North Carolina Democrats flip five House seats in midterm

North Carolina Democrats flipped five congressional seats from Republican to Democratic control in the midterm election results released on Tuesday. This gain ties the state with California for the largest increase in any single state. The shift occurred in a state that has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2008 and carried President Donald Trump by three points in 2024.

The state’s congressional map was redrawn in 2025 with the goal of expanding the Republican majority from 10-4 to 11-3. That effort backfired. Instead of increasing their numbers, Republicans lost ground in five districts where Trump had previously won by at least nine points. Democratic Representative Don Davis also held his seat in the 1st District by a three-point margin, defying GOP efforts to take it. Three races remain too close to call, with narrow margins in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th districts.

Former Governor Roy Cooper won the top of the ticket, defeating former Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley by nearly 20 points. Kian Sadjadi, executive director of the North Carolina Democratic Party, attributed the victory to young male voters who changed their preference from 2024, along with a surge in unaffiliated voters. He noted that nearly every county in the state moved toward the Democratic column. This result builds on the organizational infrastructure developed by state party Chair Anderson Clayton over several years.

In the House, Republicans voted to replace Majority Leader Steve Scalise with House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio. The 106-73 secret ballot vote signals a desire among GOP members to break from outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson. Jordan, who has served for 20 years, pitched his experience chairing the Oversight Committee as a strength for handling investigations. In the Senate, Republicans retained John Thune of South Dakota as minority leader. Democrats face a leadership contest next month, with Senator Bernie Sanders announcing he will not support Chuck Schumer. Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is being drafted as a potential challenger but has not yet committed to running.

The next major step in the Democratic leadership process is scheduled for next month. Until then, Schumer remains the favorite to keep his position. In the House, the new minority leader will prepare for a chamber with increased Democratic power. In the Senate, the caucus will finalize its hierarchy in the coming weeks. The election results also showed that suburban and Hispanic voters drove similar gains in Texas, while inflation data showed prices rose 0.4% from September.