The Democratic blue wave came ashore in North Carolina and packed much more of a punch than anyone expected. The national mood coupled with strong statewide candidates led to Democrats winning elections at all levels, even in deeply red congressional and legislative districts.
The key takeaway is that businesses will need to work with both Democrats and Republicans to accomplish their goals. Prior to yesterday, Republican margins in both chambers meant that North Carolina was essentially controlled by one party. That changed dramatically with the 2026 midterm elections.
The biggest winner was someone who didn’t even appear on the ballot: Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. He will exercise a great deal of power in a divided legislature. His office will set the early tone on issues impacting the corporate community. The hope is that bills next year will focus on moderation in order to pass both chambers and be signed by the governor.
With the passage of a constitutional amendment limiting tax rates, the legislature will have to keep taxes in check. Some Democrats will want to come out of the gate with bold legislation, but their leadership will want to focus on bills that can make their way into law.
U.S. Senate
In the easiest race of the night to predict, former Gov. Roy Cooper (D) defeated Michael Whatley (R) by 59% to 39%. While pundits expected Cooper to win, no one had a 20-point margin on their scorecard. The last Democratic U.S. Senate candidate to win that high a share of the vote was Sam Ervin in 1958.
Senator-elect Cooper will arrive at a Senate under Democratic control. Democrats flipped seven Senate seats with ballots still being tallied in Alaska and Mississippi. We will watch to see which committee assignments Cooper decides to seek.
U.S. House
In 2024, voters in North Carolina elected U.S. House candidates on new district lines drawn by the legislature. The result gave Republicans a 10-4 majority in the delegation. Six of those Republicans were freshmen, including current N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore.
At the vocal urging of President Trump, the legislature drew yet another new map for the 2026 election. The goal was to make the 1st Congressional District represented by Don Davis (D) a safe Republican seat. The expectation was that the GOP would expand its margin in the delegation to 11-3.
Democrats not only held on to the 1st District, but flipped several districts to gain a 10-4 majority in the delegation. Three of the races could possibly be heading to a recount so that number may change. Nevertheless, it was unexpected to see Democrats perform so well in heavily gerrymandered districts.
As of Wednesday morning, here are the winners for all of North Carolina’s U.S. House contests. Seats marked with an asterisk represent Democratic flips. The parenthetical "I" is for incumbent.
- 1st DISTRICT: (i) Don Davis (D)
- 2nd DISTRICT: (i) Deborah Ross (D)
- 3rd DISTRICT: (i) Greg Murphy (R)
- Murphy leads by 233 votes in a race that has not been officially called.
- 4th DISTRICT: (i) Valerie Foushee (D)
- 5th DISTRICT: Chuck Hubbard (D)*
- Hubbard leads by 99 votes in a race that has not been officially called.
- 6th DISTRICT: Cyril Jefferson (D)*
- 7th DISTRICT: (i) David Rouzer (R)
- 8th DISTRICT: (i) Mark Harris (R)
- 9th DISTRICT: Richard Ojeda (D)*
- 10th DISTRICT: (i) Pat Harrigan (R)
- 11th DISTRICT: Jamie Ager (D)*
- 12th DISTRICT: (i) Alma Adams (D)
- 13th DISTRICT: Paul Barringer (D)*
- 14th DISTRICT: Lakesha Womack (D)*
North Carolina General Assembly
Democrats entered the 2026 state legislative campaign focused on trying to cut into Republican margins in both chambers. In every legislative race with a Democrat and a Republican on the ballot in both 2024 and 2026, the margin moved toward Democrats by about 16 points on average.
In the North Carolina House, Democrats erased a 71-49 GOP advantage and gained control for the first time since 2010. Democrats won at least 66 seats to 48 for the Republicans. April Montgomery, an unaffiliated candidate, defeated an incumbent Republican and has not announced if she will caucus with either party. Five races remain undecided as they are all within the recount margin.
Democratic Leader Robert Reives (D) will become House speaker when the new legislature convenes in January. An attorney in Sanford, Rep. Reives has served in the House for almost 14 years and will be charged with assembling a leadership team for his caucus.
On the Senate side, Republicans had a veto-proof 30-20 majority heading into the election. They emerged, at best, with a slim 26-24 margin. Sen. Danny Earl Britt (R) won reelection by only 268 votes, which is within the 1% threshold for a recount. If that result changes, the Senate will be tied at 25-25 with Lt. Governor Rachel Hunt (D) breaking the tie. That would give ultimate control to the Democrats.
If Republicans maintain the majority, their caucus will be electing a new leader with the departure of Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R). Senate Majority Leader Michael Lee (R) had his eye on the top job, but suffered a 5,000-vote loss and will not return in 2027. Senate Republicans who won their elections and have indicated they will be running for president pro tempore include Jim Burgin (R), Ralph Hise (R), Brent Jackson (R), and Todd Johnson (R).
Courts
There was one state supreme court seat up for election this year along with three seats on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. Democrats swept all four of those races, sending Justice Anita Earls back to the North Carolina Supreme Court. Judges John Arrowood (D) and Toby Hampson (D) won reelection and will be joined by new Court of Appeals Judge Christine Walczyk (D).
All of the seats on the ballot this year were held by Democrats. Republicans will maintain their 5-2 majority on the North Carolina Supreme Court as well as a 12-3 majority on the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
Constitutional amendments
North Carolina voters approved three Constitutional amendments Tuesday. They would restrict tax rates and revenues as well as make changing state rules on voter identification more challenging.
The amendments limit how much local leaders can raise property taxes, limit how much state leaders can raise income tax, and ensure a photo ID is required for mail-in ballots. None of the amendments will change any tax rates for 2027, and a photo ID is already required for mail-in ballots under state law.
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