AP Photo/Gerry Broome
North Carolina Gov Pat McCrory pauses while making comments concerning House Bill 2 during a conference in Raleigh, N.C., Wednesday, May 4, 2016.
The contest between incumbent Pat McCrory, a Republican, and Democrat Roy Cooper will likely come down to a tally of provisional ballots.
At the time of this publication, Cooper held a slight edge over McCrory - about 4,500 votes out of nearly 5 million cast. More than 99.9% of precincts had reported their results.
In a speech to his supporters early Wednesday morning, McCrory said the winner of the race wouldn't be announced until November 18 at the earliest, after each provisional ballot was counted.
"The election is not over in North Carolina," McCrory said.
That didn't stop Cooper from declaring victory.
"We are confident that these results will be certified and that they will confirm victory," Cooper said to supporters early on Wednesday.
According to state law, candidates have the right to ask for a recount if the margin of victory is less than 0.5% of the total votes cast. Cooper's lead is well within that margin.
Several precincts in North Carolina reported issues on Election Day, including a handful in Durham County where software glitches halted voting for more than an hour. Voting hours were extended in some locations.