1956 United States presidential election in North Carolina

The 1956 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 6, 1956, as part of the 1956 United States presidential election. North Carolina voters chose 14 representatives, or electors, to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

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, where turnout was higher than elsewhere in the former Confederacy due substantially to the state's early abolition of the poll tax in 1920. Like Virginia, Tennessee and Oklahoma, the relative strength of Republican opposition meant that North Carolina never had statewide white primaries, although certain counties did use a white primary until it was banned by Smith v. Allwright.

Following the banning of white primaries by the Supreme Court, North Carolina in 1948 offered less support to the Dixiecrat bolt than any other former Confederate state, due to the economic liberalism of its Black Belt and solid Democratic party discipline due to consistent Republican opposition. Although there was little satisfaction with Harry S. Truman during his second term, the loyalty of the white voters of the state's Black Belt and the previously anti-Al Smith Outer Banks meant that unlike Texas, Florida and Virginia, urban middle-class Republican voting was inadequate to carry North Carolina for Eisenhower.

During the 1940s and 1950s, the proportion of blacks registered to vote in the state increased steadily from less than ten percent to around twenty percent by the time of Brown v. Board of Education. Several Piedmont cities had blacks on their councils, although blacks in rural areas generally remained without hope of registering. The state would largely escape the overt “Massive Resistance” seen in neighbouring Virginia,Christensen. The paradox of Tar Heel politics, pp. 155-156 and four of its congressmen did not sign the Southern Manifesto. Nonetheless, although the Greensboro school board voted 6–1 to desegregate within a day of Brown, no serious desegregation would take place until well into the 1960s, while two non-signers would be challenged and defeated in 1956 primaries.

Polls SourceRatingAs ofThe Daily PressSeptember 29, 1956The Daily Times-NewsOctober 26, 1956Asheville Citizen-TimesOctober 28, 1956Fort Worth Star-TelegramNovember 2, 1956Corpus Christi TimesNovember 3, 1956The Philadelphia InquirerNovember 4, 1956The Salt Lake TribuneNovember 4, 1956

