2004 North Carolina gubernatorial election

The general election was between the Democratic incumbent Mike Easley and the Republican nominee Patrick J. Ballantine.

Mike Easley was first elected as governor in 2000 and opted to run for a second term.

He faced opposition in the Democratic primary from Rickey Kipfer, a former corporate manager from Lee County.

Kipfer campaigned on a platform of abolishing North Carolina's personal income tax and exploring potential natural gas resources in the state.

Kipfer also proposed a system similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund as a means of distributing potential natural gas revenues to citizens in North Carolina.

Primary results by county:
Ballantine
  • Ballantine—81-90%
  • Ballantine—71-80%
  • Ballantine—61-70%
  • Ballantine—51-60%
  • Ballantine—41-50%
  • Ballantine—31-40%
  • Ballantine—21-30%
Vinroot
  • Vinroot—41-50%
  • Vinroot—31-40%
  • Vinroot—21-30%
Cobey
  • Cobey—51-60%
  • Cobey—41-50%
  • Cobey—31-40%
Barrett
  • Barrett—51-60%
  • Barrett—21-30%
Shubert
  • Shubert—31-40%
Little
  • Little—51-60%