1972Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1972 election for North Carolina Senate District 23
North Carolina State Senate · North Carolina
2 seats: J. Reid Poovey (R), Kennedy H. Sharpe (R) won.
2 seatsJ. Reid PooveyRepublican · winner
29.0%39,753
Kennedy H. SharpeRepublican · winner
27.4%37,563
Bobby Lee CombsDemocrat · incumbent
22.7%31,173
James C. KivettDemocrat
20.9%28,645
137,134 votes
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1972
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET