16 More Races to Watch in 2026

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The Assembly broke down its top 10 races to watch here. 

But for the real political nerds who are paying close attention down-ballot, here are 16 more races—for a total of 26—to watch in 2026.

11. House District 74

There was no bigger missed opportunity for Democrats in 2024 than the Forsyth County seat held by Republican Rep. Jeff Zenger. 

At the time, the party prioritized protecting Democratic incumbents over taking down Republicans in similar districts. That was probably a mistake: Democrat Amy Taylor North outperformed those incumbents, losing by less than 4 points.

State Democratic party leaders appear to have learned a lesson. 

Taylor North, a small business owner, should be able to make up some ground in a more favorable environment for her party this year. Whether it’ll be enough for her to edge out Zenger in this rematch remains to be seen.

12. Senate District 34

Republicans in Cabarrus County are deeply fractured, presenting Democrats with an opportunity to pick up a seat. 

Republican Kevin Crutchfield has found himself in competitive primaries in three runs for legislative office. He won a state House seat in 2022, then narrowly lost his re-election bid to GOP challenger Brian Echevarria. This year, Crutchfield set his sights on the Senate, sensing a vulnerability in Chris Measmer, whom Republicans appointed to fill the seat Paul Newton vacated in 2025.

Crutchfield narrowly edged out Measmer, but the win left a sour taste in the mouths of some of his fellow Republicans. 

Now Democrat April Cook, a co-founder of a health clinic, is looking to capitalize on that discontent. On paper, Democrats should lose this race. Newton won by 9 percentage points in 2024, but Crutchfield is neither in party leadership nor a state Senate veteran. In a bad election cycle for Republicans, this seat could provide a good read on the mood of the electorate.

13. House District 105

On the House side, Democrats have concentrated a lot of their attention on state Rep. Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County.

She drew their ire in 2023 after switching her political party affiliation and giving House Republicans a supermajority. GOP leadership rewarded her by redistricting her seat from safely Democratic to lean-Republican. 

It worked, at least temporarily. Cotham fended off a Democratic challenger in 2024 by 0.4 percentage points—213 votes—the narrowest margin of victory for any GOP incumbent. Of all the Republicans on the ballot this year, she’s seen as the most vulnerable. She’s also dealt with health issues that kept her off the campaign trail, including major jaw surgery.

This year, she faces a challenge from Ken McCool, a lifelong Matthews resident and former town commissioner who runs a sports cards and collectibles store.

With motivated Democrats and Republicans facing a tough national climate, Cotham could be in deep trouble. 

14. Court of Appeals

Historically, all statewide judicial candidates perform similarly, so we’re bundling the three Court of Appeals races into one for this list.

These aren’t the sexiest races by any means, but they are among the most important, as these judges often hear contentious political and policy matters.

All three seats up for grabs this year are currently held by Democrats, so this year isn’t going to reduce the GOP’s 12-3 majority.

Democratic incumbents John Arrowood and Toby Hampson are squaring off against Republicans Michael Byrne and George Cooper Bell. In an open Democratic seat, Christine Marie Walczyk faces Republican Craig Collins.

15. House District 32

It’s been quite the political journey for Democratic state Rep. Bryan Cohn of Granville County. He passed on a re-election bid this year, only to find himself sucked back in after his potential successor pulled out of the race for health reasons.

Now, Cohn is squaring off against Republican Frank Sossamon in a rematch of 2024, when Cohn won by a mere 0.5 points—228 votes. Cohn has bucked his party and Gov. Josh Stein at times, most notably on an electricity bill that did away with a carbon reduction goal. That hasn’t made him the most-liked member of his caucus.

Nevertheless, he has a track record of electoral success. Even in a tough environment, Republicans see an opportunity to get Sossamon, a former House member himself, back into office. If any House Democrats are going to lose this year, Cohn is certainly among the most vulnerable. 

16. Senate District 42

Woodson Bradley, meanwhile, is the most vulnerable incumbent Democrat in the state Senate. In 2024, she won by a mere 209 votes, or 0.16 points. And once again, she’ll be going toe-to-toe with GOP attorney Stacie McGinn.

McGinn, a former Bank of America executive, exceeded expectations in 2024 in what had been a lean-Democratic seat in southeast Mecklenburg County previously held by Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt. McGinn has renewed her concerns over Bradley’s past work as a top salesperson for Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing, a company the Federal Trade Commission shut down and law enforcement officials labeled as a massive pyramid scheme. Bradley maintains she was a victim, not a perpetrator.

