| Election Name: | 1972 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
| Country: | North Carolina |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1966 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
| Previous Year: | 1966 |
| Flag Year: | 1885 |
| Next Election: | 1978 United States Senate election in North Carolina |
| Next Year: | 1978 |
| Election Date: | November 7, 1972 |
| Image1: | File:Jesse Helms.jpg |
| Nominee1: | Jesse Helms |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 795,247 |
| Percentage1: | 54.01% |
| Nominee2: | Nick Galifianakis |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 677,293 |
| Percentage2: | 45.99% |
| Map Size: | 325px |
| U.S. Senator | |
| Before Election: | B. Everett Jordan |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Jesse Helms |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1972 was held on 7 November 1972 as part of the nationwide elections to the Senate, and coinciding with the 1972 presidential election. The general election was fought between the Republican nominee Jesse Helms and the Democratic nominee Rep. Nick Galifianakis. Helms won the election, becoming the first Republican to win a Senate seat in North Carolina since 1897, and the first to hold this seat since 1871.
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,[1] [2] although an opponent of busing. This was the first time ever that a Republican won a full term to this Senate seat in North Carolina.