1982Final resultsIncumbent defeated
1982 election for North Carolina Senate District 20
North Carolina State Senate · North Carolina
2 seats: Marvin Ward (D), Richard Barnes (D) won.
2 seatsMarvin WardDemocrat · winner · incumbent
31.1%30,425
Richard BarnesDemocrat · winner
31.1%30,366
John J. CavanaghRepublican · incumbent
22.2%21,673
Odell C. ReidRepublican
13.6%13,265
Howard Wilson Jr.Libertarian
1.2%1,153
Pamela R. PelcLibertarian
0.9%869
97,751 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 1982
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Marvin Ward (D)Richard Barnes (D)John J. Cavanagh (R)Odell C. Reid (R)
Also on the ballot: Howard Wilson Jr. (Libertarian), 1.2%; Pamela R. Pelc (Libertarian), 0.9%