RALEIGH – Inside Elections moved North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District from Solid Republican to Likely Republican on Oct. 29, a shift toward greater competitiveness in Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson’s contest against Democrat Richard Ojeda.
The forecaster’s district page continues to favor Republicans. Its published history lists the district as Solid Republican on Dec. 5, 2025, before the Oct. 29 change. The new assessment is a race rating, not a public-opinion survey, vote count or election result.
The district covers the eastern Piedmont and part of the Fayetteville area, according to Inside Elections. Its candidate listings identify Hudson as the Republican nominee and incumbent and Ojeda as the Democratic nominee.
NC Newsline independently reported the rating change Thursday. Its account also described a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee coordinated advertising buy with Ojeda, with an ad scheduled to begin airing in the Greensboro market Friday.
A scheduled advertisement is not proof that the entire planned buy has aired or that a promised amount has been spent. The rating change likewise does not establish that Hudson will lose or that Ojeda will win. The forecaster still places the race on the Republican side of its categories.
Hudson has served in Congress since 2013 and chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, NC Newsline reported. The 9th District race is one of 14 U.S. House contests on North Carolina’s November ballot.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. In-person early voting continues through Saturday, Oct. 31, ending at 3 p.m., according to the State Board of Elections. The state board lists 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 as the general absentee-ballot return deadline, with different deadlines for military and overseas voters.
The rating update is a newly dated assessment of the contest. It does not change the district’s candidates, election dates or voting rules. Ratings can change as a campaign develops.
Sources
- Inside Elections, NC-9 current rating and dated history
- NC Newsline, Oct. 29 reporting
- State Board of Elections, election dates
Photo Credit: File portraits: Richard Ojeda, May 27, 2026, by the Richard Ojeda campaign, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0; Richard Hudson, official congressional portrait by the U.S. Congress, via Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Photographs cropped, resized and combined without facial alteration; photographic adaptation licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. NCPN logo is a separate brand mark, not included in that license.
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.