What to know about North Carolina’s 2026 elections

Election calendar and current offices

North Carolina’s 2026 Election Day is Nov. 3. The state’s current officeholders show divided control across federal and statewide positions, although the officeholder list is not a confirmed list of 2026 candidates.

Republicans Thom Tillis and Ted Budd hold North Carolina’s two U.S. Senate seats. Republicans represent 10 of the state’s 14 U.S. House districts, while Democrats represent four.

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.

North Carolina’s recent presidential vote

North Carolina voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Trump received 50.9% of the state’s vote, while Kamala Harris received 47.6%, a margin of 3.2 percentage points. The state had 16 electoral votes.

Republican presidential candidates also finished ahead in North Carolina in the two preceding elections. In 2020, the Republican share was 49.9%, compared with 48.6% for the Democratic candidate. In 2016, the Republican candidate received 50.5%, while the Democratic candidate received 46.8%.

What voters should track

The Nov. 3 results will determine the outcome of the state’s 2026 contests. Before then, voters can follow updated voting information, primary results and official candidate rosters as the election process moves forward.

Past presidential results describe how North Carolina voted in earlier elections; they do not determine the outcome of races in 2026.