North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026
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| North Carolina's 4th Congressional District |
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| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: December 19, 2025 |
| Primary: March 3, 2026 Primary runoff: May 12, 2026 General: November 3, 2026 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times:
6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. |
| Race ratings |
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th • 12th • 13th • 14th North Carolina elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 4th Congressional District of North Carolina, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. The primary is March 3, 2026, and a primary runoff is May 12, 2026. The filing deadline was December 19, 2025. Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Democratic primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Democratic primary, click here. For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Republican primary)
- North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
Candidates and election results
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Mahesh Ganorkar and Guy Meilleur are running in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Mahesh Ganorkar (R) | |
 | Guy Meilleur (L) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Incumbent Valerie Foushee, Nida Allam, and Mary Patterson are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on March 3, 2026.
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Mahesh Ganorkar advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4.
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Guy Meilleur advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4.
March 3 Democratic primary
Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Democratic primary as a battleground primary. For more on the Democratic primary, click here. For more on the Republican primary, click here.
Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D), Nida Allam (D), and Mary Patterson (D) are running in the Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District on March 3, 2026. As of January 2026, Foushee and Allam led in endorsements, fundraising, and local media attention.[1][2]
The primary is a rematch between Foushee and Allam, who ran for the then-open seat in 2022. Foushee defeated Allam 46%–37%. The 2026 primary is taking place in the context of redistricting in North Carolina. The redrawn 4th District's boundaries differ from those established following the 2020 census and used in the 2022 election. According to The Assembly's Chase Pellegrini de Paur, "Of the roughly 40,000 votes that Foushee won in 2022, about 22% came from areas no longer in the district. The changes affected only about 5% of Allam’s voters."[1]
Foushee is a former administrator with the Chapel Hill Police Department who served for 15 years in local elected positions and 10 years in the North Carolina General Assembly before her election to Congress.[3] Allam is an organizer and the vice chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners.
Pellegrini de Paur wrote that the candidates' "voting records likely wouldn’t differ dramatically...they are also radically different in their approach to politics. Allam has an aggressively pro-worker message and a penchant for TikTok trends and selfie-style Instagram videos. Foushee is a measured, 69-year-old stateswoman and the highest-profile member of a local political dynasty."[1]
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D), EMILY's List, and the Congressional Black Caucus Political Action Committee endorsed Foushee.[4] Sen. Bernie Sanders (I), Our Revolution, and the Sunrise Movement endorsed Allam.[5]
As of January 2026, major election forecasters rated the general election Safe/Solid Democratic.
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: Yes
Political Office:
- U.S. House North Carolina District 4 (Assumed office: 2023)
- North Carolina State Senate District 23 (2013–2023)
- North Carolina House of Representatives District 50 (2013)
- Orange County Board of Commissioners (2004–2012)
- Chapel Hill–Carrboro City Board of Education (1997–2004)
Biography: Foushee obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Before entering elected politics, Foushee worked for the Chapel Hill Police Department.
Show sources
Sources: Valerie Foushee campaign website, "Home page," accessed January 29, 2026; The Assembly, "A House District Divided," January 27, 2026; Valerie Foushee campaign website, "Home page," accessed January 29, 2026; Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "FOUSHEE, Valerie," accessed January 29, 2026
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
- Durham County Board of Commissioners (Assumed office: 2020)
Biography: Allam obtained a bachelor's degree from North Carolina State University. Before entering elected politics, she worked as an advocate and organizer.
Show sources
See more
- See more here: North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 (March 3 Democratic primary)
Candidate profiles
There are currently no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles will appear here as they are created. Encourage the candidates in this race to complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey so that their profile will appear here. You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Voting information
- See also: Voting in North Carolina
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race has completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Ballotpedia is seeking 100 percent participation so voters can learn more about all the candidates on their ballots.
You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:
Campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valerie Foushee | Democratic Party | $361,920 | $254,001 | $193,614 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Nida Allam | Democratic Party | $334,740 | $28,955 | $305,785 | As of December 31, 2025 |
| Mary Patterson | Democratic Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Mahesh Ganorkar | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Guy Meilleur | Libertarian Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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General election race ratings
- See also: Race rating definitions and methods
Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:
- Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
- Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
- Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[6]
- Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.
Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[7][8][9]
| Race ratings: North Carolina's 4th Congressional District election, 2026 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| 2/3/2026 | 1/27/2026 | 1/20/2026 | 1/13/2026 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Decision Desk HQ and The Hill | Pending | Pending | Pending | Pending | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | Solid Democratic | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | Safe Democratic | |||||
| Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week. | |||||||||
Ballot access
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in North Carolina in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in North Carolina, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| North Carolina | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | 5% of registered voters in the same party or 200, whichever is greater | $1,740 | 12/19/2025 | Source |
| North Carolina | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 1.5% of all registered N.C. voters in the district, as of January 1 of the election year. | $1,740 | 12/19/2025 | Source |
District history
The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D) defeated Eric Blankenburg (R) and Guy Meilleur (L) in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Valerie Foushee (D) | 71.8 | 308,064 |
 | Eric Blankenburg (R) | 26.1 | 112,084 | |
| | Guy Meilleur (L) | 2.0 | 8,632 | |
| Total votes: 428,780 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
The Democratic primary scheduled for March 5, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Valerie Foushee (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 without appearing on the ballot.
