On November 3rd, North Carolina voters sent a resounding message calling for change as Democratic candidates swept statewide and federal races. Voter turnout in this midterm election was up over 20% compared to the 2022 midterm election, with a high increase in early voting. Millions of voters made their voice heard at the ballot box, and Democrats came out on top.
Democrats gained control of the State House for the first time in 16 years and broke the Republican supermajority in the North Carolina state Senate.
Democrats were able to flip 17 seats in the House of Representatives and brought the Senate to a near 50/50 split down party lines. Of the races that changed the dynamic of the legislature, many were in red districts held by longstanding Republican incumbents.
Representative John Blust, who has been in North Carolina politics for two decades, had a close race with Democrat Shelly Headen. Headen is leading Blust currently, receiving 50.3% of votes compared to Blust’s 49.7%; a difference of only 233 votes.
Representative Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg) lost her race against Democrat Ken McCool who received 57% of votes in the race. Cotham served in the State House for over a decade but became a notable figure after her infamous party switch in 2023 that granted Republicans a supermajority in the State House.
In the Senate, Senator Michael Lee (R-Newhanover) lost his race against Democrat Jessica Bichler, only receiving 47% of the votes from a district he has represented for 10 years. Lee was vying for the open position of Senate president pro tempore after Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) lost his primary election.
Senator Buck Newton (R-Greene) had served 5 terms in the state House but lost to Democrat Jessica Rivera, who received 51% of the vote. Lisa Stone Barnes (R-Franklin) has represented Franklin, Nash, and Vance counties for 6 years. Barnes lost her race against Democrat James D. Gailliard by 5,000 votes (5.1%).
Republicans with less experience under their belt also saw devastating upsets. Republican representative Mike Schietzelt (R-Wake), who first won his seat in 2024, lost this year in a rematch against Democrat Evonne S. Hopkins, who received 54% of the vote. Two-term Republican representative Allen Chesser (R-Nash) received only 44% of the vote, losing to Democrat Lorenza M. Wilkins.
When addressing reporters after election day, Governor Josh Stein congratulated Democrats on their wins and called for bipartisan collaboration moving forward. “The voters want leaders who work together on their behalf,” Stein said. “Our job as those elected leaders is to listen and to work together.”
Democrats also came out on top for a number of other races on the ballot: Roy Cooper became the first Democratic U.S. Senator in North Carolina since 2008. Justice Anita Earls held onto her seat on the North Carolina Supreme Court, and a number of Republicans lost congressional races in what were considered safe red districts.
You can find election results for statewide races and congressional races using an election results tracker created by Majority Rising of North Carolina.
