1990Final results
1990 election for U.S. Senate in North Carolina
U.S. Senate · North Carolina
Jesse Helms (R) won with 52.5% of the vote, defeating Harvey B. Gantt (D) by 5.1 points.
Jesse HelmsRepublican · winner
52.5%1,087,331
Harvey B. GanttDemocrat
47.4%981,573
2,069,585 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 1990
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.
Harvey B. GanttJesse Helms
$7.9M
Raised by the campaign
$13.4M
$7.8M
Spent by the campaign
$13.4M
$48.4K
Cash on hand
$12.3K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1990.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1990