2004 North Carolina State Auditor election
November 2, 2004
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County results Merritt: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Campbell: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in North Carolina |
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The 2004 North Carolina State Auditor election was held on November 2, 2004, to elect the North Carolina State Auditor, concurrently with the 2004 U.S. presidential election, as well as elections to the United States Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, governor, the Council of State, and other state, local and judicial elections. Primary elections were held on July 20.[1]
Incumbent Democratic state auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. ran for re-election to a fourth term in office, but lost to Republican candidate Les Merritt in a rematch of the 2000 election for the same office.[2] Campbell conceded the race on November 10, and later alleged a factor in him losing re-election was because he was African-American.[3][4] Following this election, Merritt became the first elected Republican state auditor in North Carolina history.[5]
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Ralph Campbell Jr., incumbent state auditor (1993–present)[6]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ralph Campbell Jr. (incumbent) | Unopposed | ||
| Total votes | N/a | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Les Merritt, former member of the Wake County Board of Commissioners (1994–1998) and nominee for state auditor in 2000[2]
Eliminated in primary
- Jasper Albright[8]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Les Merritt | 190,408 | 66.83 | |
| Republican | Jasper Albright | 94,512 | 33.17 | |
| Total votes | 284,920 | 100.0 | ||
General election
Polling
| Poll source | Date(s) administered |
Sample size[a] |
Margin of error |
Ralph Campbell Jr. (D) |
Les Merritt (R) |
Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tel Opinion Research/John Locke Foundation[9][10] | October 18–20, 2004 | 600 (LV) | ± 4.0% | 38% | 27% | 35% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Les Merritt | 1,662,354 | 50.44 | ||
| Democratic | Ralph Campbell Jr. (incumbent) | 1,633,639 | 49.56 | ||
| Total votes | 3,295,993 | 100.0 | |||
| Republican gain from Democratic | |||||
Notes
- ^ Key:
A – all adults
RV – registered voters
LV – likely voters
V – unclear
References
- ^ "07/20/2004 OFFICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ a b "Merritt Takes State Auditor Post; Two Still Undecided In Council Of State". WRAL News. November 3, 2004. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "Campbell concedes state auditor race to Merritt". Wilmington Star-News. November 11, 2004. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "Campbell: Race May Have Been Factor In State Auditor Campaign". WRAL News. January 6, 2005. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "Merritt To Become State's First Elected Republican Auditor". WRAL News. November 11, 2004. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "Former NC Auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. dies at 64". Charleston Gazette-Mail. January 15, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ a b "07/20/2004 OFFICIAL PRIMARY ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "Primary Election held July 20th" (PDF). The Taylorsville Times. July 21, 2004. p. 1. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ Hood, John (October 21, 2004). "JLF poll shows high voter interest, mixed views on issues and races". John Locke Foundation. Archived from the original on October 23, 2004. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ Hood, John (October 22, 2004). "NC's Rising Conservative Tide". The Carolina Journal. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
- ^ "11/02/2004 OFFICIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS - STATEWIDE". North Carolina State Board of Elections. Retrieved February 21, 2026.