These are the elections coming up this year in North Carolina

North Carolina voters will go to the polls in 2026 to choose a new U.S. senator, all 14 of the state’s U.S. representatives, a North Carolina Supreme Court justice, and all 170 state legislators. The races could help shape the future of both the state and the nation.

Democrats and Republicans held primaries on March 3. Under NC law, If any primaries are won by a candidate receiving less than 30% of the votes cast, the second-place finisher can request a runoff, which would be held May 12. The general election will be held Nov. 3.

Here are the races North Carolina voters will decide this year.

U.S. senator

Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis announced last June that he would not seek a third term. 

Former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley is the GOP candidate to replace him and has been endorsed by President Donald Trump. 

Former Gov. Roy Cooper is the Democratic nominee.

Cooper has led Whatley in general election polls.

U.S. representatives

North Carolina has 14 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, all of which will be on the ballot this year. Republicans currently hold 10 of those seats and Democrats hold four; however, at the urging of Trump, the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly voted in October to adopt a new congressional district map designed to make the Democratic-held 1st District more Republican.

Democratic Rep. Don Davis is hoping to win reelection to that seat under the more challenging new maps; several Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination. Democrats also plan to target Republican Reps. Greg Murphy in the 3rd District and Chuck Edwards in the 11th District in typically GOP-leaning districts.

North Carolina judges

North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls, one of two Democratic members of the six-seat court, is seeking reelection. Republican Sarah Stevens, a current state representative, hopes to win the seat and give her party a 5-1 advantage. A January poll conducted by Carolina Forward showed the race effectively tied.

Three seats on the 15-member North Carolina Court of Appeals are also on the ballot. If Republicans win all three races, they will hold all seats on the court.

State legislators

All 120 seats in the North Carolina House of Representatives and all 50 seats in the Senate will be decided this November. Republicans currently hold a 30-20 supermajority in the Senate and a 71-49 majority in the House, one seat shy of the three-fifths required to override the veto of Democratic Gov. Josh Stein.

State constitutional amendment

The North Carolina Constitution requires that citizens who vote in person present a valid photo identification. Voters will decide this November whether to adopt an amendment, put on the ballot by the GOP-led General Assembly, to require photo identification for those who vote by mail as well. If enacted, citizens would need to include a copy of their photo ID with their ballot every time they voted absentee.

Local races

Many localities will hold elections in November for offices such as mayor, county board of commissioners, sheriff, district attorney, clerk of the court, and board of education. For more information, visit https://www.ncsbe.gov/results-data/candidate-lists.