16 More Primaries to Watch in 2026

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The Assembly broke down its top 10 primaries to watch here. For the real nerds, here are the rest of the top 26 races to watch in 2026.

11. House District 99 Democratic Primary

State Rep. Nasif Majeed caught many in his party by surprise when he voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s veto of legislation prohibiting state funds from being used for certain gender-affirming care and allowing parents to bar their children from accessing specific library books. 

Majeed wasn’t present during the initial vote but wound up giving Republicans the deciding vote that allowed the measure to become law.

Because of that vote, the state Democratic Party is preventing his campaign from accessing its VoteBuilder voter-turnout tool. Majeed faces two primary challengers: Tucker Neal, a UNC Charlotte student, and Veleria Levy, the president and CEO of HerHealth Consulting.

On paper, Majeed should win. Stein hasn’t endorsed, and Majeed has the luxury of facing two opponents who have never run for public office before and are competing for the same voters.

But one lesson we learned from the 2024 upset East Carolina University student Wyatt Gable pulled off against longtime Rep. George Cleveland is not to take any race for granted. 

12. House District 90 Republican Primary

With Rep. Sarah Stevens of Surry County running for state Supreme Court, whoever wins this race will have big shoes to fill. Stevens has ascended the political ranks and shaped legislation on voting, healthcare, and a number of other matters.

Three Republicans are running to fill her safe GOP seat: A.J. Daoud, who unsuccessfully ran in the primary for state treasurer in 2024; Dan Kiger, a veteran State Highway Patrol trooper; and Paul Barker, a former chief deputy with the Surry County Sheriff’s Office. 

Daoud narrowly carried Surry in the treasurer’s primary and handily lost in Wilkes. This district is roughly 80% Surry voters and 20% Wilkes. While that may sound good for Daoud, Kiger and Barker both have longstanding ties to the district.

13. Court of Appeals Judge Seat 3 Democratic Primary

Democrats James Whalen and Christine Walczyk are vying for the seat currently held by Democratic Court of Appeals Judge Allegra Collins, who announced last year she isn’t seeking reelection.

Walczyk has served as district court trial judge in Wake County for 18 years. Before that, she practiced law in Raleigh. Whalen is an appellate attorney in private practice at Brooks Pierce, the law firm that helped defend Justice Allison Riggs’ 2024 state Supreme Court victory.

The candidates have a bunch of competing endorsements, making this one of the more interesting judicial primaries. 

Whalen has the backing of former U.S. Reps. Eva Clayton and G.K. Butterfield and former state Supreme Court Justices Bob Orr, Burley Mitchell, Henry Frye, and Patricia Timmons-Goodson. Walczyk has the support of former Supreme Court Justices Cheri Beasley and Robin Hudson and nine former Court of Appeals judges, as well as the North Carolina Association of Educators.

14. Court of Appeals Judge Seat 1 Republican Primary

Republicans also have a contested Court of Appeals primary in their quest to unseat Democratic incumbent John Arrowood. 

Superior Court Judge Matt Smith and Administrative Law Judge Michael Byrne have tangled most recently over who is more conservative.

Smith is a Union County native who earned his law degree from Campbell University and was a trial attorney. He won a district court seat in 2020 and superior court contest in 2022.

Byrne grew up in Wake County and also got his law degree from Campbell. He has been an administrative law judge since 2020.

Byrne donated $500 to Arrowood in 2018, according to campaign finance records, in the first general election cycle after Court of Appeals races became partisan. Byrne said in an interview that he was unaware at the time that Arrowood was a Democrat.

Smith said that contribution and others, including to former Gov. Roy Cooper, raise questions about Byrne’s loyalty to the GOP. Byrne points to endorsements from the National Association of Police Organizations, North Carolina Fraternal Order of Police, and North Carolina Police Benevolent Association as a sign he’s more than qualified.

15. House District 110 Republican Primary

Republican state Rep. Kelly Hastings of Gaston County hasn’t faced a serious primary threat since he was first elected in 2010, so this race isn’t getting much attention. It might be a dud, or it could be the biggest primary flying under the radar.

Hastings initially didn’t appear thrilled with the idea of returning to Raleigh. He announced last  May that he wouldn’t seek reelection, but then changed his mind a month later. Pharmacist Caroline Eason, who just received her doctorate of pharmacy degree from UNC-Chapel Hill, jumped into the race shortly thereafter.

Eason has been active in GOP politics in recent years, occasionally testifying about legislation that impacts her family’s business. She’s young and hungry, and as we saw with Gable’s victory in 2024, those two traits could be a lethal combination for complacent incumbents. 

Eason’s latest campaign finance report suggests she’s got some momentum. She outraised Hastings and entered 2026 with more than $20,000 in available cash to Hasting’s $17,500.

16. Senate District 22 Democratic Primary

There aren’t many competitive Democratic legislative primaries this year, but this Durham seat held by state Sen. Sophia Chitlik could be one.

Chitlik, a freshman lawmaker, faces a challenge from DeDreana Freeman, who narrowly lost her reelection bid to the Durham City Council last year. Coming off a recent electoral defeat may not be an encouraging sign, but Freeman has a campaign infrastructure in place that could propel her to an upset.

17. House District 118 Republican Primary

State Rep. Mark Pless of Haywood County was one of the last-minute holdouts on a controversial bill in 2024 that provided some Hurricane Helene relief but largely focused on taking power away from Stein. 

Pless felt it didn’t deliver enough meaningful support to his constituents, but he fell in line with his party on the veto override vote. Pless later became chair of an emergency management and disaster recovery committee.

