The North Carolina United States Senate election of 1990 was held on November 6, 1990, as part of the nationwide elections to the Senate. The general election was fought between the Republican incumbent Jesse Helms and the Democratic nominee former mayor of Charlotte Harvey Gantt. Helms won re-election to a fourth term by a slightly wider margin than the close election in 1984.

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1990 United States Senate election in North Carolina

← 1984 November 6, 1990 1996 →

Nominee Jesse Helms Harvey Gantt Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,089,012 981,573 Percentage 52.58% 47.39%

County results Precinct results Helms:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Gantt:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Tie:      40–50%      50%

U.S. senator before election Jesse Helms Republican Elected U.S. Senator Jesse Helms Republican

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The election received renewed attention in 2020 with the release of ESPN miniseries The Last Dance, which mentioned Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan refusing to endorse Gantt, who was seeking to become the first African-American to represent North Carolina - Jordan's home state - in the United States Senate.^[1]

• 1990 United States Senate elections