17. House District 24

Democratic Rep. Dante Pittman of Wilson County is a divisive figure within his party. Given the nature of his swing district, he must walk a political tightrope to assert his independence without  alienating the party base.

Nowhere was that tension clearer than when he supported a law requiring public school districts to publish a list of available books. The measure lets parents block their children from borrowing specific books and allows them to cite their religious beliefs to remove their child from activities and discussions. Pittman backed the bill initially but then opposed overriding Stein’s veto. He said his opinion changed when he learned that a provision preventing public funds from being used for youth gender transition procedures was already part of a 2023 law. 

Pittman has secured a number of priorities for the district, including $12 million for Wilson Community College to build a biologics training center, $500,000 for Barton College’s nursing and primary care program, and $440,000 for a volunteer fire department.

His GOP challenger, Blake Boykin, chairs the Wilson County Board of Education.

The district is as swingy as it gets, having flip-flopped between Democrats and Republicans in each of the last three elections. While Pittman is the favorite, victory is not assured.

18. House District 115

Democratic Rep. Lindsey Prather’s Buncombe County district was redrawn in 2024 to lean Republican. After Hurricane Helene devastated the region weeks before the election, she was on the ground aggressively pushing for recovery funds. 

Prather’s re-election gave Democrats the seat they needed to break the Republican supermajority. She continues to be a thorn in the side of GOP leaders on Helene recovery, and the slow pace of funding has frustrated Democrats and Republicans alike in Western N.C. That could hurt the party in power, or it could mean voters want a fresh face.

Her Republican challenger, Swannanoa Fire Chief Anthony Penland, raised more than $20,000 from individuals in the first half of the year, suggesting he’s got some local support.

Still, he faces a tall task in trying to unseat Prather, who entered July with seven times more cash at her disposal. 

19. Senate District 4

This race comes with a personal disclaimer: Jess Rivera, the Democrat trying to oust Republican incumbent Buck Newton, is my barber, so I haven’t covered this race. That said, I’m keeping an eye on it. 

For Democrats to even get to a 25-25 split in the Senate, they’d need to hold onto all their existing seats and net an additional five. This district would be a must-have.  

Newton won by double digits in 2024, and the map hasn’t changed. Even so, it’s one of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee’s 14 targets, suggesting they see some window of opportunity for Rivera, a Marine veteran, and are putting money into her race.

20. House District 63

This selection may come as a bit of a surprise, as Alamance County hasn’t elected a Democrat to the legislature since 2020, when Democrat Ricky Hurtado defeated Republican Stephen Ross by 1 point.

But that victory was an anomaly, as Republicans were forced to redraw the legislative map that year to comply with a court order. Since then, North Carolina’s conservative majority on the state Supreme Court has allowed the legislature to draw maps that benefit the GOP.

Ross narrowly defeated Hurtado in a 2022 rematch and won in 2024 by double digits. This year, he declined to seek re-election, paving the way for attorney Ryan Moffitt.

Democrat Ian Baltutis has other plans. As the former mayor of Burlington, the county’s largest city, he’s had ample opportunity to get to know voters, though he’s been out of office since 2021.

This race is also a battle between two Elon alums: Baltutis graduated in 2008 with a business degree, and Moffitt graduated from the Elon University School of Law in 2014.

As an Elon alum, I’m watching this race with great curiosity. While it’s a bit of a longshot for Democrats on paper, the absence of an incumbent has cracked open the door.

21. House District 73

Democrats spent heavily last cycle in an unsuccessful effort to hold the seat of then-Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams of Cabarrus County, who lost to Republican Jonathan Almond by 6 points. This year, Republicans are the ones on defense, and the Cabarrus GOP is as fractured as any county party.

If Republican antipathy trickles down the ballot, Democrat Thomas Monks could pull off a major upset. But his fundraising numbers are abysmal–a mere $7,000 raised since the start of his campaign. The race isn’t the biggest priority for Democrats, and money is most certainly on the GOP side. 

Still, this is a district that should be in play. 

22. House District 5

Astonishingly, both candidates in this race have raised almost nothing, despite it being a major political battleground on paper. Republican incumbent Bill Ward of Pasquotank County received only two individual contributions in the first half of the year, while Democratic challenger Sam Davis III has raised little more than $3,000 this entire election cycle. 

