Registered voters in the state this cycle will choose a US senator, all 14 US House representatives, one state Supreme Court judge and three appellate justices.
Candidate filing for most of the North Carolina 2026 elections opened at noon on Monday, December 1, with key candidates for Congress, NC Supreme Court, and the state legislature officially throwing their hats in the ring.
NC Republicans have time to regain some ground. But if the numbers stick, or slip more, it could signal major 2026 losses.
RALEIGH — With one year until the midterm election, Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper continues to lead in North Carolina’s US Senate race. According to the latest Carolina Journal Poll, a survey of 600 likely voters in North Carolina that was conducted November 9–10 by Harper Polling, Cooper (47.3%) leads former Republican Party Chairman Michael...
The survey puts Cooper’s support at 47% compared to Whatley’s 39%. That result doubles the 4% margin Cooper had in CJ's September poll — which had 46% for Cooper and 42% for Whatley.
In the latest Carolina Journal poll, Cooper has also maintained an early lead over Whatley in the 2026 US Senate race, but the his lead was cut nearly in half from August to September.
Because President Trump put Whatley in charge of the federal Helene response, Cooper is attempting to flip the script and make it a campaign liability for Whatley.
Former congressman Wiley Nickel has officially dropped out of the US Senate race and has endorsed former Gov. Roy Cooper, one day after he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination.
Michael Whatley, chairman of the Republican National Committee and a key figure in North Carolina GOP politics, is reportedly preparing to enter the 2026 U.S. Senate race. Whatley is reportedly going to formally announce his candidacy within the next ten days, setting the stage for a nationally watched contest to succeed outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis.
North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis is under fire from President Donald Trump, who announced via social media this weekend that he may support a primary challenger to Tillis in the 2026 Senate race. The move comes after Tillis opposed advancing Trump’s high-profile legislative proposal—the “One Big Beautiful Bill”—in a narrowly divided US Senate vote.
While there are many important primaries across the state, the hottest races are in several newly drawn congressional districts likely to be won by the GOP nominees in the fall. Under new maps, North Carolina is expected to elect 10 Republicans to Congress and three Democrats, with one swing seat that could go either way....
Get Reminded When We Go LIVE on Election Night!
