North Carolina governors have been heavily Democratic-leaning, historically and statistically speaking. That history of Democratic-affiliated governors also continues with the current and 75th governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper III. Governor Cooper has been in office since 2017 and carries forth a long lineage of Democratic governors. Like his most recent Democratic predecessors, Jim Hunt, governor from January 9, 1993, to January 6, 2001, and governor Mike Easley, January 6, 2001, to January 10, 2009, governor Roy Cooper can make a difference. With approximately 10 million residents, that also means making a difference in many lives.
From 1901 until 1971 there wasn't a single member of any other party elected. Meaning for a span of 70 years and 18 North Carolina governors, Democrats had a stronghold on the highest seat in the state. While the state of North Carolina isn't quite as blue-blooded today, it is still a Democrat-friendly state for governors. Since then it has been a fairly even split with three Republican governors and four Democratic governors. The most recent Republican governor was Pat McCrory who served from 2013 to 2016.
North Carolina governors also shoulder the weight of history, as North Carolina is the twelfth state to join the Union in 1789. The state's first governor, from 1776 to 1780 was Richard Caswell. Caswell later won another term in 1785.
The current governor of North Carolina is Roy Cooper, a Democrat.
There have been 69 governors of North Carolina, 36 Democrats, 7 Republicans, and 28 from other parties.
The last Democratic governor in North Carolina is Roy Cooper, who has served from 2017 to the present day.
The last Republican governor in North Carolina was Pat McCrory, who served from 2013 to 2017.