1988Final results
1988 election for North Carolina Senate District 23
North Carolina State Senate · North Carolina
2 seats: Betsy L. Cochrane (R), Paul S. Smith (R) won.
2 seatsBetsy L. CochraneRepublican · winner
34.4%57,693
Paul S. SmithRepublican · winner · incumbent
31.6%53,078
Hugh H. ShepherdDemocrat
18.0%30,235
Robert F. GodfreyDemocrat
16.0%26,784
167,790 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 1988
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET