1996Final results
1996 election for North Carolina House District 51
North Carolina House of Representatives · North Carolina
3 seats: Wilma Sherrill (R), Martin L. Nesbitt (D), Lanier M. Cansler (R) won.
3 seatsWilma SherrillRepublican · winner · incumbent
19.0%34,158
Martin L. NesbittDemocrat · winner
17.6%31,635
Lanier M. CanslerRepublican · winner · incumbent
17.5%31,485
Ben PaceDemocrat
15.4%27,616
Mark CrawfordRepublican
14.9%26,756
Brian PetersonDemocrat
14.8%26,618
Gary RidgeLibertarian
0.6%1,138
179,406 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 1996
Races before and after
Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET
The candidates
Wilma Sherrill (R)Martin L. Nesbitt (D)Lanier M. Cansler (R)Ben Pace (D)Mark Crawford (R)Brian Peterson (D)
Also on the ballot: Gary Ridge (Libertarian), 0.6%