What to know about North Carolina’s 2026 elections

The political landscape

North Carolina’s 2026 Election Day is Nov. 3. The state enters the election cycle with Republicans Thom Tillis and Ted Budd serving in the U.S. Senate.

Republicans also hold 10 of North Carolina’s 14 U.S. House seats. Those representatives are Greg Murphy in District 3, Virginia Foxx in District 5, Addison McDowell in District 6, David Rouzer in District 7, Mark Harris in District 8, Richard Hudson in District 9, Pat Harrigan in District 10, Chuck Edwards in District 11, Brad Knott in District 13 and Tim Moore in District 14.

Democrats hold four House seats: Don Davis in District 1, Deborah Ross in District 2, Valerie Foushee in District 4 and Alma Adams in District 12.

At the state level, Democrats Josh Stein and Rachel Hunt serve as governor and lieutenant governor. Democrats Elaine Marshall and Jeff Jackson serve as secretary of state and attorney general.

How North Carolina voted for president

Republican Donald Trump carried North Carolina in each of the past three presidential elections. In 2024, Trump received 50.9% of the state’s presidential vote, while Democrat Kamala Harris received 47.6%, a margin of 3.2 percentage points.

In 2020, the Republican presidential share was 49.9%, compared with 48.6% for the Democratic nominee. In 2016, the Republican share was 50.5%, while the Democratic share was 46.8%.

Presidential results describe past statewide voting and do not determine how North Carolinians will vote in the 2026 elections.