In the 2022 midterms, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley carried the district by 6 points. That same year, Ward carried it by almost 8. This sizable gap is pretty unusual and indicates that Democrats could win here with the right candidate.

Whether Davis’ fresh face will appeal to voters isn’t certain. But in the absence of substantial outside support in the closing weeks of the election, Ward could coast to victory.

23. House District 64

Folks may be surprised to learn Republican Rep. Dennis Riddell is on the airwaves in Alamance County this year. He faces the same Democratic opponent he did in 2024, LeVon Barnes, whom he defeated by nearly 10 points.

Could this time be different? There’s some reason to think so. Both Riddell and Barnes raised $21,000 from mid-February through June. 

Behind the scenes, the progressive political group Work for Democracy has helped prop up Barnes. Party activists have also taken to social media to blast Riddell over his opposition to raising the minimum wage. While the anti-Riddell messaging has gotten a good amount of traction online, we’ll learn whether that translates into votes. 

24. House District 82

The House Democratic Caucus has amped up its online campaign to unseat Republican Rep. Brian Echevarria of Cabarrus County by resurfacing social media posts in which he wrote about how he is keen on “sexually harassing” his wife.

Echevarria is among the most vocal members of his caucus and ruffled some feathers when he unseated the incumbent Crutchfield in the 2024 state House primary. Lingering frustrations could hurt Crutchfield’s Senate campaign and Echevarria’s attempt to hold onto his seat.

While Echevarria hasn’t raised much money this year, he entered July with more than $90,000 in his coffers. His Democratic opponent, Chris Bishopp, has outraised Echevarria by a 4-to-1 margin, which indicates there’s some momentum.

25. House District 20

State Rep. Ted Davis of New Hanover County isn’t seeking re-election this year, and county commissioner Dane Scalise is looking to keep the seat under GOP control.

He’ll have to fend off Democrat Tim Merrick. The House Republican Caucus has launched an advertising campaign against Merrick and taken to social media to amplify an article in which he was quoted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks as saying, “We have not been fair to nations in the Middle East.”

The attention Republicans are paying to this race suggests they see Merrick as a threat. Even so, Davis carried the seat by 12 points, and Scalise remains the strong favorite.

26. Senate District 26

It only seems appropriate to round out the Top 26 with Senate District 26. If it sounds familiar, it was our No. 1 primary to watch in the spring and far and away the most expensive. Senate leader Phil Berger fell short to a challenge from Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page.

Needless to say, the race left a sour taste in the mouths of GOP leadership, and it might turn some voters off Page.

Berger defeated Democrat Steve Luking in the 2024 general election by 13 points. Page has nowhere near the same resources at his disposal, as he spent so much in his quest to claim the Republican nomination.

Luking has made a number of inroads for Democrats here. He held positions at Annie Penn Hospital in Reidsville, is a longtime Sierra Club member, and has also served on the Rockingham County Board of Health.

Perhaps most notable: He entered July with more than $54,000 in the bank to Page’s $17,000. As we learned from the Page-Berger primary, money can’t buy elections. But the fundraising does show Luking may have more support than Republicans are anticipating. 

While a Page defeat would be a colossal upset, voters have shown they can surprise folks. Plus, when Page is involved, you can’t help but watch.

Also on the Shortlist

There are a number of races that didn’t make the cut, but here are three I’ll be watching closely, for different reasons:

House District 48: Democratic Rep. Garland Pierce faces a rematch this year with Republican Ralph Carter, whom he defeated by nearly 4 points in 2024 for the seat representing Scotland and Hoke counties.

House District 51: Republican state Rep. John Sauls of Lee County has missed nearly every vote this year due to his health and is not seeking re-election. He carried the district by 29 points in 2024, so it should be a safe seat for Republicans. Democrats don’t have anyone from their party on the ballot. But unaffiliated candidate April Montgomery is running against Republican Charles Taylor. While she’s a longshot, the results could tell us something about the viability of unaffiliated candidates. Taylor is also facing scrutiny over his ownership of a property used for video gambling. He didn’t disclose the property on his economic statement of interest, as state law requires. 

House District 62: Democratic candidate Shelly Headen lost the support of her party after The Assembly reported on social media posts she made that included violent rhetoric against Republicans. Still, she has pressed forward with her campaign to unseat Republican state Rep. John Blust of Guilford County. While Headen’s campaign feels doomed, this was a district Blust carried by just 7 points in 2024, so there’s theoretically a pathway for a Democrat to win.