Results

Results by county CountyAdlai StevensonDemocraticDwight D. EisenhowerRepublicanMarginTotal # % # % # % Alamance 11,029 47.64% 12,123 52.36% -1,094 -4.72% 23,152 Alexander 2,710 41.84% 3,767 58.16% -1,057 -16.32% 6,477 Alleghany 1,670 49.57% 1,699 50.43% -29 -0.86% 3,369 Anson 3,598 68.69% 1,640 31.31% 1,958 37.38% 5,238 Ashe 3,982 46.46% 4,588 53.54% -606 -7.08% 8,570 Avery 969 19.47% 4,009 80.53% -3,040 -61.06% 4,978 Beaufort 5,730 71.56% 2,277 28.44% 3,453 43.12% 8,007 Bertie 3,373 87.79% 469 12.21% 2,904 75.58% 3,842 Bladen 4,078 72.56% 1,542 27.44% 2,536 45.12% 5,620 Brunswick 3,297 49.98% 3,299 50.02% -2 -0.04% 6,596 Buncombe 19,044 45.67% 22,655 54.33% -3,611 -8.66% 41,699 Burke 7,999 40.35% 11,823 59.65% -3,824 -19.30% 19,822 Cabarrus 7,173 33.15% 14,462 66.85% -7,289 -33.70% 21,635 Caldwell 6,861 38.78% 10,833 61.22% -3,972 -22.44% 17,694 Camden 813 70.33% 343 29.67% 470 40.66% 1,156 Carteret 3,875 50.46% 3,804 49.54% 71 0.92% 7,679 Caswell 2,468 67.21% 1,204 32.79% 1,264 34.42% 3,672 Catawba 11,424 37.25% 19,246 62.75% -7,822 -25.50% 30,670 Chatham 4,151 52.68% 3,729 47.32% 422 5.36% 7,880 Cherokee 2,843 42.60% 3,830 57.40% -987 -14.80% 6,673 Chowan 1,485 72.76% 556 27.24% 929 45.52% 2,041 Clay 1,287 47.16% 1,442 52.84% -155 -5.68% 2,729 Cleveland 8,408 54.30% 7,076 45.70% 1,332 8.60% 15,484 Columbus 7,805 77.24% 2,300 22.76% 5,505 54.48% 10,105 Craven 6,317 68.12% 2,956 31.88% 3,361 36.24% 9,273 Cumberland 8,862 56.95% 6,699 43.05% 2,163 13.90% 15,561 Currituck 1,425 74.49% 488 25.51% 937 48.98% 1,913 Dare 839 44.94% 1,028 55.06% -189 -10.12% 1,867 Davidson 9,987 38.17% 16,178 61.83% -6,191 -23.66% 26,165 Davie 2,110 31.45% 4,599 68.55% -2,489 -37.10% 6,709 Duplin 6,931 76.66% 2,110 23.34% 4,821 53.32% 9,041 Durham 13,835 51.13% 13,226 48.87% 609 2.26% 27,061 Edgecombe 7,830 80.97% 1,840 19.03% 5,990 61.94% 9,670 Forsyth 15,819 35.01% 29,368 64.99% -13,549 -29.98% 45,187 Franklin 5,298 87.00% 792 13.00% 4,506 74.00% 6,090 Gaston 15,671 46.32% 18,159 53.68% -2,488 -7.36% 33,830 Gates 1,244 78.49% 341 21.51% 903 56.98% 1,585 Graham 1,486 45.75% 1,762 54.25% -276 -8.50% 3,248 Granville 4,013 73.28% 1,463 26.72% 2,550 46.56% 5,476 Greene 3,285 93.67% 222 6.33% 3,063 87.34% 3,507 Guilford 21,948 40.13% 32,751 59.87% -10,803 -19.74% 54,699 Halifax 7,860 77.01% 2,346 22.99% 5,514 54.02% 10,206 Harnett 7,421 64.99% 3,998 35.01% 3,423 29.98% 11,419 Haywood 7,598 52.21% 6,955 47.79% 643 4.42% 14,553 Henderson 4,003 30.22% 9,243 69.78% -5,240 -39.56% 13,246 Hertford 2,708 78.79% 729 21.21% 1,979 57.58% 3,437 Hoke 1,944 79.12% 513 20.88% 1,431 58.24% 2,457 Hyde 1,028 67.68% 491 32.32% 537 35.36% 1,519 Iredell 7,286 39.57% 11,125 60.43% -3,839 -20.86% 18,411 Jackson 3,787 51.95% 3,503 48.05% 284 3.90% 7,290 Johnston 9,852 66.82% 4,893 33.18% 4,959 33.64% 14,745 Jones 1,952 82.47% 415 17.53% 1,537 64.94% 2,367 Lee 4,163 68.12% 1,948 31.88% 2,215 36.24% 6,111 Lenoir 6,847 72.76% 2,564 27.24% 4,283 45.52% 9,411 Lincoln 5,838 46.80% 6,637 53.20% -799 -6.40% 12,475 Macon 3,025 47.02% 3,408 52.98% -383 -5.96% 6,433 Madison 3,693 46.42% 4,263 53.58% -570 -7.16% 7,956 Martin 5,730 92.73% 449 7.27% 5,281 85.46% 6,179 McDowell 4,392 44.54% 5,468 55.46% -1,076 -10.92% 9,860 Mecklenburg 27,227 37.98% 44,469 62.02% -17,242 -24.04% 71,696 Mitchell 1,069 20.03% 4,269 79.97% -3,200 -59.94% 5,338 Montgomery 3,088 47.90% 3,359 52.10% -271 -4.20% 6,447 Moore 4,729 47.45% 5,238 52.55% -509 -5.10% 9,967 Nash 9,969 78.91% 2,665 21.09% 7,304 57.82% 12,634 New Hanover 10,247 51.97% 9,470 48.03% 777 3.94% 19,717 Northampton 4,242 85.03% 747 14.97% 3,495 70.06% 4,989 Onslow 4,692 74.26% 1,626 25.74% 3,066 48.52% 6,318 Orange 4,743 51.90% 4,396 48.10% 347 3.80% 9,139 Pamlico 1,376 59.06% 954 40.94% 422 18.12% 2,330 Pasquotank 2,963 61.86% 1,827 38.14% 1,136 23.72% 4,790 Pender 2,196 68.52% 1,009 31.48% 1,187 37.04% 3,205 Perquimans 1,022 59.04% 709 40.96% 313 18.08% 1,731 Person 3,433 66.36% 1,740 33.64% 1,693 32.72% 5,173 Pitt 11,873 82.52% 2,515 17.48% 9,358 65.04% 14,388 Polk 2,527 47.23% 2,823 52.77% -296 -5.54% 5,350 Randolph 8,404 38.95% 13,174 61.05% -4,770 -22.10% 21,578 Richmond 6,592 69.40% 2,907 30.60% 3,685 38.80% 9,499 Robeson 10,516 79.06% 2,785 20.94% 7,731 58.12% 13,301 Rockingham 8,896 49.73% 8,991 50.27% -95 -0.54% 17,887 Rowan 9,761 35.72% 17,562 64.28% -7,801 -28.56% 27,323 Rutherford 7,208 46.78% 8,200 53.22% -992 -6.44% 15,408 Sampson 7,197 51.84% 6,685 48.16% 512 3.68% 13,882 Scotland 3,042 72.21% 1,171 27.79% 1,871 44.42% 4,213 Stanly 6,693 38.55% 10,667 61.45% -3,974 -22.90% 17,360 Stokes 3,948 47.63% 4,341 52.37% -393 -4.74% 8,289 Surry 7,020 43.82% 9,001 56.18% -1,981 -12.36% 16,021 Swain 1,794 46.96% 2,026 53.04% -232 -6.08% 3,820 Transylvania 3,435 46.82% 3,901 53.18% -466 -6.36% 7,336 Tyrrell 615 59.42% 420 40.58% 195 18.84% 1,035 Union 6,383 65.50% 3,362 34.50% 3,021 31.00% 9,745 Vance 4,922 71.57% 1,955 28.43% 2,967 43.14% 6,877 Wake 22,427 59.61% 15,194 40.39% 7,233 19.22% 37,621 Warren 2,733 79.19% 718 20.81% 2,015 58.38% 3,451 Washington 1,947 65.34% 1,033 34.66% 914 30.68% 2,980 Watauga 3,223 41.01% 4,636 58.99% -1,413 -17.98% 7,859 Wayne 6,756 61.55% 4,220 38.45% 2,536 23.10% 10,976 Wilkes 5,870 33.71% 11,544 66.29% -5,674 -32.58% 17,414 Wilson 8,328 74.64% 2,830 25.36% 5,498 49.28% 11,158 Yadkin 2,361 30.15% 5,469 69.85% -3,108 -39.70% 7,830 Yancey 2,964 51.35% 2,808 48.65% 156 2.70% 5,772Totals590,53050.66%575,06249.34%15,4681.32%1,165,592

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Alleghany Alamance Dare Cherokee Graham Macon McDowell Polk Rockingham Stokes Surry Swain

Analysis North Carolina was carried by Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, with 50.66 percent of the popular vote, over incumbent Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s 49.34 percent. As in 1952, the key to Stevenson's victory was the powerful loyalty of Black Belt and Outer Banks white voters. The east–west partisan split seen in 1928 and 1952 became so consistent that Stevenson won only four counties in the western bloc — with Eisenhower's gain vis-à-vis 1952 of around 6 points concentrated in traditionally Democratic mountain and Piedmont counties — but in the coastal plain Eisenhower won only Dare and Brunswick Counties. Critical help for Stevenson also came from gaining a much larger proportion of the growing urban black electorate than elsewhere in the Confederacy. This was the last time until 1992 that North Carolina would vote for the losing candidate in a presidential election, and is also the last time that a Republican has won the presidency without carrying North Carolina.

Notes

References