Armand Jackson
It has been three weeks since Election Day with all the North Carolina races called by the Associated Press. So what will the state’s political representation in the nation’s capital look like for the next two years? In a fiercely competitive race, Republican Senator Ted Budd managed to secure the seat left behind by Senator Burr from Democratic challenger Cheri Beasley. This year’s midterm elections witnessed North Carolina having 14 U.S. House districts with an even 7-7 split between Democratic and Republican victors in districts that were more competitive than others. It also showcased strong support for incumbent candidates across the political aisle by large margins with Democrats generally performing better in non-incumbent competitive races.
In Congressional District 1, Democratic candidate Don Davis won the U.S. House seat. District 2 witnessed Democratic incumbent representative Deborah Ross retain her House seat. District 3 was a win for Republican incumbent Greg Murphy who also retained his House seat. In District 4, Democratic candidate Valerie Foushee won the U.S. House seat. District 5 was another win for Republicans as incumbent Virginia Foxx retained her House seat. District 6 was a win for Democratic incumbent Kathy Manning who managed to retain her House seat.
Districts 7, 8, 9, and 10 all witnessed their respective Republican incumbents retain their House seats from Democratic challengers. David Rouzer for district 7; Dan Bishop for district 8; Richard Hudson for district 9; and Patrick McHenry for district 10. District 11 was the last win for Republicans in North Carolina with Chuck Edwards winning the U.S. House seat.
District 12 was another win for Democrats as incumbent Alma Adams retained her House seat. District 13, the newly formed district for this year’s midterm election, was the most competitive U.S. House race for North Carolina. But it ended with Democratic candidate Wiley Nickel winning over Bo Hines. And in District 14, Democratic candidate Jeff Jackson won the U.S. House seat.
But what about the political landscape in the state itself? Republicans going into 2023 will continue to have majorities in the state House and Senate as well as a 5-2 majority on the state Supreme Court after Trey Allen and Richard Dietz won their races for seats that are currently held by Democratic judges. This gives the state GOP an advantage to advance their agendas and bypass any vetos from Governor Cooper, whose power before even entering office was stripped down with limitations.
As the Republican-controlled legislature reconvenes next year, they will likely prioritize making and passing a new congressional redistricting map in their favor. And with a conservative supermajority in both the state Supreme Court as well as the U.S. Supreme Court, it seems highly possible that the state GOP will witness congressional and legal victories on a number of issues ranging from voting rights, abortion access, and partisan gerrymandering that could favor them in 2024.
