RALEIGH – Nine North Carolina congressional and legislative contests remained within the state’s recount threshold Thursday night, with county canvasses still a week away and additional eligible ballots still being reviewed.
The close contests include three U.S. House races, one state Senate race and five state House races, according to The Assembly’s review of unofficial results.
In the 5th Congressional District, Democrat Chuck Hubbard led Republican Rep. Virginia Foxx by 99 votes. Republican Rep. Greg Murphy led Democrat Raymond Smith by 233 votes in the 3rd District. Republican Rep. David Rouzer led Democrat Kimberly Hardy by 0.76 percentage points in the 7th District.
In state Senate District 24, Republican incumbent Danny Britt led Democrat Catina Hamm by 268 votes, or 0.48 percentage points.
The five state House contests within the threshold were District 9, where Democrat Claire Kempner led Republican Rep. Tim Reeder by 175 votes; District 20, where Democrat Tim Merrick led Republican Dane Scalise by 101; District 62, where Democratic Rep. Shelly Headen led Republican Rep. John Blust by 233; District 63, where Democrat Ian Baltutis led Republican Ryan Moffitt by 236; and District 93, where Democrat Charlie Wallin led Republican Rep. Ray Pickett by 228.
Those margins are not final results and do not mean recounts have been requested. North Carolina law generally allows a candidate in a nonstatewide contest to seek a recount when the margin is no more than 1% of the total votes cast in that contest.
The State Board of Elections says county officials are still evaluating provisional ballots and absentee ballots with curable deficiencies. Military and overseas ballots mailed by Election Day can arrive through Nov. 12.
County boards are scheduled to canvass results at 11 a.m. Nov. 13. A candidate whose contest is decided at the county level generally has until 5 p.m. Nov. 16 to request a recount. For contests decided by the State Board, the deadline is noon Nov. 17. The state canvass is scheduled for Nov. 24.
The close margins span federal and state offices and could affect representation in Congress and the General Assembly. Until canvasses are complete, the reported totals remain unofficial and may change as eligible ballots are added.
Sources
- North Carolina State Board of Elections: post-election canvass, recount and certification process
- The Assembly: nine contests within North Carolina’s recount threshold
- WUNC: close-race district details and provisional-ballot context
Photo Credit: Hemby Bridge, North Carolina, early-voting location sign, Oct. 20, 2026, by Wesley Fryer, via Wikimedia Commons; CC BY 4.0. Cropped and resized; this is file context imagery, not a recount scene. NCPN logo is a separate brand mark.
Editor’s Note: This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.