The 2026 Primary Election in North Carolina on Tuesday resulted in losses for some incumbent state lawmakers and an extremely close battle in Senate District 26 between Senate Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) and his challenger Sheriff Sam Page. All these races plus those for seats in the U.S. Congress set the stage for key matchups in November that could shift the balance of power at both the federal and state levels.

Statewide turnout was 1,505,264 votes out of the potential 7,664,465, or 19.4%. In the U.S. Senate primaries, there were 824,798 votes on the Democratic side and 625,667 on the Republican side. Here are highlights of some of the key matchups:

United States Senate

U.S. Senator Thom Tillis is not seeking re-election, so North Carolina will be represented by a new member in the U.S. Senate beginning in 2027.

On the Democratic side, former Governor Roy Cooper won 92% of the vote against five other candidates. In the Republican Primary, former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley won 64% of the vote against five other candidates. The Nov. 3 General Election between Cooper and Whatley will help determine which party controls the U.S. Senate in 2027. Currently, Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.

United States House of Representatives

For North Carolina’s congressional districts, all incumbents won their primary races (if they had a Primary challenger).

In District 1, Laurie Buckhout squeaked out the Republican nomination among a crowded ballot and will face incumbent Democratic Congressman Don Davis in an extremely competitive General Election. Republicans currently hold a 218-214 majority in the House, with three vacancies.

Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (D-04) defeated progressive candidate Nida Allam, who worked for U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election. According to unofficial results, Foushee led Allam by about 1,200 votes. If that margin held as outstanding provisional and mail ballots were counted, Allam could have requested a recount. Instead, she conceded and let the result stand.

North Carolina Senate

District 26: One of the most-watched legislative primaries in North Carolina could be headed for a recount. With all precincts reporting in unofficial returns, Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page led Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) by two votes out of more than 26,000 cast. The unofficial vote total was 13,077 for Page and 13,075 for Berger.

Still outstanding to be counted are provisional ballots which will be judged and counted on March 6. The deadline for overseas and military ballots sent by mail is Thursday, March 12, with the official vote canvass set for March 13.

If either candidate trails after additional ballots are counted, he can ask for a recount if the margin remains below 1%. A recount request must be filed no later than noon on the second business day after the canvass, so noon on Tuesday, March 17. See the NCSBE post-election procedures and audits webpage for more information.

This race holds major implications for the power structure in the General Assembly, since Berger has served as the Senate leader since 2011 and has held his seat since 2001. Since Berger has focused significant attention on K-12 issues in his leadership tenure, his departure from the legislature could result in a shifting philosophy on some key public school issues in the 2027 session and beyond.

District 34: Incumbent Sen. Chris Measmer (R-Cabarrus) lost his seat to former N.C. House Rep. Kevin Crutchfield by a little over 1,000 votes.

Every other incumbent Senator won their Primary Election by comfortable margins.

North Carolina House of Representatives

Seven incumbent representatives lost their Primary Election on Tuesday:

District 23: Rep. Shelly Willingham (D-Edgecombe) lost to Patricia Smith. Rep. Willingham frequently voted with the Republican majority during veto overrides.

District 65: In a surprising twist, Rep. Reece Pyrtle (R-Rockingham) lost his election to Seth Woodall in this strong Republican district, which means Woodall is likely to prevail over his Democratic challenger in the General Election.

District 79: Rep. Keith Kidwell (R-Beaufort) lost to his challenger Darren Armstrong. Rep. Kidwell is Chair of the House’s Freedom Caucus, while Armstrong was endorsed by Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

District 99: Rep. Nasif Majeed (D-Mecklenburg) lost to Veleria Levy. Rep. Majeed also voted with Republicans during veto overrides.

District 106: Seven-term incumbent Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) lost to Rodney Sadler. Rep. Cunningham was known for voting with Republicans on certain bills during the 2025 session and Governor Josh Stein endorsed Sadler. There is no Republican running for the seat, so Sadler will represent the district in 2027.

District 110: Rep. Kelly Hastings (R-Gaston) lost to Caroline Eason by 491 votes at the current count. Rep. Hastings has served in the NC House for the past 16 years. Earlier in 2025 he announced he was retiring, but then changed his mind and decided to run for another term. This district is heavily Republican, which means Eason is all but guaranteed to win in the General Election.

District 118: Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) lost to challenger Jimmy Rogers by nearly 10 percentage points. House District 118 is a strong GOP district, so Rogers is likely to win in November.

Notable NC House Wins

District 1: Rep. Eddie Goodwin (R-Chowan) defeated challenger John Spruill by less than 500 votes.

District 27: Rep. Rodney Pierce (D-Halifax) defeated former House Rep. Michael Wray, who was seeking to reclaim his old seat. Wray was known for occasionally voting with Republicans on contentious legislation, which led Gov. Stein to endorse Pierce in the race.

District 60: Rep. Amanda Cook (D-Guilford) was appointed in 2025 to fill the remainder of Cecil Brockman’s term when he stepped down. She defeated three other challengers in the Democratic Primary.

District 113: Rep. Jake Johnson (R-Polk) beat former House Majority Leader Mike Hager with a little over 60% of the vote. District 113 is a strong GOP district.

For the most up to date coverage for contested elections still pending, you can view the North Carolina State Board of Elections Dashboard here.

This article included contributions and analysis from NCASA’s contract lobbying team Navigator, LLC.