North Carolina’s political landscape just underwent a seismic shift. The Associated Press has called five U.S. House races in the state for Democrats, all in districts redrawn in 2023 to favor Republican candidates. Of those, four flipped from red to blue in results certified Thursday. By that point, the AP had awarded nine of the state’s 14 House seats to Democrats and zero to Republicans. This marks a stunning reversal for a delegation that entered Tuesday with 10 Republicans and four Democrats.
The Impossible Flips: Mayors and Veterans Over GOP Veterans
The most stunning victories came in districts where Republicans once held insurmountable leads. High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson defeated first-term incumbent Rep. Addison McDowell in the Sixth Congressional District. This is the same district McDowell won by more than 38% just two years ago. Jefferson’s victory, by more than 6,000 votes, was a razor-thin 2.3-point margin, but it was decisive.
Similarly, the Ninth Congressional District, once represented by National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Richard Hudson, fell to a former West Virginia State Senator. Richard Ojeda, a U.S. Army veteran, defeated Hudson, one of the GOP’s top fundraisers. In the 13th District, which wraps around Raleigh’s exurbs, Paul Barringer toppled first-term incumbent Rep. Brad Knott. And in the 14th, LaKesha Womack, a Democrat, ousted Rep. Tim Moore, a former state House Speaker who once held the longest tenure in that position.
House Races Lose Republican Support
These House races weren’t happening in a vacuum. Former Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, won the race for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat by nearly 20%. “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,” U.S. Rep. Brian Jack, a Georgia Republican, wrote in a letter to fellow House Republicans. Jack himself is a candidate to replace Hudson as NRCC chair.
Republicans redrew the First Congressional District in northeastern North Carolina last year, pulling in Republican-leaning counties to make it easier for their candidates to win. Incumbent Democrat Rep. Don Davis still defeated Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by more than 10,000 votes—more votes than in 2024. Buckhout's concession remarks underscored the significance of this outcome: "We're going to be watching him, and I don't want this to be the forgotten district." We deserve better.”
Two Races Remain Undecided
Two other races remain too close to call, both destined for recounts. In the Fifth District, Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard leads 11-term Republican incumbent Virginia Foxx by just 99 votes. In the Third District, incumbent Republican Greg Murphy leads Democrat Raymond Smith by an even slimmer 233 votes. This is particularly striking, as Democrats didn’t even run a candidate in the Third District in 2024. If all remaining results hold, North Carolina’s congressional delegation will flip from 10 Republicans and four Democrats to 10 Democrats and four Republicans—a complete reversal of power in just two years.
Redrawn Districts Flip Parties
In 2023, North Carolina’s legislature drew a map that significantly favored Republicans. In 2024, those districts performed as intended. The 14th District was the closest, with Tim Moore winning by about 16%. The Sixth was the least competitive, with McDowell’s 38-point win. This year, those same districts flipped. As noted, the narrowest Republican margin of victory in any of the districts that flipped in 2024 was Chuck Edwards’ 13-point win in the 11th Congressional District. This year, Democrat Jamie Ager won that seat by about 16 points, defeating Republican Jennifer Balkcom.
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BREAKING: Democrats just FLIPPED the North Carolina House! North Carolina Dems have defied the odds with this win, marking a consequential shift in the legislative balance of power. They’ll now be able to drive the agenda for progress for the first time in over 15 years. pic.twitter.com/tdsfMLzwxR
