The Associated Press has called five U.S. House races in North Carolina for Democrats, with four districts flipping from Republican control in areas deliberately drawn to favor the GOP. The results mark a dramatic shift for a congressional delegation that entered election day with 10 Republicans and four Democrats.
Unseating Republican Incumbents
Races called on Thursday that transitioned from Republican to Democratic hands included High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson defeating first-term incumbent Rep. Addison McDowell in the 6th Congressional District. In the 9th Congressional District, former West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda defeated National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Hudson.
Additional Democratic victories featured Paul Barringer defeating first-term incumbent Rep. Brad Knott in the 13th Congressional District surrounding the Raleigh exurbs. Meanwhile, LaKesha Womack defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Tim Moore, the former speaker of the N.C. House of Representatives, in the 14th Congressional District.
North Carolina’s congressional map was redrawn in 2023 to heavily favor Republican candidates, reflecting lopsided margins during the 2024 elections where Moore won by approximately 16% and McDowell secured victory by over 38%. Addressing the losses, Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Brian Jack wrote in a letter to fellow House Republicans that Senate Republicans withdrawing support from North Carolina weeks prior created a cascade effect that swept away many colleagues.
Statewide Dynamics and Uncalled Races
Contributing to the overall Democratic momentum, former Gov. Roy Cooper won the race for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat by nearly 20%. The AP also called northeastern North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District for incumbent Democrat Rep. Don Davis on Thursday, overcoming a legislative redistricting effort from last year that added Republican-leaning counties to aid GOP candidates.
Davis held a lead over Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by more than 10,000 votes, surpassing his 2024 victory margin. Meanwhile, five congressional seats in the state remain uncalled, including the 3rd Congressional District where incumbent Republican Greg Murphy held a slim 233-vote lead over Democrat Raymond Smith, setting the contest up for a potential recount.
In the 5th Congressional District, Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard led 11-term Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx by just 99 votes, pointing toward another possible recount. Should current leads hold across all remaining races, North Carolina’s congressional representation will completely invert from 10 Republicans and four Democrats to 10 Democrats and four Republicans.
