United States Senate election in North Carolina, 1972
Encyclopedia
The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1972 was held on 7 November 1972 as part of the nation-wide elections to the Senate, and coinciding with the 1972 presidential election
. The general election was fought between the Republican
nominee Jesse Helms
and the Democrat
nominee Rep. Nick Galifianakis
. Helms won the election, taking a Senate seat in North Carolina from the Democrats for the first time in the twentieth century.
Three-term Representative Nick Galifianakis defeated two-term incumbent Senator B. Everett Jordan
in the second ballot
in the Democratic primary. Galifianakis was seen as an anti-establishment liberal in North Carolina; although an opponent of busing, Galifianakis was not as conservative as the segregationist
Jordan.
United States presidential election, 1972
The United States presidential election of 1972 was the 47th quadrennial United States presidential election. It was held on November 7, 1972. The Democratic Party's nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard...
. The general election was fought between the Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee Jesse Helms
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. was a five-term Republican United States Senator from North Carolina who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001...
and the Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
nominee Rep. Nick Galifianakis
Nick Galifianakis
Nick Galifianakis was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1967 and 1973.-Life and career:Galifianakis was born in Durham, North Carolina, the son of Greek immigrants Sophia and Mike Galifianakis. Galifianakis attended local public schools and then Duke University, earning a...
. Helms won the election, taking a Senate seat in North Carolina from the Democrats for the first time in the twentieth century.
Three-term Representative Nick Galifianakis defeated two-term incumbent Senator B. Everett Jordan
B. Everett Jordan
Benjamin Everett Jordan was a Democratic U.S. Senator from the state of North Carolina from 1958 until 1973. He lived most of his life in Alamance County, North Carolina....
in the second ballot
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
in the Democratic primary. Galifianakis was seen as an anti-establishment liberal in North Carolina; although an opponent of busing, Galifianakis was not as conservative as the segregationist
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
Jordan.