But Western North Carolina residents and business owners are still reeling. Jimmy Rogers, a longtime school board member, is now challenging him in the primary.

(We chose this race instead of a similar dynamic in District 119 because Rep. Mike Clampitt faces two primary challengers there who could fracture the vote against him.) 

18. House District 65 Republican Primary

Rep. Reece Pyrtle of Rockingham County faces two primary opponents: one, Joseph Gibson, who was embraced by neo-Nazis in a previous election and lost by nearly 61 percentage points last year—and another with a more serious chance of winning.

Seth Woodall, an Eden attorney, is the latter. He finished fourth in a crowded lieutenant governor primary last year and can self-finance; he put $1 million into his 2024 bid but has not given to his legislative campaign so far.

While Woodall faces an uphill battle against an incumbent, heavy spending on his part paired with anti-establishment sentiment in the county could be enough to pull off the upset.

19. House District 37 Democratic Primary

The Wake County seat held by Republican state Rep. Erin Paré is one of a small handful of viable pickup opportunities for Democrats this fall. Paré carried the district by 6 points in the 2024 election.

Three Democrats are vying for the chance to take her on: Winn Decker, an educational policy consultant; Marcus Gadson, a UNC-Chapel Hill law professor; and Ralph Clements, a health care consultant.

While it would be an uphill battle for any of the Democrats to unseat Paré, given her past electoral success, she could lose if there’s a blue wave. For that reason, this is one of the few primaries in Wake County worth watching. 

20. House District 95 Republican Primary

Republican state Rep. Todd Carver of Iredell County is looking to fend off a challenge from school board member Mike Kubiniec.

Carver is the favorite, but Kubiniec is no stranger to contentious political battles, including  a recent scuffle and profanity-laced altercation with the chair of the Iredell-Statesville School Board.

Kubiniec was involved in a texting scandal in 2023 in which community members accused him and other board members of violating the state’s open meetings law and mocking students behind closed doors, according to records obtained by the Iredell Free News.

Kubiniec finished 2025 with less than $7,000 on hand to Carver’s almost $11,000.

21. House District 78 Republican Primary

Retired Wildlife Resources Commission officer Mark Dutton is seeking to unseat state Rep. Neal Jackson of Moore County. 

Dutton raised nearly $24,000 and had almost $16,000 in his campaign coffers. Meanwhile, Jackson brought in a whopping $158,000 and had more than $201,000 in the bank coming into this year—a fundraising haul that, in a safe seat, suggests Jackson is gearing up for a more competitive primary than expected.

22. House District 55 Republican Primary

Three Republicans are looking to take the open seat that Mark Brody is leaving behind: businessman Clancy Baucom, real estate broker John Powell, and businessman Richard Miller.

It’s a fairly safe GOP seat in Anson County and parts of Union County, so whoever comes out on top could come to Raleigh for the long haul. 

23. Senate District 9/House District 4 Republican Primary 

A husband-and-wife duo are running to oust two of the longest-serving Republicans in the legislature. Will it be close? No idea. But it’s definitely interesting.

William Barbour is challenging longtime Sen. Brent Jackson in eastern North Carolina. For anyone doing a double take with that name, he’s not Rev. William Barber II, the civil rights leader who’s been a constant thorn in the side of GOP lawmakers. This Barbour is an actor who starred as a teacher on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. 

If that weren’t compelling enough, his wife, Marcella, is looking to unseat Dixon, the 80-year-old chairman of the House agriculture committee.

Neither Barbour has reported receiving a single donation, which probably doesn’t bode well for their political aspirations. But primary elections are notoriously unpredictable. Might one of them pull off the upset of the year? You heard about it here first.

24. Senate District 21 Republican Primary 

Republican state Sen. Tom McInnis of Cumberland County faces a challenge from Ray Daly. The two have tangled over Medicaid, with McInnis’ attorney sending Daly a letter to take down political messages that the incumbent argues are defamatory. 

McInnis is the favorite to win, as Daly only received $550 from outside donors last year.

25. 11th Congressional District Democratic Primary

Whoever wins the Democratic primary for the state’s westernmost district will have their work cut out for them in ousting Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards. But with national Democrats expanding their battleground priorities to include this seat, nothing is off limits. 

Jamie Ager, a farmer and businessman whose father and brother have both served in the General Assembly, is favored to win the primary. But four other Democrats are vying for the seat: Paul Maddox, a cancer researcher; Dr. Richard Hudspeth, the former CEO of UNC Blue Ridge Health; Zelda Briarwood, a party activist; and Lee Whipple, a civil engineer. 

Ager entered 2026 with four times more cash in the bank than all his opponents combined, according to campaign finance filings.

26. U.S. Senate Republican Primary

Rounding out the list of races to watch is the Republican U.S. Senate primary. 

Conservative activist Michele Morrow pulled off the biggest upset of 2024 in defeating state Superintendent of Public Instruction Catherine Truitt in the Republican primary. Next to nobody expected Morrow to have a fighting chance.

Nobody—including us—wants to make the same mistake with the U.S. Senate race, in which former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is the clear favorite to take on Cooper (whose primary race is little more than a formality at this point).

Morrow sent a 10-page letter to her supporters last week responding to some of the criticism she’s received since entering the race. But in a move unlikely to win her brownie points with her base, she questioned the president’s endorsement of Whatley: “President Trump does not truly know the landscape of NC politics.”

Many of the anti-establishment voters who helped Morrow last election are siding with Don Brown, a former Navy JAG officer, as the best alternative to Whatley. Several conservative activists, including her 2024 campaign manager, have lobbed personal attacks.

Could Morrow prove the entire political world wrong once again? We’ll find out soon.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rev. William Barber’s name.