# 2004 North Carolina Council of State election

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vte :
Elections to choose members of the North Carolina Council of State (who head executive branch departments) were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2004. The U.S. Presidential election, U.S. House election, U.S. Senate election, the North Carolina General Assembly election, and North Carolina judicial elections were all held on the same day.
In all but two races (Superintendent of Public Instruction and Labor Commissioner), incumbent Democrats sought re-election and Democrats held both. However, two Democratic incumbents lost for Auditor and Agriculture Commissioner.

## Governor

The general election was between the Democratic incumbent Mike Easley and the Republican nominee Patrick J. Ballantine. Easley won by 56% to 43%, winning his second term as governor.

## Lieutenant Governor

Elections in North Carolina :
Federal government
U.S. President
1792
1796
1800
1804
1808
1812
1816
1820
1824
1828
1832
1836
1840
1844
1848
1852
1856
1860
1868
1872
1876
1880
1884
1888
1892
1896
1900
1904
1908
1912
1916
1920
1924
1928
1932
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
Dem
Rep
2012
2016
Dem
2020
Dem
Rep
2024
Dem
Rep
U.S. Senate
1789
1792
1795
1798
1799
1800
1804
1805 (sp)
1806
1810
1812
1814 (sp)
1815 (sp)
1816
1816 (sp)
1818
1822
1825
1846 (sp)
1828
1828 (sp)
1829
1829 (sp)
1830
1835
1836
1836 (sp)
1840 (sp)
1841
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1894 (sp)
1897
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1903
1907
1909
1913
1914
1918
1920
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1926
1930
1932
1932 (sp)
1936
1938
1942
1944
1948
1948 (sp)
1950
1950 (sp)
1954
1954 (sp)
1956
1958 (sp)
1960
1966
1968
1972
1974
1978
1980
1984
1986
1986 (sp)
1990
1992
1996
1998
2002
2004
2008
2010
2014
2016
2020
2022
2026
U.S. House of Representatives
1790
1791
1793
1795
sp:4
1796
sp:4
1798
sp:10
1800
1801
sp:8
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sp:1
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
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2016
2018
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2019
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2020
2022
2024 :
State executive
Gubernatorial elections
1803
1804
1805
1806
1807
1808
1809
1810
1810
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
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1932
1936
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1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Lieutenant Governor elections
1936
1940
1944
1948
1952
1956
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Attorney General elections
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Council of State elections
1996
2000
2004
2008
2012
2016
2020
2024
Secretary of State elections
1940
1944
1996
2024 :
State legislature
State Senate elections
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024
State House elections
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
State judiciary
Judicial elections
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2020
2022
2024 :
Ballot measures
2012Amendment 1 :
Mayoral elections
Charlotte mayoral elections
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2022
2023
2025
Cary mayoral elections
2011
2015
2019
2023
Durham mayoral elections
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2021
2023
2025
Fayetteville mayoral elections
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2022
2023
Greensboro mayoral elections
2011
2013
2015
2017
2022
2025
Raleigh mayoral elections
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
2013
2015
2017
2019
2022
2024
Winston-Salem mayoral elections
1997
2001
2005
2009
2013
2016
2020
2024 :
vte :
2004 North Carolina lieutenant governor election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Bev Perdue (incumbent) | 1,888,397 | 55.57 |
| | Republican | Jim Snyder | 1,453,705 | 42.78 |
| | Libertarian | Chris Cole | 56,368 | 1.66 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,398,470 | |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Swing | |
The 2004 North Carolina lieutenant governor election was held on November 2, 2004, as part of the elections to the Council of State. North Carolina also held a gubernatorial election on the same day, but the offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected independently. Incumbent Bev Perdue was re-elected with 55% of the vote.

## Secretary of State

2004 North Carolina Secretary of State election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Elaine Marshall (incumbent) | 1,911,585 | 57.32 | +2.89 |
| | Republican | Jay Rao | 1,423,109 | 42.68 | –2.89 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,206,847 | | |
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall defeated both a primary challenge from Doris A. Sanders and from Republican challenger Jay Rao.

## State Auditor

2004 North Carolina State Auditor election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Les Merritt | 1,662,354 | 50.44 | +0.95 |
| | Democratic | Ralph Campbell (incumbent) | 1,633,639 | 49.56 | –0.95 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,292,587 | | |
Les Merritt, a former Wake County commissioner, and 2000 candidate, narrowly defeated 3-term incumbent State Auditor Ralph Campbell.

## Attorney General

2004 North Carolina Attorney General election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Roy Cooper (incumbent) | 1,872,097 | 55.61 | +4.40 |
| | Republican | Joe Knott | 1,494,121 | 44.39 | –2.01 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,366,218 | | |
North Carolina's incumbent Attorney General, Roy Cooper, defeated Republican challenger Joe Knott.

