Can Trump, Stein picks survive NC primary elections? Races to watch

Candidates supported by Republican President Donald Trump or Democratic Gov. Josh Stein face challenges in North Carolina’s March 3 primary elections.

North Carolinians will get the chance to elect candidates for Congress, the state Supreme Court, the state legislature and more this November. But first, parties must choose nominees in the March 3 primary elections.

The state has already begun mailing absentee ballots to those who request them. Voters who are registered with a political party must participate in that party’s primary. Unaffiliated voters, however, can participate in a party primary of their choosing.

Crowded Republican U.S. Senate primary

Seven Republican candidates are running to replace incumbent U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, a two-term Republican who ended his reelection bid after a dispute with Trump over the president’s signature tax-and-spending legislation, which sponsors titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Tillis was one of only three Republican senators to oppose the bill, saying cuts to Medicaid would hurt rural parts of North Carolina. Tillis ended his bid for a third term in June after Trump threatened to endorse someone else in the GOP primary.

Trump in July endorsed Michael Whatley for the seat. Whatley formerly chaired the Republican National Committee and North Carolina Republican Party. Trump’s endorsement, combined with Whatley’s fundraising experience, give him an edge in the race. However, Whatley has never run for elected office. And other candidates think they still have a shot at the nomination.

The field also includes Michele Morrow of Cary. Morrow emerged from relative obscurity to defeat an incumbent Republican in the 2024 GOP primary for superintendent of public instruction before losing the general election to Democrat Mo Green by 2.3 percentage points.

Waxhaw lawyer Don Brown, meanwhile, is campaigning on the notion that he’s more in touch with the GOP base than Whatley. Brown touts his experience representing workers who opposed employer vaccine mandates. Brown also defended people who were charged with crimes after entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Margot Dupre of Charlotte, Richard Dansie of Durham, Elizabeth Temple of Smithfield, and Thomas Johnson of Garner are also running.

Temple has said she’s no longer campaigning for the race. Dupre’s candidacy, meanwhile, is being challenged by a voter who alleges she actually lives in Florida. Dupre has told WRAL that she is a North Carolina resident. State law requires North Carolina candidates to live in the state.

The primary results will provide insight into how much support the GOP nominee will carry heading into the general election. The midterm elections will determine who controls the U.S. Senate for the next two years. Republicans hope to keep Tillis’s seat in GOP hands, while Democrats see North Carolina’s race as one of their best shots of flipping a seat.

The Democratic primary features several candidates, too, but former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper is considered the heavy favorite to win his party’s nomination. Cooper, who served two terms as governor and four terms as the state’s Attorney General, has never lost an election. Daryl Farrow of Jacksonville, Justin Dues of Concord, Robert Colon of Rocky Point, Marcus Williams of Wilmington, and Orrick Quick of High Point are also seeking the nomination.

Democratic congresswoman faces rematch in Durham

A Democratic-leaning Congressional district in the Triangle features a rematch between Democrats who squared-off in a contentious primary in 2022. Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam is challenging U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee, who is seeking a third term representing North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. The district encompasses all of Durham and Orange counties, as well as parts of Wake and Chatham counties.

Foushee defeated Allam and former American Idol star Clay Aiken in the 2022 Democratic primary for the seat, which opened that year after longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. David Price announced his retirement. Foushee faced criticism that year for not rejecting outside spending on her behalf by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a group that advocates for Israeli interests and also endorses Republicans.

Voter support for Israel has shifted since then, particularly among Democrats. Polls show that Americans are critical of how Israel has responded to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that killed more than 1,200 people. Israel has killed tens of thousands in response. A United Nations report alleges that Israel committed genocide by “killing and seriously harming unprecedented numbers of Palestinians,” while also blocking humanitarian aid and destroying the health care and education systems in Gaza.

Foushee visited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in 2024, saying afterward that Israel has a right to defend itself but called on her colleagues in Congress to do more to get aid to Gaza. Foushee says she plans to reject financial support from AIPAC, if it’s offered this year.

She told WRAL News: “I am not accepting AIPAC donations and have co-sponsored legislation to block arms sales to Israel because it is clear to me and my constituents that the Netanyahu government’s indiscriminate killing of innocent Palestinians cannot continue.” Foushee added that she has also demanded that Israel allow humanitarian aid to reach starving Palestinians.

Stein and Cooper endorsed Foushee in the race. The primary could shed light on how much or how little those endorsements — and Foushee’s actions on Israel — matter to voters in one of the most progressive parts of the state.

Republican free-for-all in NC’s 1st Congressional District

Recent changes to the boundaries of North Carolina’s congressional districts could help Republicans win a seat that Democrats have held for more than 100 years — leading to a crowded field in the GOP primary.

The state legislature last year redrew the state’s 1st Congressional District, which sprawls across northeastern North Carolina and is represented by two-term Democrat Don Davis. Davis’s home has been drawn out of the district, but he plans to still run for reelection to the seat and live in the district.

