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Retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout defeated businesswoman Sandy Smith in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday. The expansive northeastern seat that stretches from Wilson to Elizabeth City has long been held by a Democrat, but that could change under the new district map that makes the seat a tossup. 

Buckhout will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis in November.

In 2020, the district swung for President Joe Biden over former President Donald Trump by 1.3 percentage points. It also has the greatest share of Black residents of any House district in the state, at 40 percent, though it remains a plurality white area. A Black Democrat has held the seat since 1992. 

Smith had won two prior Republican primaries in the district.

In the 8th district, pastor Mark Harris appears to have won the primary, though the AP hadn’t called the race by early Wednesday. With all precincts reporting in the district held by departing Rep. Dan Bishop, Harris had 30.4 percent of the vote–just enough to clinch the nomination outright. If he wins the primary, he’ll face competition in the GOP-friendly district come November.

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards also won his primary in the 11th Congressional District. While that seat is seen as the second-most competitive after the 1st, Edwards is expected to defeat Democratic state Rep. Caleb Rudow in the general election.

Addison McDowell surprised many when he won an endorsement from Donald Trump in the competitive 6th District primary.

There will likely be two Republican congressional runoffs on May 14, including in the Greensboro-area 6th District and the 13th District covering the Raleigh area.

With all precincts reporting in the 6th District, lobbyist Addison McDowell placed first at 26 percent, followed by former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker at 24 percent. Because neither candidate passed the 30 percent threshold to claim the nomination outright, their campaign cycle got extended by another 10 weeks. But with no general election opponents, the winner of that primary effectively heads straight to Congress in 2025.

In the 13th, attorney Kelly Daughtry stood atop the 14-candidate field with 27 percent. Former prosecutor Brad Knott finished second at 19. While The Associated Press hadn’t declared Knott the official second place finisher as of early Wednesday, third-placed finisher Fred Von Canon conceded to Knott and Daughtry.

Under North Carolina law, a candidate must formally request a runoff. Knott didn’t respond to a request for comment about his plans, but Walker vowed to continue his campaign against McDowell.

Following the primary, these candidates are likely to move or return to Congress:

  • Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross (2nd District)
  • Republican Rep. Greg Murphy (3rd District)
  • Democratic Rep. Val Foushee (4th District)
  • Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx (5th District)
  • Republican Rep. David Rouzer (7th District)
  • Republican Rep. Richard Hudson (9th District)
  • Republican businessman Pat Harrigan (10th District)
  • Democratic Rep. Alma Adams (12th District)
  • Republican Tim Moore (14th District)

Bryan Anderson is a freelance reporter who most recently covered elections, voting access, and state government for WRAL-TV. He previously reported for the Associated Press and The News & Observer. You can subscribe to his newsletter here.