## State Treasurer

2004 North Carolina State Treasurer election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Richard H. Moore (incumbent) | 1,812,201 | 54.51 | –0.84 |
| | Republican | Edward Meyer | 1,512,619 | 45.49 | +0.84 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,324,820 | | |
Incumbent State Treasurer Richard H. Moore defeated Republican challenger Edward Meyer by an eight-point margin.

## Superintendent of Public Instruction
### Results of November 2, 2004

2004 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election – Popular vote :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | June Atkinson | 1,655,719 | 50.13 | –3.23 |
| | Republican | Bill Fletcher | 1,647,184 | 49.87 | +3.23 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,302,903 | | |

### General Assembly vote of August 24, 2005

2004 North Carolina Superintendent of Public Instruction election – General Assembly :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | June Atkinson | 93 | 54.7 |
| | Republican | Bill Fletcher | 21 | 12.4 |
| | | Undecided | 26 | 15.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 140 | 82.35 |
With the resignation of Mike Ward, the Superintendent of Public Instruction race was the only 2004 Council of State contest in which there was no incumbent; consequently both major parties saw contested primaries. On the Republican side, former Wake County board of education member Bill Fletcher easily bested retired professor Jeanne Smoot. The Democratic primary between state Department of Instruction official June Atkinson, North Carolina Board of Education member J. B. Buxton and state agricultural education coordinator Marshall Stewart led to a second primary. Stewart polled narrowly ahead of Atkinson in the first primary, but failed to capture the 40% support needed to take the nomination. In a statewide runoff primary, Atkinson captured the Democratic nomination.
The race, along with the race for Agriculture Commissioner (see below) was caught up for nearly a month in a statewide recount because of the narrow margin. Fletcher argued that provisional ballots, required under the Help America Vote Act of 2002 for federal races, were improperly counted in state races under North Carolina law. However, on 30 November 2004, the State Board of Elections certified Atkinson the winner. Fletcher appealed the recision to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Atkinson, in turn, petitioned the North Carolina General Assembly to resolve the disputed election. On August 24, 2005, the General Assembly met in a joint session to vote on the disputed election, as the state constitution called for. Atkinson won this vote and was sworn in that afternoon.
The election of the Superintendent of Public Instruction was the last American election from 2004 to be decided.

## North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture

2004 North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Steve Troxler | 1,666,197 | 50.03 | +0.60 |
| | Democratic | Britt Cobb (incumbent) | 1,663,910 | 49.97 | –0.60 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,330,107 | | |
Interim Agriculture Commissioner Britt Cobb defeated former state representative Tom Gilmore to take the Democratic nomination; Steve Troxler, the 2000 candidate for this position, was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
Due to the loss of about 4,000 votes in Carteret County, North Carolina, the race for State Agriculture Commissioner could not be resolved for several months. Although the North Carolina Board of Elections certified the close race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction on 30 November 2004, they reached an impasse on the Agriculture Commissioner Race, splitting 3–2 in favor of calling a new statewide election for the seat over calling a new election in Carteret County alone; 4 votes would have been required to take action on either option.
In early December, the North Carolina Board of Elections ordered a new election for January 11, 2005, in Carteret County alone, for voters whose ballots had been lost or who had not voted in the November 2 election. Both candidates appealed the decision, Cobb arguing that a statewide revote should be held, Troxler arguing that a revote should be limited to those voters whose votes were lost. A Wake County superior court judge overturned this decision on December 17, calling it "arbitrary and capricious" and "contrary to law", requiring the State Board of Elections to revisit the issue.
On December 29, the State Board of Elections ordered a new statewide election for the post. On January 13, 2005, the superior court invalidated this order as well, and sent the contest back to the Elections Board for resolution. Following this ruling, Cobb conceded defeat. On February 4, the State Board of Elections officially certified Troxler as the winner of the 2004 election.

## Commissioner of Labor

2004 North Carolina Commissioner of Labor election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Cherie Berry (incumbent) | 1,723,004 | 52.09 | +1.96 |
| | Democratic | Wayne Goodwin | 1,584,488 | 47.91 | –1.96 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,307,492 | | |
Incumbent Cherie Berry, the only sitting Republican on the Council of State, defeated both a primary challenge from Lloyd T. Funderburg and a general election challenge from state representative Wayne Goodwin.

## State Insurance Commissioner

2004 North Carolina Commissioner of Insurance election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | James E. Long (incumbent) | 1,934,076 | 57.64 | +1.10 |
| | Republican | C. Robert Brawley | 1,421,398 | 42.36 | –1.10 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,355,474 | | |
Five-term incumbent Jim Long defeated a challenge from Republican C. Robert Brawley to win the greatest number of votes for any candidate in the 2004 Council of State elections.