North Carolina House Delegation Set to Flip as Democrats Take Nine Districts
The AP has called nine of 14 U.S. House seats for Democrats, including four districts drawn to favor Republicans in 2023.
By Zoe Harrison ·
The Associated Press has called nine of North Carolina's 14 U.S. House seats for Democrats, a shift that would reverse the state's congressional balance from 10 Republicans and four Democrats to 10 Democrats and four Republicans. Four of those seats were previously held by Republicans in districts drawn to favor GOP candidates.
The 2023 redistricting map designed these districts to protect Republican incumbents. In the 2024 election, Rep. Tim Moore won the 14th District by roughly 16%, while Rep. Addison McDowell won the 6th District by more than 38%. On Thursday, the AP called those districts for new Democratic winners: LaKesha Womack in the 14th and High Point Mayor Cyril Jefferson in the 6th.
Two other former Republican districts flipped to Democratic control on Thursday. Paul Barringer defeated first-term Rep. Brad Knott in the 13th District, a seat covering Raleigh exurbs. Former West Virginia State Senator Richard Ojeda defeated Rep. Richard Hudson in the 9th District. Hudson currently serves as chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
The AP also called the 1st Congressional District in northeastern North Carolina for incumbent Rep. Don Davis. Republicans redrew that district last year to make it easier for GOP candidates to win by pulling in Republican-leaning counties from the 3rd District. Davis is leading Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout by more than 10,000 votes, a wider margin than his 2024 victory.
Former Georgia Rep. Brian Jack, a candidate for NRCC chair, cited the state's Senate race as a factor in the losses. He wrote in a letter to House Republicans that withdrawing support from North Carolina weeks ago created a cascade that likely swept away many colleagues. Former Gov. Roy Cooper won the open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina by nearly 20%.
Five districts remain uncalled as of Thursday. In the 3rd District, incumbent Rep. Greg Murphy leads Democrat Raymond Smith by 233 votes, a margin likely to trigger a recount. Democrats did not field a candidate in that seat in 2024. In the 5th District, Democrat Chuck Hubbard leads 11-term incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx by 99 votes, another result that may require a recount.
