A.G.; 'North Carolina and Harry Truman, 1944-1948', Journal of American Studies, volume 9, no. 3 (December 1975), pp. 283-300
  11. ^ 'Dixie Sun Smiles on Eisenihower: Ike Could Win 79 Votes in South'; Daily Boston Globe, August 3, 1952, p. C41
  12. ^ 'Democrats Expect To Win the South: Leaders Believe Sparkman Will Offset Eisenhower's Appeal to Dixie Bloc'; The New York Times, July 27, 1952, p. 38
  13. ^ a b 'South not so Solid, Press Poll Hints: Survey by the A. P. Indicates Eisenhower Might "Pull" 3 to 5 States to G.O.P.'; The New York Times, September 18, 1952, p. 19
  14. ^ 'Nominees Share 2 Papers: One in North Carolina Endorses Eisenhower, One Stevenson'; The New York Times, October 12, 1952, p. 78
  15. ^ Popham, John N.; 'Party Fealty Firm in North Carolina: State Has Remained Regular During Fair Deal and Seems Likely to Do So Now'; Special to the New York Times, October 24, 1952, p. 18
  16. ^ Key, Southern Politics in State and Nation, pp. 215-217
  17. ^ "1952 Presidential General Election Results – North Carolina". Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "The American Presidency Project – Election of 1952". Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  19. ^ a b Our Campaigns; NC US President Race, November 04, 1952
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