Election 2026: Race calls awaited on 5 for U.S. House, 1 in state Senate

Five seats to the U.S. House of Representatives, one in the state Senate and five in the state House of Representatives on Friday afternoon were yet to get a consensus call on a winner.

All precincts were in hours after polls closed, with Democrats having taken 10 of 14 seats to the U.S. House. They lead in 24 of the 50 state Senate seats and 71 of the 120 state House seats.

No Republican has been called a winner in the congressional races. Nine Democrats have been declared winners by multiple media outlets.

Incumbent Rep. Dr. Greg Murphy has a 233-vote lead on Democratic challenger Dr. Raymond Smith in the 3rd Congressional District; there are 237,904 ballots counted. Incumbent Rep. David Rouzer has a 2,425-vote lead on Democratic challenger Kimberly Hardy in the 7th Congressional District; there are 320,680 ballots counted.

Also, incumbent Rep. Rev. Mark Harris has a 5,179-vote lead on Democratic challenger Colby Watson in the 8th Congressional District; there are 291,899 ballots counted. And incumbent Rep. Pat Harrigan has a 3,029-vote lead on Democratic challenger Ashley Bell in the 10th Congressional District; there are 293,976 ballots counted.

In the 5th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx trails Democratic challenger Chuck Hubbard by 99 votes; there are 285,498 ballots counted.

Already declared winners for the U.S. House are Democratic incumbent Reps. Don Davis in the 1st Congressional District, Deborah Ross in the 2nd, Valerie Foushee in the 4th and Alma Adams in the 12th; and Democratic challengers Cyril Jefferson in the 6th, retired Army Maj. Richard Ojeda in the 9th, Jamie Ager in the 11th, Paul Barringer in the 13th, and Lakesha Womack in the 14th.

In the state Senate elections, incumbent Republican Sen. Danny Britt Jr. clings to a 268-vote lead over Democratic challenger Catina Hamm in District 24. There are 55,452 ballots counted.

In the state House elections:

District 9: Democratic challenger Claire Kempner leads incumbent Republican Rep. Dr. Tim Reeder by 175 votes. There are 36,199 ballots counted.

District 20: Democratic challenger Tim Merrick leads Republican Dane Scalise by 101 votes. There are 44,007 ballots counted. Republican incumbent Rep. Ted Davis Jr. did not seek reelection.

District 62: Democratic challenger Shelly Headen leads incumbent Republican Rep. John Blust by 233 votes. There are 42,501 ballots counted.

District 63: Democratic challenger Ian Baltutis leads incumbent Republican Rep. Ryan Moffitt by 236 votes. There are 32,722 ballots counted.

District 93: Democratic challenger Charlie Wallin leads incumbent Republican Rep. Ray Pickett by 228 votes. There are 37,522 ballots counted.

County canvass happens Friday of next week, and the state canvass is Nov. 24.

Legal changes to vote totals can happen. Additions come from provisional ballots cast by eligible voters; absentee ballots that have been cured; and mailed military and overseas voters’ ballots received after Election Day but before 5 p.m. Nov. 12. Subtractions come from challenges to absentee ballots filed by voters, and county board administrative challenges to absentee and early voting ballots based on voter eligibility audits conducted by the State Board.

More than 36,000 provisional ballots have been considered from early in-person voting and voting on Election Day. The total does not yet reflect overseas and military absentee voting.

For a statewide ballot item, the difference between the winning candidate and the candidate requesting the recount is ½ of 1% (0.5%) of the votes cast in the ballot item, or 10,000 votes, whichever is fewer. For a nonstatewide ballot item, the difference between the winning candidate and the candidate requesting the recount is 1% or less of the total votes cast in the contest.

The deadline to request is 5 p.m. Nov. 16 for counties, and noon Nov. 17 for jurisdictions by the state board.