1990 United States Senate election in North Carolina

1990 United States Senate election in North Carolina

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Jesse Helms Harvey Gantt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,089,012 981,573 Percentage 52.6% 47.4%

County results Helms:      50-60%      60-70%      70-80% Gantt:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%

U.S. senator before election Jesse Helms Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jesse Helms Republican

Elections in North Carolina
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State legislature State Senate elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 State House elections 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
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Ballot measures 2012 Amendment 1
Mayoral elections Charlotte mayoral elections 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2022 Cary mayoral elections 2011 2015 2019 Durham mayoral elections 1979 1981 1983 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 Fayetteville mayoral elections 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 Greensboro mayoral elections 2011 2013 2015 2017 Raleigh mayoral elections 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2022 Winston-Salem mayoral elections 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2016 2020
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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 Mayor of Charlotte Harvey Gantt. Helms won re-election to a fourth term by a slightly wider margin than the close election in 1984.

Helms drew controversy for airing what became known as the "Hands" ad produced by Alex Castellanos. It showed a pair of white hands with the voiceover saying You wanted this job, but because of a law they had to give it to a minority. The ad prompted allegations of racism.^[1] Helms has also been noted for trying to win black votes the hard way, unlike South Carolina's long-serving Senator Strom Thurmond, who won 20% of the black vote in his re-election that same day.

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.^[2]

Primaries[]

Republican primary[]

Democratic primary[]

Results[]

See also[]

• 1990 United States Senate elections

Footnotes[]