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The primary elections Tuesday were a trainwreck for many sitting Democratic and Republican state lawmakers in competitive races, Gov. Josh Stein’s endorsements performed well, and lots of new faces are headed to Raleigh.

Here are our takeaways from the primaries.

GOP Establishment Takes a Hit

Republican incumbents in the General Assembly took a beating Tuesday, with state Senate leader Phil Berger’s virtual tie with Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page as the most obvious example. Berger’s allies poured millions of dollars into the race, only to come up two votes short at the end of Tuesday night. The race appears headed for a recount.

Other members of the GOP establishment suffered significant losses:

  • Republican Sen. Chris Measmer of Cabarrus County lost to former state Rep. Kevin Crutchfield by 7 percentage points
  • Republican Rep. Reece Pyrtle of Rockingham County lost to attorney Seth Woodall by 18 points
  • Republican Rep. Kelly Hastings of Gaston County lost to pharmacist Caroline Eason by 7 points
  • Republican Rep. Mark Pless of Haywood County lost to local school board member Jimmy Rogers by 9 points

There were a couple notable exceptions, including Rep. Jake Johnson cruising to victory over a well-resourced opponent in former Rep. Mike Hager. In addition, Rep. Keith Kidwell of Beaufort County lost to farmer Darren Armstrong by 5 points. But that counts as an establishment win because Kidwell, the outspoken leader of the House Freedom Caucus, had drawn the ire of colleagues in a dispute over an agriculture bill and for opposing a push to ban shrimp trawling.

With the jury still out on whether Page won his primary, Eason pulled off the biggest upset of the night on the Republican side over the eight-term Hastings.

Dems’ Problem Children Go Down

The state legislative candidates the Democratic Party targeted for siding with Republicans in overturning Stein’s vetoes all went down.

  • Democratic Rep. Shelly Willingham of Edgecombe County lost to minister Patricia Smith by 11 points
  • Democratic Rep. Nasif Majeed of Mecklenburg County lost to health care advocate Veleria Levy by 42 points
  • Democratic Rep. Carla Cunningham of Mecklenburg County lost to Rev. Rodney Sadler by 48 points

The losses are a victory for Democrats seeking more party discipline. The blows to the centrist wing of the Democratic Party could make lawmakers in swing districts think twice about siding with Republicans in the future.

Josh Stein applauds supporters during an election night watch party in 2024. (AP Photo/Grant Halverson)

Good Night for Stein

The Democratic governor went 2-for-2 with his endorsements of Sadler over Cunningham and of state Rep. Rodney Pierce, who fended off a primary challenge from former Rep. Michael Wray.

Republicans currently have a supermajority in the state Senate and are one seat short in the House, so they have needed help from at least one Democrat to overturn Stein’s vetoes. The makeup of both chambers could change after the November general election, but the ousters of several moderate Democrats probably means Stein is less likely to see vetoes overturned in 2027.

Expect Lots of New Faces

Ten current state legislative officeholders declined to seek reelection—Republican Sen. Bobby Hanig, Democratic Rep. Bryan Cohn, and Republican Reps. Matthew Winslow, Ted Davis, William Brisson, John Sauls, Mark Brody, Stephen Ross, Harry Warren, and Sarah Stevens. 

Between those who declined to run and those who lost Tuesday, more than 1 in 10 current officeholders won’t be returning to Raleigh next year. And this is before the general election, which is likely to produce further turnover.

One of the new faces in the building will likely be former Superior Court Judge Jerry Tillett, who won the primary for Hanig’s seat, despite allegations that he’d made racist remarks in an audio recording.

Nothing to See Here

The primaries in various congressional races turned out roughly as expected.

Former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley handily won their respective primaries for the U.S. Senate race, which could be the most expensive in history.

Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley will face off in the general election for the open U.S. Senate seat in North Carolina. (Cooper: AP Photo/Nell Redmond; Whatley: AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The only real surprise from either primary was the fact that former Superintendent of Public Instruction candidate Michele Morrow finished in fourth place instead of third.

In the 1st Congressional District Republican primary, Army veteran Laurie Buckhout edged out Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck. She’s now poised for a rematch with Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis.

The 4th Congressional District Democratic primary was still too close to call Wednesday morning because it remained within the 1-point recount threshold. Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who trails incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee, has vowed to pursue a recount, though provisional ballots could take the race out of recount territory.

The Lawyers Always Win

Election law attorneys in North Carolina may be about to temporarily relocate to the Triad for the next phase of the Berger-Page battle, in exchange for piles of money. Who says elections end on Election Night?

Bryan Anderson is a politics reporter for The Assembly, covering state government and anchoring our twice-weekly politics newsletter, The Caucus. He previously covered elections, voting access, and state government for WRAL-TV, The Associated Press, and The News & Observer.