1986Final results
1986 election for North Carolina's 2nd District
U.S. House · North Carolina
Itimous Valentine (D) won with 74.6% of the vote, defeating Bud McElhaney (R) by 49.1 points.
Itimous ValentineDemocrat · winner
74.6%95,320
Bud McElhaneyRepublican
25.4%32,515
127,835 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1986
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Itimous ValentineBud McElhaney
$178.3K
Raised by the campaign
$69.5K
$164.7K
Spent by the campaign
$69.2K
$51.1K
Cash on hand
$377
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986