1986Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1986 election for North Carolina's 4th District
U.S. House · North Carolina
David E. Price (D) won with 55.7% of the vote, defeating William W. "bill" Cobey Jr. (R) by 11.3 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
David E. PriceDemocrat · winner
55.7%92,216
William W. "bill" Cobey Jr.Republican
44.3%73,469
165,685 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.
David E. PriceWilliam W. "bill" Cobey Jr.
$863.8K
Raised by the campaign
$789K
$854.6K
Spent by the campaign
$792K
$9.2K
Cash on hand
$1.4K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986