1980Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1980 election for North Carolina House District 12
North Carolina House of Representatives · North Carolina
2 seats: S. Thomas Rhodes (R), Harry E. Payne Jr. (D) won.
2 seatsS. Thomas RhodesRepublican · winner · incumbent
30.9%16,107
Harry E. Payne Jr.Democrat · winner
27.7%14,432
Eugene MerrittDemocrat · incumbent
24.8%12,928
W. H. Roy Jr.Republican
16.5%8,591
52,058 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 1980
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET