Five North Carolina House Districts Flip to Democratic Control
Democratic candidates won five districts in the state, four of which had been held by Republicans under maps drawn in 2023.
By Emily Brooks ·
The Associated Press called five U.S. House races in North Carolina for Democrats on Thursday, marking a dramatic shift in the state's congressional delegation. All five districts had been drawn to favor Republican candidates, and four of them are flipping from Republican to Democratic control. As of Thursday, the AP had called nine of the state's 14 House seats for Democrats and none for Republicans. The delegation had entered the Tuesday election with 10 Republicans and four Democrats.
The North Carolina Congressional map was redrawn in 2023 to favor Republican candidates. In the 2024 elections, those districts performed accordingly. The 14th District was the closest contest in that cycle, with incumbent Rep. Tim Moore winning by about 16%. The 6th District was the least competitive, with incumbent Rep. Addison McDowell winning by more than 38%.
High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Addison McDowell in the Triad's 6th Congressional District. Former West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda defeated Rep. Richard Hudson, the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, in the 9th Congressional District. Paul Barringer defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Brad Knott in the 13th Congressional District, which includes the exurbs of Raleigh. LaKesha Womack defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Tim Moore in the 14th Congressional District. Moore previously served as speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia, a candidate to replace Hudson as NRCC chair, wrote in a letter to fellow House Republicans that GOP lawmakers may have contributed to the challenging environment. Former Gov. Roy Cooper won the race for North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat by nearly 20%. Jack stated that when Senate Republicans withdrew support from North Carolina weeks prior, they created a cascade that likely swept away many of their colleagues from that state.
The AP also called the northeastern 1st Congressional District for incumbent Democrat Rep. Don Davis. Legislative Republicans redrew that district last year to make it easier for GOP candidates to win, pulling Republican-leaning counties from the 3rd Congressional District. Davis is leading Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by more than 10,000 votes, a larger margin than he won by in 2024.
North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District remains uncalled. Incumbent Republican Greg Murphy leads Democrat Raymond Smith by 233 votes in a district where Democrats did not run a candidate in 2024. That race is likely headed for a recount. In the 5th Congressional District, Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard leads 11-term Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx by 99 votes. That race may also go to a recount.
If all remaining results hold, the state's congressional delegation would flip from 10 Republicans and four Democrats to 10 Democrats and four Republicans.
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