North Carolina voters are casting ballots Tuesday in a set of congressional primaries that will shape two of the state’s most closely watched House races this fall.
The headline contest is in the 11th District, where Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards abruptly ended his reelection bid after the House Ethics Committee recommended his censure amid a sexual harassment investigation. His departure left an open seat that Democrats are aggressively targeting.
Now Democrat Jamie Ager and Republican Jennifer Balkcom are competing to represent the western North Carolina district. The winner will head into a general election that could draw significant national spending given the district’s competitive history and the unusual circumstances of Edwards’s exit.
In the 1st District, Democratic Rep. Don Davis is among the most endangered House incumbents in the country. He faces Republican Laurie Buckhout in a rematch of their 2024 race, which Davis won by a narrow margin. National Republicans have identified Davis as a top pickup opportunity, while Democrats are counting on his incumbency and local ties to hold the seat.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Results will be updated live as they come in, with Decision Desk HQ providing the data.
The primaries come amid a broader national landscape of voting irregularities. Reports of voting machine glitches in several states have forced polling hours to be extended in some jurisdictions, though North Carolina officials have not reported similar issues as of Tuesday afternoon.
Other House races across the country are also drawing attention. In Maryland, voters are deciding competitive primaries in races for Hoyer’s open seat and Harris’s tough fight. Meanwhile, in the Mountain West, Colorado’s House primaries will set the stage for several battleground general elections.
North Carolina’s 11th District race has been roiled by the ethics cloud over Edwards. The committee’s recommendation followed an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, which Edwards has denied. His withdrawal in March left a crowded field that has now narrowed to Ager and Balkcom.
Ager, a small-business owner and political newcomer, has focused his campaign on economic populism and anti-corruption themes. Balkcom, a former school board member, has emphasized her conservative credentials and ties to the district’s rural communities.
The 1st District, which stretches from the Raleigh suburbs to the rural northeast, is one of only a handful of House seats that flipped in 2024 and is expected to be a toss-up again. Davis has sought to distance himself from national Democrats, highlighting his work on agriculture and veterans’ issues. Buckhout, a retired Army colonel, has hammered Davis on border security and inflation.
Both races will be key indicators of national momentum ahead of the November midterms. With control of the House hanging in the balance, North Carolina’s results Tuesday night will offer the first concrete data points of the 2026 cycle.
