| Election Name: | 2012 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election |
| Country: | North Carolina |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2008 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 2008 |
| Next Election: | 2016 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 2016 |
| Image1: | File:Dan Forest - Flag (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Dan Forest |
| Party1: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote1: | 2,187,728 |
| Percentage1: | 50.1% |
| Nominee2: | Linda Coleman |
| Party2: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Popular Vote2: | 2,180,870 |
| Percentage2: | 49.9% |
| Map Size: | 325px |
| Lieutenant Governor | |
| Before Election: | Walter Dalton |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Dan Forest |
| After Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
The 2012 North Carolina lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 2012, concurrently with the other elections to the Council of State and the gubernatorial election. Primary elections were held May 8. The offices of Governor and Lieutenant Governor are elected independently. The incumbent, Lt. Gov. Walter H. Dalton, announced on Jan. 26, 2012 that he would run for Governor.[1]
In the general election, Republican Dan Forest won 50.08% of the vote, narrowly defeating Democrat Linda Coleman.[2] The election result was in doubt for almost two weeks after Election Day, and was within the margin in which Coleman could ask for a recount, but she chose not to do so on Nov. 19.[3]
When he took office in January 2013, Forest became the state's first Republican lieutenant governor since Jim Gardner left office two decades earlier.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | Linda Coleman | Eric Mansfield | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | May 5–6, 2012 | 500 | ± 3.1% | align=center | 41% | 23% | 36% | ||
| Survey USA | April 26–30, 2012 | 560 | ± 4.2% | align=center | 41% | 23% | 36% | ||
| Public Policy Polling | April 27–29, 2012 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 39% | 18% | align=center | 43% | |
| Public Policy Polling | April 20–22, 2012 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 28% | 16% | align=center | 56% | |
| Public Policy Polling | March 23–25, 2012 | 505 | ± 4.36% | align=center | 26% | 14% | align=center | 59% | |
| Public Policy Polling | February 29 – March 1, 2012 | 499 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 25% | 15% | align=center | 61% |
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | Dale Folwell | Dan Forest | Tony Gurley | Grey Mills | Arthur Rich | Undecided | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | May 5–6, 2012 | 496 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 22% | 17% | 18% | 9% | 2% | align=center | 32% | |
| Survey USA | April 26–30, 2012 | 451 | ± 4.7% | 13% | align=center | 17% | 12% | 11% | 5% | align=center | 41% | |
| Public Policy Polling | April 27–29, 2012 | 486 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 20% | 15% | 11% | 10% | 3% | align=center | 40% | |
| Public Policy Polling | April 20–22, 2012 | 521 | ± 4.3% | align=center | 15% | 12% | 12% | 8% | 2% | align=center | 51% |
Under state law, if no candidate receives 40 percent of the vote in the primary, the second-place candidate can request a second primary (runoff).[13] According to unofficial May 8 primary election results, Gurley came in second, and he announced that he would request such a runoff.[14]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | width=100px | Linda Coleman (D) | width=100px | Dan Forest (R) | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Policy Polling | November 3–4, 2012 | 926 | ± 3.2% | 44% | align=center | 45% | 11% | ||
| Public Policy Polling | October 29–31, 2012 | 730 | ± 3.6% | 41% | align=center | 43% | 16% | ||
| Public Policy Polling | October 12–14, 2012 | 1,084 | ± 3% | 37% | align=center | 38% | 26% | ||
| Civitas/National Research, Inc. | September 18–19, 2012 | 600 | ± 4% | align=center | 43% | 39% | 18% | ||
| Public Policy Polling | August 31 – September 1, 2012 | 1,012 | ± 3.1% | align=center | 41% | 39% | 20% | ||
| Public Policy Polling | August 2–5, 2012 | 813 | ± 3.4% | 37% | align=center | 38% | 26% | ||
| Public Policy Polling | May 10–13, 2012 | 666 | ± 3.8% | align=center | 41% | 40% | 20% |
Forest won 10 of the state's 13 congressional districts, including one that elected a Democrat.[15]
| District | Forest | Coleman | Representative | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26% | 74% | G. K. Butterfield | |||
| 57% | 43% | Renee Ellmers | |||
| 56% | 44% | Walter B. Jones Jr. | |||
| 28% | 72% | David Price | |||
| 59% | 41% | Virginia Foxx | |||
| 57% | 43% | Howard Coble | |||
| 57% | 43% | Mike McIntyre | |||
| 56% | 44% | Larry Kissell | |||
| Richard Hudson | |||||
| 58% | 42% | Sue Myrick | |||
| Robert Pittenger | |||||
| 58% | 42% | Patrick McHenry | |||
| 60% | 40% | Heath Shuler | |||
| Mark Meadows | |||||
| 21% | 79% | Mel Watt | |||
| 56% | 44% | Brad Miller | |||
| George Holding |