North Carolina's congressional delegation expects a shift to the right

North Carolina's congressional delegation is evenly split: seven Republicans and seven Democrats represent the state in the U.S. House of Representatives.

That won't be the case in January when the new Congress is sworn in.

The state's Republican lawmakers redrew the district's boundaries in 2023, creating three predominantly Democratic seats and 10 safe GOP seats, in part by carving up the state's most populous counties. Wake, Mecklenburg and Guilford counties are each represented by three different members of Congress. A race is a real mess.

Here is a breakdown of the 14 U.S. House races in North Carolina:

1st Congressional District

Where: Northeastern and eastern North Carolina. It includes 22 counties stretching from the Outer Banks across much of eastern North Carolina to the outskirts of the Triangle. It extends to Henderson in the west and to Kinston in the south and includes towns such as Elizabeth City, Edenton, Rocky Mount, Wilson and Goldsboro.

Incumbent: Don Davis, Democrat (seeking re-election)

Candidates: Davis, Republican Laurie Buckhout

North Carolina's 1st Congressional District is one of the most competitive U.S. House races in the country and could help determine which party controls the chamber in January. Republicans currently have a slim majority, but Democrats are considered slight favorites to take power.

Given the importance of the race, both parties have poured resources into the race. According to the Cook Political Report, it is one of 22 voting districts nationwide — and the only one south of Virginia and east of New Mexico.

Davis, a Presbyterian minister who grew up picking tobacco in Snow Hill outside Greenville, was also mayor and state senator of his hometown. He's counting on those local ties and his reputation as a political moderate willing to vote against his party if he thinks it's leaning too far to the left to help him get over the finish line .

Buckhout, a defense contracting consultant and recent North Carolina transplant who has poured at least $1.7 million of her own money into her campaign, is trying to unseat Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Davis by promoting her conservative views, her business success and the… The fact is that, unlike Davis, she has not spent any years in politics.

Both spent years in the military – Davis, eight years in the Air Force; Buckhout 26 in the Army – an important part of the district that includes an air force base, a Coast Guard air station and a Central Intelligence Agency test site. Other huge military installations are just a short drive away.

The area has been represented by Democrats since 1899 and has been represented by a black Democrat since 1992, when Eva Clayton won the vacant seat. Davis, who is Black, won the seat in 2022, replacing longtime Rep. GK Butterfield.

Davis received just over 52% of the vote as he defeated Republican Sandy Smith. But the district's boundaries shifted again when state Republican lawmakers redistricted in 2023, shifting the overall tilt slightly to the right.

2nd Congressional District

Where: Much of Wake County, including Raleigh

Incumbent: Deborah Ross, Democrat (seeking re-election)

Candidates: Ross, Republican Alan Swain and Green Party candidate Michael Dublin

Ross, a former state director of the ACLU and state legislator, won her congressional seat in 2020. She is likely to win a third term in a district that voted 66.6% for Biden.

3rd Congressional District

Where: Eastern North Carolina. The district includes all or parts of 11 counties and stretches from the Outer Banks to Pitt County to Sampson County.

Incumbent: Greg Murphy, Republican (seeking re-election)

Candidates: Murphy, libertarian Gheorghe Cormos

Murphy, a urologist and former state legislator, won the seat in a special election in 2019, replacing Walter B. Jones Jr. He easily won re-election in 2020 and 2022. The district as currently drawn voted in the 2020 with 57.8% for Trump. There is no Democrat on the ballot.

4th Congressional District

Where: triangle. The district includes all of Orange and Durham counties, as well as portions of Chatham and southwest Wake counties.

Incumbent: Democrat Valerie Foushee (seeking re-election)

Candidates: Foushee, Republican Eric Blankenburg, Libertarian Guy Meilleur.

Foushee won the seat in 2022, replacing outgoing Democratic Congressman David Price. The district voted 72.1% for Biden in 2020.

5th Congressional District

Where: Northwestern North Carolina. The district includes nine complete counties and extends along the Virginia border into part of Guilford County.

Incumbent: Republican Virginia Foxx

Candidates: Foxx, Democrat Chuck Hubbard

Foxx, 81, is seeking an 11th term in Congress. Her district voted 56.7% for Trump in 2020.

6th Congressional District

Where: Triad. The district includes all of Davidson, Davie and Rowan counties, as well as portions of Guilford, Forsyth and Cabarrus counties.

Incumbent: Kathy Manning, Democrat (not seeking re-election)

Candidates: Republican Addison McDowell, Constitution Party candidate Kevin Hayes

Manning is not running for a third term after the district was redrawn in favor of Republicans. McDowell, a political newcomer, received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump during the six-person Republican primary. McDowell faced a runoff with former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker before Walker joined the Trump campaign and ended his bid to return to Congress. The district voted 57.3% for Trump in 2020. There is no Democratic candidate.

