1986Final resultsSpecial election
1986 special election for U.S. Senate in North Carolina
U.S. Senate · North Carolina
Terry Sanford (D) won with 50.9% of the vote, defeating James T. (jim) Broyhill (R) by 1.8 points.
Terry SanfordDemocrat · winner
50.9%780,967
James T. (jim) BroyhillRepublican
49.1%753,881
1,534,848 votes
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.
Terry SanfordJames T. (jim) Broyhill
$4.2M
Raised by the campaign
$5.2M
$4.2M
Spent by the campaign
$5.2M
$13.2K
Cash on hand
$13.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1986.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1986