RALEIGH — With the March 3 primary approaching and early voting underway, there are several key races worth keeping an eye on.
Key General Assembly races include the primary between Trump-endorsed Senate Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden) and Rockingham Sheriff Sam Page.
House Speaker Destin Hall, who just finished his first year in that role, has drawn Democrat Iris Bender from Lenoir as a challenger.
Several House members are not seeking reelection, including Democratic Rep. Brian Cohn (Granville), and Republican Reps. William Brisson (Bladen), Ted Davis (New Hanover), Stephen Ross (Alamance) and Matthew Winslow (Franklin). The first three Republicans cited retirement as the reason.
Rep. Kelly Hastings (R-Gaston) had initially said he would not seek reelection, citing term limits. However, after no other Republican candidates chose to run, he reconsidered.
Notably, some Democrats and independents have been reported to be running as Republicans. At least two dozen party-switching candidates have filed to run for legislature seats, as well as scores of others in down-ballot races statewide.
Wake County Republican Reps. Erin Paré and Mike Schietzelt will try to keep their seats. Paré doesn’t have a primary challenger but will face whoever emerges from the Democratic primary: Ralph Clements, Winn Decker or Marcus Gadson.
Schietzelt has one Democratic challenger, Evonne Hopkins, but will have to get through a primary against Michele Joyner-Dinwiddie, one of the candidates this year who flipped their registration to Republican before filing to run.
The same situation is unfolding for Rep. Tricia Cotham (R-Mecklenburg), who is being challenged by Kelly Van Horn, a Democrat who flipped to Republican in an effort to knock Cotham out in a primary. Democrat Ken McCool has filed for Cotham’s seat.
Joyner-Dinwiddie and Van Horn are two of six candidates running as a slate under “Educators on the Ballot” who have all changed their party affiliation to Republican.
The four others under that banner include Pamela Ayscue, who is facing Republican Frank Sossamon; Pamela Zanni, who is challenging incumbent Rep. Larry Potts (R-Davidson); Lisa Deaton Koperski versus incumbent Rep. Mitchell Setzer (R-Catawba); and Christopher Wilson taking on incumbent Rep. Jennifer Balkcom (R-Henderson).
In the Senate, Minority Leader Sen. Sydney Batch (D-Wake) will face one of two Republicans after the March primary: Sarah Al-Baghdadi or Shirley Johnson.
Sen. Terence Everitt (D-Wake) has two challengers: Libertarian Brad Hassel and whoever wins the Republican primary between Wake County School Board member Cheryl Caulfield and Chris Stock, a Wake Forest substitute teacher.
Sen. Sophia Chitlik (D-Durham) has drawn DeDreana Freeman, a former Durham City Council member, as a primary challenger.
Lakeshia Alston, a Democrat who filed to run for Sen. Graig Meyer’s District 22 seat as a Republican, made headlines after wearing a niqab covering her face for her initial candidate photo. Alston will have to defeat Republican Laura Pichardo to face Meyer in November.
Certain Democrats who voted to override Gov. Josh Stein’s vetoes appear to have gained primary challengers as well, such as Reps. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg), Nasif Majeed (D-Mecklenburg) and Shelly Willingham (D-Edgecombe).
According to Axios, North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Anderson Clayton said those seats are all “deep-leaning Democratic districts,” which is why challengers have stepped forward.
Twenty Democrats and one Republican are running unopposed this year.
For congressional races, all 14 North Carolina U.S. House members filed for reelection, including 1st District Democrat Don Davis, whose district was redrawn this year by the General Assembly.
The already crowded District 1 Republican field in that race includes N.C. statehouse Sen. Bobby Hanig, Lenoir County commissioner Eric Rouse, Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck and attorney Ashley-Nicole Russell.
Former congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout also joined the District 1 race near the end of filing in December. Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson was also going to run for the seat but dropped out. Libertarian Tom Bailey is also running.
Former N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore, who now represents the state’s 14th Congressional District, has also drawn a party-switching primary challenger: Katie Barr.
District 4 Democratic Congresswoman Valerie Foushee drew a primary challenger: Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, known as a progressive Democrat and far-left activist.
The race to replace Republican Thom Tillis in the U.S. Senate will involve primaries on both sides of the aisle.
The Democratic primary includes former governor and frontrunner Roy Cooper, as well as Robert Colon, Justin Dues, Daryl Farrow, Marcus Williams and Orrick Quick.
On the Republican side, the current frontrunner is former North Carolina Republican Party Chair and Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley. Other candidates in the Republican primary include Don Brown, Richard Danise, Margot Dupre, Thomas Johnson, Michele Morrow and Elizabeth Temple.
Morrow, who ran unsuccessfully for North Carolina state superintendent in 2024, joined the race just before the end of filing last year.
Statewide judicial races this year include one Supreme Court seat and three Court of Appeals seats.
Rep. Sarah Stevens (R-Surry) is challenging Democrat Associate Justice Anita Earls for her Supreme Court seat.
On the Court of Appeals, Republicans Michael Byrne or Matt Smith will face Democratic incumbent Judge John Arrowood for Seat 1.
For Seat 2, Democratic incumbent Judge Toby Hampson is facing Republican George Cooper Bell. Judge Allegra Collins, who holds Seat 3, announced in spring 2025 that she was not seeking reelection. Democrats James Whalen and Christine Walcyzk filed to run for that seat, as did Republican Craig Collins, who is no relation to Allegra Collins.
Candidate lists, as well as primary and general election voting information, can be found on the State Board of Elections website at NCSBE.gov.