7th Congressional District

Where: Southeastern North Carolina.

Incumbent: Republican David Rouzer (running for re-election)

Candidates: Rouzer, Democrat Marlando Pridgen

Rouzer, who worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture under President George W. Bush and worked for former U.S. Senators Jesse Helms and Elizabeth Dole, won the seat in 2014. The district voted 54.7% for Trump in 2020.

8th Congressional District

Where: South-central North Carolina. The district extends from Robeson County in the east to East Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties in the west. Most of it lies along the South Carolina border.

Incumbent: Republican Dan Bishop (running for attorney general)

Candidates: Republican Mark Harris, Democrat Justin Dues

Harris won this district in 2018, but his election was never certified due to voter fraud in absentee voting for Harris. The board ordered a new election and Harris did not run. Bishop ran in the special election in 2019 and won. Harris, a pastor, is back and the scandal seems to have left no lasting mark; He is expected to win the district that voted 58.1% for Trump.

9th Congressional District

Where: Central North Carolina. The district occupies much of the area between Wake County and Guilford County. It includes portions of Cumberland, Chatham and Guilford counties as well as all of Alamance, Randolph, Moore and Hoke.

Incumbent: Republican Richard Hudson (running for re-election)

Candidates: Hudson, Democrat Nigel Bristow, Independent Shelane Etchison.

Hudson is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, which is responsible for winning control of the House of Representatives. It would be more than a surprise if he didn't win his own district. Hudson, who was previously a Republican congressman, is seeking his seventh term in Congress. The district voted 56.2% for Trump in 2020.

10th Congressional District

Where: Between the Triad and the mountains. The district includes all of Yadkin, Iredell, Catawba and Lincoln counties, as well as most of Forsyth.

Incumbent: Republican Patrick McHenry (not running for re-election)

Candidates: Republican Pat Harrigan, Democrat Ralph Scott, Jr., Libertarian Steven Feldman and Constitution Party candidate Todd Helm.

McHenry, who served as interim speaker of the House of Representatives in 2023, announced that he would not seek an 11th term before the December 2023 filing deadline. Harrigan, an Army veteran, defeated Gray Mills and three other candidates in the GOP primary. The district voted 57.2% for Trump in 2020.

11th Congressional District

Where: Far western North Carolina. The district includes 15 entire counties, including Buncombe and parts of Polk County at the tip of western North Carolina.

Incumbent: Republican Chuck Edwards (running for re-election)

Candidates: Edwards, Democrat Caleb Rudow

The district received significant media attention when it was represented by Republicans Mark Meadows and Madison Cawthorn. Edwards, a former state lawmaker, defeated the always-in-the-news Cawthorn in the 2022 GOP primary to win the seat. The district was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Rudow, a member of the Statehouse, faces an uphill battle in a district that voted 54.6% for Trump in 2020.

12th Congressional District

Where: Mecklenburg County, including Charlotte

Incumbent: Democrat Alma Adams (running for re-election)

Candidates: Adams, Republican Addul Ali

The deep blue district voted 74.1% for Biden in 2020. Adams, 78, was a longtime college professor and administrator and had a long career in the North Carolina House of Representatives. She has been in Congress since 2014.

13th Congressional District

Where: Around Wake County. The district is shaped like a backwards “C” and is located in the heart of Wake County. It includes Caswell, Person, Franklin, Johnston, Harnett and Lee counties, as well as northern and southeastern Wake. It also includes part of Granville County.

Incumbent: Democrat Wiley Nickel (not running for re-election)

Candidates: Republican Brad Knott, Democrat Frank Pierce

State lawmakers stripped three Democrats of their seats, including Nickel, who won a close race for the seat in 2022. But the district has become very different from its current makeup, and Nickel has decided not to run for re-election. Knott won a Republican runoff election and is expected to win the seat in a district that voted 57.7% for Trump in 2020.

14th Congressional District

Where: Between Charlotte and extreme western North Carolina along the South Carolina border

Incumbent: Democrat Jeff Jackson (running for attorney general)

Candidates: Republican Tim Moore, Democrat Pam Genant

It's another district that wanted to oust a Democrat. Jackson, a former state legislator, held the seat for one term. The district appears to be drawn to Moore, the longest-serving House speaker in state history. It includes his home district of Cleveland and is safely Republican, as 57.3% voted for Trump in 2020.

WRAL will have complete results as votes are counted in over 400 national, state and local races.