In the minutes and hours after polls closed in North Carolina, the story of the midterms so far has been great for Democrats.
Roy Cooper is projected to win his race for the US Senate, and Democrats lead in two of the most competitive Congressional races in the country.
Cooper, the former governor of North Carolina and a Democrat, defeated former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley.
All 14 congressional districts were up for election, as were 120 State House races and 50 State Senate seats.
In the only statewide Supreme Court election, voters were also given the choice to re-elect incumbent Democratic Justice Anita Earls or elect former state Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry County).
Polls closed at 7:30 pm in North Carolina as a US Senate race and several highly competitive races which might decide control of the US House are set to be decided. Results of every race on the ballot in all 100 counties will be added to the North Carolina Board of Elections tracker, allowing voters to see statewide and county-level results.
Almost 3 million ballots were cast during early voting during the 2026 midterm elections, including nearly 100,000 absentee ballots. Turnout was up 23% compared to 2022, the last midterm election.
US Senate race: Cooper defeats Whatley
After running for office for 40 years, Cooper remains undefeated as a political candidate.
In the race for US Senate, Cooper defeated Michael Whatley, former Chairman of the Republican National Committee, and leads 65% to 32% with 7% of the precincts reporting in.
Cooper’s victory is pivotal for Democrats’ hopes of retaking the US Senate.
For Democrats to re-take control of the US Senate, a Cooper victory was critical. Republicans nominated Whatley, a first-time candidate for office who had President Donald Trump’s backing.
Most polls since September showed Cooper with a double-digit lead over Whatley.
Throughout the campaign, Cooper made cost-of-living challenges a frequent part of his pitch to voters. For most of this year, Cooper traveled to communities from Murphy to Manteo, as part of his “Make Stuff Cost Less” Tour.
Cooper frequently shared stories of voters’ he’d met on the campaign trail, including the story of a Winston-Salem mom named Meridith whose daughter has Medicaid.
“Her daughter, Vivian, has cerebral palsy, and she’s insured by Medicaid. Meredith is scared to death that all of these attacks on healthcare from Washington are gonna snatch Vivian’s health care away,” Cooper said at a Greensboro campaign stop last month.
Whatley spent most of the campaign attacking Cooper’s record as governor and ran false ads accusing Cooper of releasing criminals from prison who later committed murders.
Jamie Ager defeats Jennifer Balkcom
Jamie Ager (D), a farmer from Fairview, has defeated state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Hendersonville) in his first run for office, according to the Decision Desk, which called the race for Ager at 8:28 pm.
Ager currently holds 60% of the votes, compared to 38% for Balkcom, with 134 of 290 precincts reporting.
Ager will be sworn into the new Congress on Jan. 3, 2027, representing communities still fighting to recover from Hurricane Helene, two years after the storm inflicted $60 billion in damage across the region.
Ager made securing more federal support for hurricane recovery a core part of his campaign.
Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers believes Ager will be a champion for the region in Congress.
“He will be a voice for the people who voted for him and the people who didn’t,” Smathers told Cardinal & Pine.
Ager will represent the district four decades after his grandfather Jamie Clarke served in the same seat.
In addition to Helene funding, Ager campaigned against corruption and stock trading in Washington, as well as against President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and war in Iran that have made the cost living higher for North Carolinians.
Balkcom entered the race in August, following Rep. Chuck Edwards’ dropping out after an ethics complaint for misconduct against female staffers.
Balkcom provided little details for voters to learn about her policies and her website didn’t include plans or policy positions.
Don Davis vs. Laurie Buckhout
The Battle for the 1st Congressional District is among the most competitive and most expensive elections in the entire country.
The race between Rep. Don Davis (D-Snow Hill) and Laurie Buckhout is a rematch of 2024. Davis is an Air Force veteran, pastor, and the fifth generation of his family to live in eastern North Carolina. Buckhout is a former Army colonel who lives in Edenton.
Davis focused his campaign on delivering results for the district, which includes all or part of 24 counties in Northeastern North Carolina.
NC Supreme Court: Earls vs Stevens
Towards the bottom of most ballots were judicial races, such as the North Carolina Supreme Court, which has the final say on legal issues at the state level.
Democrat Anita Earls is seeking a second eight-year term against Republican Sarah Stevens, a former long-time state legislator.
Duke Energy took center stage in the race, as the company attempted to raise utility prices for customers, which led to an outcry from people across the state. The court upheld a 2023 rate hike this past May. Duke sought to charge customers in eastern NC on a different scale than western NC.
Earls and fellow Democratic Justice Allison Riggs were the only dissenting voices on the Court.
“I dissent from the majority’s decision to approve this disparate treatment. In my view, the Commission’s decision in the Duke Energy Carolinas rate case is quite plainly unlawful and arbitrary,” Earls wrote.
