Democrats flip four North Carolina House seats drawn to favor Republicans
The AP has called five North Carolina House races for Democrats, with four flipping from Republican control, as the party led nine of 14 seats through Thursday.
At a glance
- The AP called five North Carolina U.S. House races for Democrats; four of those seats flipped from Republican control.
- As of Thursday, Democrats led in nine of North Carolina's 14 House seats, with none called for Republicans.
- Democrat Roy Cooper won North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat by nearly 20%, the source says.
The Associated Press has called five U.S. House races in North Carolina for Democrats, and four of those seats are flipping from Republican control, NPR News reports. The calls marked a sharp reversal for a delegation that entered Tuesday's election with 10 Republicans and four Democrats.
As of Thursday, the AP had called nine of North Carolina's 14 House seats for Democrats and none for Republicans.
A map drawn for Republicans
The state's congressional map was redrawn in 2023 to significantly favor Republican candidates, and the four flipped districts performed that way in 2024. The 14th District was the closest that year, with Moore winning by about 16%, while the 6th District was the least competitive, with McDowell winning by more than 38%.
Senate result and GOP reaction
Democrat Roy Cooper, a former governor, won North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat by nearly 20%. U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, a Georgia Republican vying to replace Hudson as NRCC chair, wrote to fellow House Republicans that GOP lawmakers may have contributed to the challenging environment.
'When Senate Republicans withdrew support from North Carolina weeks ago, they created a cascade that likely swept away many of our colleagues from that state,' Jack wrote.
Davis holds 1st District
The AP also called northeastern North Carolina's 1st Congressional District for incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis on Thursday. Legislative Republicans redrew the district last year to make it easier for GOP candidates to win there, pulling Republican-leaning counties from the 3rd Congressional District. As of Thursday, Davis led Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by more than 10,000 votes, a larger margin than he won by in 2024.
Close races remain
Five North Carolina districts remained uncalled. In the 3rd District, Republican incumbent Greg Murphy led Democrat Raymond Smith by just 233 votes in a district where Democrats did not run a candidate in 2024. That race was likely headed for a recount.
In the 5th District, Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard led 11-term Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx by 99 votes, another race that may 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.
Source: NPR News.
Questions and answers
- How many North Carolina House seats did Democrats flip?
- The AP called five U.S. House races in North Carolina for Democrats, and four of those districts flipped from Republican control, according to NPR News. As of Thursday, Democrats led nine of the state's 14 seats.
- Which North Carolina races were still uncalled?
- Five districts remained uncalled. In the 3rd, Republican Greg Murphy led Democrat Raymond Smith by 233 votes; in the 5th, Democrat Chuck Hubbard led Republican Virginia Foxx by 99 votes. Both were likely headed for recounts.
- Why did Republicans have a difficult election in North Carolina?
- Republican Rep. Brian Jack wrote that Senate Republicans' withdrawal of support from North Carolina weeks earlier created a cascade that likely swept away many GOP colleagues. The source also notes Democrat Roy Cooper won the Senate race by nearly 20%.