The new district boundaries give the GOP an advantage in the upcoming general election, and five Republicans are running to be the GOP nominee:

Laurie Buckhout of Edenton is a former U.S. Army colonel who ran for the seat in 2024. She won the GOP primary that year but lost to Davis by 1.68 percentage points, even though Donald Trump won the district in that year’s presidential race. Last year, she briefly served as the U.S. Department of Defense’s deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy.
Asa Buck of Beaufort has served as Carteret County Sheriff for 16 years.
Ashley-Nicole Russell of Atlantic Beach is a family law attorney.
Eric Rouse of Kinston is the vice chair of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners. He has served on the board for 16 years.
State Sen. Bobby Hanig of Powells Point is in his second term in the state Senate. He previously served in the state House of Representatives.

Trump hasn’t issued an endorsement, leaving no heavy favorite in the race. That might make it difficult for someone to win the party’s nomination outright. If the first-place finisher doesn’t receive more than 30% of the vote, the second place finisher can request a runoff. That would happen May 12, if necessary.

U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, R-NC, leads the National Republican Congressional Committee, a PAC that spent millions on efforts to oust Davis in 2024 and will focus on this seat again in 2026. He told WRAL News in December that he’s been working with Trump on who — or whether — to endorse.

“You're looking for a candidate that's going to be able to get crossover votes from Democrats and unaffiliated voters," Hudson said in December. "You're looking for a candidate with life experience, so they can be not just a good candidate but a good member of Congress. I have lots of conversations with the president about races around the country, and we're staying in contact as candidates emerge in the 1st district. We'll see. He might decide not to endorse."

Republican state Senate leader faces challenger

A longtime North Carolina sheriff is hoping to take out one of the most powerful legislators in the state. Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page is challenging state Senate leader Phil Berger in the GOP primary for the chamber’s 26th district, which covers Rockingham and Guilford counties.

Berger has represented the area for 25 years, becoming the chamber’s leader in 2011 and subsequently leading Republican measures to cut taxes, slash regulations and rewrite state policies to align with the GOP’s agenda. Page is campaigning on the notion that the Senate leader has lost touch with the needs of his district, pointing to Berger’s consideration of a casino in Rockingham County in 2023 despite some public opposition, among other issues.

Page says Berger should’ve been more transparent about casino proposals. Berger says he has been responsive to constituents and abandoned the idea because of the local pushback. Trump endorsed Berger in the race, saying in a social media post that Berger is an “America-first patriot, who is doing an incredible job.” In the same post, Trump said Page is “great,” but that he’d rather see Page come work for the Trump administration in Washington than challenge Berger.

It would be unusual for a high-ranking legislative leader to lose a primary race. However, political analysts say there are signs Berger’s allies are worried. In Rockingham County, pro-Berger ads commissioned by a third-party group started appearing nearly six months ahead of the March primary.

Stein seeks to shore-up veto power with Charlotte endorsement

Stein is endorsing Democrat Rodney Sadler in his effort to unseat seven-term incumbent Carla Cunningham, who represents a Mecklenburg County Democrat district.

Cunningham defied the governor to help Republicans enact legislation last year, and Stein is hoping Sadler will be a more reliable vote for Democrats.

Republicans hold a veto-proof majority in the state Senate but are one seat short of a supermajority in the state House of Representatives, meaning they need help from Democrats to override Stein’s vetoes. Cunningham last year helped Republicans override vetoes of bills that loosen regulations on energy companies and charter schools, as well as legislation that requires sheriffs to cooperate with immigration officials.

“The people of North Charlotte deserve a representative who will fight for Democratic values, defend our public schools, and keep costs down,” Stein said when endorsing Sadler.

Cunningham is highlighting her record of helping to secure resources for Mecklenburg County’s nonprofits and community organizations. “I’ve spent years delivering results for our communities,” she said. “I will continue fighting for the 106th District — not for a political agenda, but for the people I serve.”

While Stein is on offense in the Charlotte race, he’s playing defense on the other side of the state. The governor endorsed state Rep. Rodney Pierce to help the Halifax County Democrat fend off a challenge from a former state Rep. Michael Wray, who lost the seat to Pierce in the 2024 primary. Pierce won the primary by 34 votes, defeating Wray after the Northampton County Democrat had voted with Republicans on new laws limiting transgender rights, as well as pro-business changes to state law.

N.C. Republican Party warns of ‘disingenuous’ legislative candidates

The state GOP is discouraging voters from supporting a group of six candidates who filed to run against current and former Republican legislators, accusing the challengers of being “disingenuous bad actors.” The challengers are backed by a group called “NC Educators on the Ballot,” which aims to elect advocates for greater public school funding. They’re running in districts that have featured tight elections in recent years — a strategy the state GOP believes is meant to drain Republican resources ahead of the general election, according to state party spokesman Matt Mercer.

“NC Educators on the Ballot” candidate Pamela Ayscue is running in House District 32, which was decided by 228 votes in 2024. That year, Democratic challenger Bryan Cohn defeated then-state Rep. Frank Sossamon. This year, Cohn isn’t seeking reelection. This seat is open and Sossamon is mounting a comeback. But he’ll have to get through Ayscue first.

