In 2024, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the North Carolina House by one vote.
Republicans still hold a 71-47-2 majority in the chamber, but currently cannot override vetoes from Gov. Josh Stein (D) if all Democrats and two independent lawmakers sustain his veto.
In November, Democrats will seek to further weaken the NC Republican Party’s grip on the lower chamber, while Republicans will seek to regain their supermajority.
To gain a majority in the House, Democrats would need all of their incumbent members to win and flip an additional 12 seats.
Here’s a look at the key seats that will determine the makeup of the state House in January 2027.
House District 24: state Rep. Dante Pittman (D) vs. Blake Boykin (R)
District 24, which includes all of Wilson County and part of Nash County, is represented by first-term Democratic lawmaker Dante Pittman, one of the youngest members of the General Assembly and a lifelong resident of the district.
In June, Pittman told Cardinal and Pine that one of his top priorities in a second term would be expanding healthcare access in the district.
“We need to make sure that we have doctors, and nurses, and we have access to both primary care and preventive care in our communities,” he said.
In 2024, Pittman defeated Republican Rep. Ken Fontenot by 918 votes out of nearly 42,000 cast.
This year, he faces Republican Blake Boykin, a six-term member of the Wilson County School Board.
House District 25: Lorenza Wilkins (D) vs. state Rep. Allen Chesser (R)
This is a rematch of the 2024 election, when incumbent Republican Allen Chesser—a veteran of the Iraq War and former police officer—defeated Lorenza Wilkins, a Nash County-based nonprofit executive.
Chesser defeated Wilkins by just 461 votes.
For Democrats, this is a pickup opportunity against a vulnerable incumbent. For the GOP, losing this seat would make it more difficult to regain the supermajority they previously held.
House District 35: Evonne Hopkins (D) vs. state Rep. Mike Schietzelt (R)
Another rematch from 2024 will take place in this northern Wake County district, where Rep. Mike Schietzelt defeated Evonne Hopkins, a Wake County attorney, by 3.19% (1820 votes).
The district includes part of Wake Forest, Rolesville, and Knightdale.
Just one of two Republican members of the North Carolina House representing Wake County, Schietzelt is among the vulnerable incumbents on the ballot this fall.
Wake County continues to trend more Democratic each election cycle and will be a prime target as the party looks to break the GOP’s 16-year hold on the state House.
House District 37: Winn Decker (D) vs. state Rep. Erin Paré (R)
Another Wake County district to watch this fall is on the opposite end of the capital county.
In southern Wake, Republican Rep. Erin Paré, a small-business owner, is seeking a fourth term. The district includes Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Willow Spring.
Paré won her 2024 race by just over 3,600 votes when President Donald Trump was on the ballot and won North Carolina. However, her share of the total vote declined by 1.43 percentage points from 2022.
Democrat Winn Decker hopes to flip this seat and strengthen his party’s grip in Wake County.
Decker is a former employee of the Hunt Institute with a doctorate in public administration who has made education a core part of his platform.
House District 48: state Rep. Garland Pierce (D) vs. Ralph Carter (R)
For 22 years, Democratic Rep. Garland Pierce, a Baptist preacher and Army veteran, has served Scotland and Hoke counties in the NC House.
This year, Pierce, who prides himself on bipartisanship and getting support for his district, will face a rematch of his 2024 race.
Two years ago, Pierce defeated Republican challenger Dr. Ralph Carter, a Laurinburg-based physician. The vote difference was just under 1,400 votes.
The district has been a swing district in recent cycles. President Trump won Scotland County by nearly seven points, and former Vice President Kamala Harris won Hoke by roughly the same amount.
House District 98: state Rep. Beth Helfrich (D) vs. John Rhodes (R)
Two years ago, Beth Helfrich, a former teacher and school administrator, won this northern Mecklenburg County district by defeating Republican Melinda Bales by around 2,200 votes. She told Cardinal & Pine in June that one of her priorities will be to expand childcare opportunities
The district includes Davidson, Cornelius, and part of Huntersville, where her family has lived for several generations.
Helfrich will face Republican John Rhodes, a small-business owner and realtor who previously represented the 98th District and served as a member of the Cornelius Town Commission.
In recent cycles Mecklenburg County, like Wake County, has strongly trended towards Democrats.
House District 105: Ken McCool (D) vs. state Rep. Tricia Cotham (R)
NC Democrats have signaled this race will be a top priority. The seat is currently held by Republican Rep. Tricia Cotham, a former Democrat who changed party affiliation in 2023, just months after winning a reliably safe Democratic seat in the 2022 midterms. She had previously served in the General Assembly as a Democrat from 2007 to 2017.
In 2024, despite the GOP redrawing Cotham’s district more favorably, she narrowly defeated Charlotte attorney Nicole Sidman by 213 votes.
This year, she faces Democrat Ken McCool, a lifelong resident of Matthews and small-business owner who has held local office in the community and was first elected to the town board at just 21 years old.
Assuming other Democrats win their races for the State House, a Cotham loss would mean Mecklenburg County wouldn’t have a single Republican House member. State Sen. Vickie Sawyer is the only other Republican lawmaker representing the county.
House District 115: state Rep. Lindsey Prather (D) vs. Anthony Penland (R)
Two years ago, Rep. Lindsey Prather, a Democrat from Candler, won her district—which heavily favors Republicans—by nearly 3 points. The district includes much of rural Buncombe County, including the communities of Leicester, Summerhaven, Swannanoa, and Rockview.
While this year is expected to favor Democratic candidates, her seat remains a key target for her party to defend to help fend off the threat of a supermajority.
A former public school teacher, Prather has fiercely championed public education throughout her campaign. Her district was hit hard by Hurricane Helene, and Prather has called on the General Assembly to provide more direct support for Western North Carolina’s recovery.
She will face Republican Anthony Penland, who has served as the fire chief of the Swannanoa Volunteer Fire Department for 35 years.
