10 North Carolina Races to Watch in 2024

With the runoffs now over, attention turns to the fall. Here are 10 races that have received less attention so far but will help determine who wields political power.

1. Supreme Court Associate Justice. Republicans have a 5-2 majority on the state Supreme Court. Last year, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper appointed voting-access advocate Allison Riggs to fill the vacancy created by Mike Morgan, a Democrat who resigned to pursue an unsuccessful bid for governor.

Now Riggs is seeking a full, eight-year term. She handily won her March primary against Superior Court Judge Lora Cubbage, but now faces a more formidable opponent in Republican state Court of Appeals Judge Jefferson Griffin. As of February 17, Griffin had almost $747,000 in cash to Riggs’ $178,000.

A loss would be another setback for Democrats, who held a 6-1 majority on the court only a few years ago. One Democratic seat is up in 2026 and three GOP seats are on the line in 2028.

2. 1st U.S. House District. The state’s lone congressional tossup stretches across eastern North Carolina. It’s been represented by a Black Democrat since 1992 but has been redrawn this year in a way that’s more competitive for Republicans.

Retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout is looking to unseat first-term Democratic Rep. Don Davis. The outcome could help determine which party controls the U.S. House, which would impact the next president’s legislative agenda. The district is a true coin toss. In 2020, it swung for Democrat Joe Biden by 1.3 percentage points, but in the 2022 U.S. Senate race went for Republican Ted Budd by 5.9 points. 

3. Attorney General. This marquee contest pits two former state legislators and current congressmen against one another: Democrat Jeff Jackson and Republican Dan Bishop.

Bishop has taken aim at Jackson’s use of TikTok. When Jackson entered the race, Bishop called him a “Chinese social media star.” Meanwhile, Jackson has criticized Bishop for his role in passing House Bill 2, a since-repealed 2016 law that required transgender people to use restrooms at public schools and government buildings that correspond to the sex assigned at their birth.

Both are skilled, experienced, and ambitious politicians who likely will raise a lot of money and fill the airwaves with hard-hitting commercials. 

4. Superintendent of Public Instruction. Republican Michele Morrow raised the profile of this race when she defeated incumbent Catherine Truitt in the primary. Since then, Morrow has faced criticism for divisive social media posts, including one where she advocated for the assassination of former President Barack Obama.

Even so, GOP leaders have been largely unwilling to cross her, as they fear Democrat Mo Green, a former Guilford County Schools superintendent, would oppose Republican policies like giving parents money to send their children to private schools. The superintendent oversees the state Department of Public Instruction and implements policies adopted by the state Board of Education. 

5. Auditor. This is one of the most important jobs in state government: holding government entities accountable through reviews of their performance and their finances.

The watchdog position has gained more visibility since four-term Auditor Beth Wood, a Democrat, resigned from her post in December after investigations into her misuse of a state vehicle for personal purposes. Cooper tapped Democrat Jessica Holmes, a lawyer and former Wake County commissioner, to fill the role. Now Holmes will face Dave Boliek, a Fayetteville lawyer and former chair of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.  

6. Labor Commissioner. Attorney Luke Farley, who adapted his “Make Elevators Great Again” slogan from former President Donald Trump, pulled off an upset in the GOP primary by defeating state Rep. Jon Hardister.

Now Farley will face Democrat Braxton Winston, a former Charlotte City Council member. Both candidates are strong campaigners and appeal to an enthusiastic base. Winston supports unions; Farley opposes them. Republican Josh Dobson, who did not seek reelection after just one term, has called on state lawmakers to provide more funding for workplace safety inspectors.

7. House District 105. For Democrats who want to break the GOP supermajority in the legislature, the Charlotte-area seat held by state Rep. Tricia Cotham is ground zero. In 2022, Cotham won the deep blue seat as a Democrat. Last year, she gave the GOP a supermajority by switching parties.

While Republicans have sought to protect her by redrawing Cotham into a seat that leans slightly to the right, Democrats are animated and angry at Cotham. Attorney Nicole Sidman is looking to capitalize on that frustration. A Cotham win would greatly boost the GOP’s chances of keeping its supermajority. 

8. Senate District 7. Four-term Republican Michael Lee is up for reelection and is opposed by Democrat David Hill, a physician who provides behavioral and mental health care to children. A defeat for Lee could cost Republicans their supermajority in the Senate.

There are several districts that are more evenly split than this Wilmington-area one, but there are few that are more interesting. That’s because New Hanover County often reflects the political mood of the state. “It’s as close to a bellwether as we’ve got,” said Western Carolina University political scientist Chris Cooper. The county picked nine of 10 Council of State races, which are elected statewide, in 2020.

9. House District 98. This Mecklenburg County seat has become slightly more conservative with new voting maps. In 2022, Republican John Bradford won in one of the most contentious legislative contests by 2 percentage points. But he decided against seeking reelection this time around, instead vying for a congressional seat where he ultimately placed third in the GOP primary.

Former Huntersville Mayor Melinda Bales is running on the Republican side, while former school teacher Beth Helfrich is looking to help Democrats break the GOP supermajority.

10. House District 24. First-term Republican state Rep. Ken Fontenot of Wilson County is among the most vulnerable incumbents in the state. One of the reasons: While Republicans drew more favorable districts last year for many GOP incumbents, his district lines didn’t change.

Fontenot, the only Black House Republican, won in 2022 by more than 8 percentage points, but he faces a formidable Democratic opponent in Dante Pittman, a 28-year-old grant writer at Barton College and member of the North Carolina National Guard. Pittman has longstanding community ties and has heavily traversed the district to bridge the name ID gap he may face. Of the 170 legislative districts in North Carolina, the 24th House District is one of just three that went to Biden or Trump by less than 1 percentage point in 2020.