Ayscue switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican on Sept. 2, according to state elections records. Ayscue told WRAL News that she has been transparent about her goal: to hold Sossamon accountable for votes he made in 2023 and 2024 that, she says, were bad for public schools.

She questioned the party’s judgment of genuine candidates, noting that Sossamon used to be a registered Democrat as well. Election records show that Sossamon voted in Democratic primaries from 1996 to 2020, when he switched parties. Sossamon voted in his first GOP primary in 2022, the year he won his lone term in office.

Sossamon told WRAL News that he registered as a Democrat in 1985 when he moved to Henderson because it “was necessary to participate in local elections, since all candidates ran on the Democratic ticket. Because I believe local elections matter, I registered accordingly while consistently voting Republican in every general election where I had that choice.” Other “NC Educators on the Ballot” candidates include:

Michele Joyner-Dinwiddie of Wake Forest is running against state Rep. Mike Schietzelt in House District 35 in Wake County. Joyner-Dinwiddie changed her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican on Aug. 14, state election records show. Responding to the state GOP’s criticism, Joyner-Dinwiddie offered a brief statement: “We fear things in proportion to our ignorance of them.”
Lisa Deaton Koperski of Maiden, who was unaffiliated until Aug. 7, is running against state Rep. Mitchell Setzer in House District 89, which includes Catawba and Iredell counties. In a statement to WRAL, Koperski said the state GOP “never reached out to ask about my values,” adding that the current crop of incumbent Republican legislators are “bad actors” because they haven’t enacted a new state budget for the current fiscal year.
Kelly VanHorn of Charlotte, who switched her party affiliation from Democrat to Republican on Aug. 15, is running against state Rep. Tricia Cotham in House District 105, which covers Mecklenburg County. Cotham left the Democratic Party in 2023, shifting to the GOP, giving Republicans a supermajority in the House at the time. VanHorn called the state GOP’s accusation “a disappointing attempt to distract from the real issues facing Mecklenburg County and our state,” adding: “My decision to run in the Republican primary is not a 'protest' or a 'tactic'; it is a commitment to providing voters with a clear choice.”.
Chris Wilson of Hendersonville, who switched his party affiliation from unaffiliated to Republican on Aug. 18, is running against state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom in House District 117, which covers Henderson County. He didn’t immediately provide WRAL with a comment on the state GOP’s allegation.
Pam Zanni of Lexington, who switched her party affiliation from unaffiliated to Republican on Aug. 30, is running against state Rep. Larry Potts in House District 81, which covers Davidson County. He didn’t immediately provide WRAL with a comment on the state GOP’s allegation.

NC Educators on the Ballot anticipates criticism for its strategy of seeking a voice within the Republican Party. “The tactic of filing in Republican primaries reflects today’s political reality: important decisions about funding and policy are happening in those primaries, and educators deserve to be part of those decisions,” the group’s website says.

Battle for the Wake County suburbs

One of the more competitive state legislative seats anywhere in North Carolina is District 37 in southwestern Wake County, representing parts of Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina. It’s been held for several years by Republican Rep. Erin Paré, but Democrats are hoping to flip the seat blue.

First though, Democrats have to figure out who it wants to run against Paré. Three Democrats are competing in the primary to take her on: Winn Decker, Ralph Clements and Marcus Gadson.

Decker is a longtime public education policy analyst. He’s worked in various roles ranging from education policy to diversity consulting and helping schools identify useful new trends and strategies. “People want a path forward where they can afford to live here, send their kids to strong schools, and have opportunities to build a secure future,” he said in a statement announcing his candidacy.

Gadson is a law professor at UNC-Chapel Hill who specializes in constitutional law. He wrote a book this year called “Sedition: How America's Constitutional Order Emerged from Violent Crisis.” It analyzes various constitutional crises, coups and attempted rebellions throughout U.S. history, to contextualize the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol building.

In a statement, he said he’s running to focus on bringing down the cost of living, and to “ensure the government serves the interests of hardworking citizens and not the whims of career politicians.”

Clements is a businessman with experience in tech and health care whose website criticizes GOP lawmakers, alleging that they have “prioritized personal interests over public service, advancing policies that reduce support for veterans, limit healthcare resources, and cut essential programs.”

>> Democratic primary heats up to take on one of Wake County’s few GOP lawmakers

Wake County District Attorney Democratic primary

North Carolina’s capital county this year will elect a new lead prosecutor for the first time in more than a decade. Three Democrats are running to replace District Attorney Lorrin Freeman, who was first elected in 2014 and isn’t seeking reelection. The county is left-leaning, so whoever wins the Democratic primary has a good shot at winning the general election.

The field includes Wiley Nickel, a former Congressman and legislator. It also includes Melanie Shekita and Sherita Walton. Shekita is a longtime Wake County prosecutor. Freeman is supporting Walton, a former Wake prosecutor who now works as an attorney for the Raleigh Police Department.