Inside North Carolina's 2026 high-stakes primary races

Here's a look at several buzzy races we're watching right now:

🏛️ N.C. Senate, District 26: This Republican primary in conservative territory outside Greensboro could reverberate through Raleigh's halls of power.

• Senate leader Phil Berger faces Rockingham County Sheriff Sam Page. Both Republicans have held office for more than two decades.
• The intrigue: Berger locked down President Trump's endorsement after pushing new congressional maps through the Legislature last fall. If — and that's a big "if" — he lost anyway, this year's legislative session would take on a different character as Republicans jockeyed to replace their leader since 2004.

🔵 Congress, 4th district: A rematch in this Triangle congressional district could signal where Democrats are heading in 2026.

• On one side is Valerie Foushee. She's now an incumbent and has Gov. Josh Stein's endorsement. Challenging her is Nida Allam, North Carolina's first Muslim elected official, who thinks the map favors her this time around. Allam lost the 2022 primary by 9 percentage points.
• The intrigue: Progressives nationwide are seeking to unseat moderate and establishment incumbents — characterizations Foushee rejects. Allam has embraced comparisons to New York City's Zohran Mamdani and has the backing of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

📍 N.C. House, District 106: Carla Cunningham, a Democrat, has represented Charlotte for seven terms, but party leaders are hoping to oust her for sometimes siding with Republicans.

• Last summer, Cunningham voted to support cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and gave a speech saying "all cultures are not equal." She partially walked back that sentiment after ICE and Border Patrol surged into Charlotte.
• The intrigue: The state party is limiting help to Cunningham and other Democrats who help override vetoes, per The Assembly. The governor endorsed Rodney Sadler for the seat.

🗳️ U.S. Senate: The biggest question mark in the November general election is whether a Republican or Democrat will replace retiring Sen. Thom Tillis.

• Former Gov. Roy Cooper is the front-runner for the Democrats. On the right, President Trump endorsed Michael Whatley, former chair of the Republican National Committee.
• The intrigue: Primaries are unlikely to upend the race, but attention is on whether Whatley fends off Michele Morrow, a far-right activist whose name was splashed across the news during a controversial 2024 run for state superintendent.

🔵 Congress, 3rd district: Democrats are hoping that they can unseat Republican Rep. Greg Murphy in November, a long shot made slightly easier during redistricting.

• The southeastern North Carolina primary is between Raymond Smith Jr. and Allison Jaslow.

• The intrigue: The national party views the seat as competitive and will spend on the Democrat who emerges from the primary. Some are hesitant to support Smith, however, because when he was a state senator, his votes sent "mixed signals" on abortion, according to the pro-choice site Choice Tracker.

🔴 Congress, 1st district: This seat was a toss-up previously, but Republicans redrew the map last year and now have a good chance at unseating Democrat Don Davis.

• Voters will pick between prior candidate Laurie Buckhout, state Sen. Bobby Hanig, local sheriff Asa Buck, county commissioner Eric Rouse, and Ashley-Nicole Russell.
• The intrigue: Buckhout barely lost to Davis in 2024, but she was hesitant to enter this race because of health issues, the Albemarle Observer reported.

Zoom in: Raleigh has local races to monitor, too.

• ⚖️ Wake County D.A.: Three Democrats are vying to become district attorney. As Indy Week reports, Melanie Shekita is a veteran prosecutor; Wiley Nickel has experience navigating politics; and Sherita Walton is the candidate whom incumbent Lorrin Freeman has endorsed.
• 🏙️ Raleigh City Council: Six candidates are running for two seats, and only four will advance from the primary, the News & Observer reported.
• 🌆 Wake County Commission: The board is adding a couple of at-large candidates this fall, Indy Week reports.

What's next: Find your nearest polling location and cast a ballot before polls close on Tuesday, March 3.

• Same-day voter registration is possible through Saturday, Feb. 28.