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Eric Blankenburg (R) defeated Mahesh Ganorkar (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Eric Blankenburg | 70.4 | 25,254 |
| | Mahesh Ganorkar | 29.6 | 10,597 | |
| Total votes: 35,851 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Leonard Harrison (R)
Libertarian Party primary
The Libertarian Party primary scheduled for March 5, 2024, was canceled. Guy Meilleur (L) advanced from the Libertarian Party primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 without appearing on the ballot.
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Valerie Foushee (D) defeated Courtney Geels (R) in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Valerie Foushee (D) | 66.9 | 194,983 |
 | Courtney Geels (R) | 33.1 | 96,442 | |
| Total votes: 291,425 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Valerie Foushee | 46.1 | 40,806 |
 | Nida Allam | 37.0 | 32,731 | |
 | Clay Aiken | 7.4 | 6,529 | |
 | Ashley Ward | 5.4 | 4,767 | |
 | Richard Watkins | 1.3 | 1,155 | |
 | Crystal Cavalier | 1.3 | 1,116 | |
 | Stephen J. Valentine | 1.2 | 1,023 | |
| Matt Grooms | 0.5 | 435 | ||
| Total votes: 88,562 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Courtney Geels (R) defeated Robert Thomas (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Courtney Geels | 64.5 | 19,645 |
 | Robert Thomas | 35.5 | 10,793 | |
| Total votes: 30,438 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rene Borghese (R)
- Erik Fredsell (R)
- Craig Kinsey (R)
- Nat Robertson (R)
- John Szoka (R)
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Incumbent David Price (D) defeated Robert Thomas (R) in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | David Price (D) | 67.3 | 332,421 |
| | Robert Thomas (R) | 32.7 | 161,298 | |
| Total votes: 493,719 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Incumbent David Price (D) defeated Daniel Ulysses Lockwood (D) in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | David Price | 86.7 | 153,322 |
 | Daniel Ulysses Lockwood | 13.3 | 23,564 | |
| Total votes: 176,886 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Martha Brock (D)
- Curtis Sobie (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4
Robert Thomas (R) defeated Debesh Sarkar (R), Steve Von Loor (R), and Nasir Shaikh (R) in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 4 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Thomas | 48.3 | 17,474 |
| Debesh Sarkar | 23.0 | 8,320 | ||
 | Steve Von Loor | 17.3 | 6,238 | |
| Nasir Shaikh | 11.4 | 4,127 | ||
| Total votes: 36,159 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
District analysis
Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.
- District map - A map of the district before and after redistricting ahead of the 2026 election.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
Below is the district map used in the 2024 election next to the map in place for the 2026 election. Click on a map below to enlarge it. Error: One or both images not found for the specified years.
This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in North Carolina.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in North Carolina in 2026. Information below was calculated on December 19, 2025., and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Sixty-seven candidates — 40 Democrats and 27 Republicans — ran for North Carolina’s 14 U.S. House districts. That’s 4.8 candidates per district. There were 4.6 candidates per district in 2024 and 7.14 in 2022. In 2020, when the state had 13 U.S. House districts, there were 4.9 candidates per district. There were 4.3 candidates in 2018, 5.7 in 2016, and 4.6 in 2014.
These were the first elections to take place since the General Assembly of North Carolina passed a new congressional map. The North Carolina Senate passed it on Oct. 21, 2025, and the North Carolina House of Representatives passed it Oct. 22, 2025.
No districts were open in 2026, meaning all incumbents — four Democrats and 10 Republicans — ran for re-election. The only other year since 2014 with no open districts was 2018.
Nineteen primaries — 11 Democratic and eight Republican — were contested in 2026. In total, there were 13 contested primaries in 2024, 22 in 2022, 13 in 2020, 17 in 2018, 16 in 2016, and 17 in 2014.
Eight candidates — six Democrats and two Republicans — ran for the 10th district, the most candidates who ran for a district in 2026.
Eight incumbents — two Democrats and six Republicans — faced a primary challenger in 2026. There were four incumbents in a contested primary in 2024, seven in 2022, three in 2020, eight in 2018, nine in 2016, and six in 2014.
Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 14 districts, meaning no districts were guaranteed to either party.Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is D+23. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 23 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made North Carolina's 4th the 41st most Democratic district nationally.[10]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.
Kamala Harris  | Donald Trump  |
|---|---|
| 73.0% | 24.8% |
Presidential voting history
North Carolina presidential election results (1900-2024)
- 18 Democratic wins
- 14 Republican wins
| Year | 1900 | 1904 | 1908 | 1912 | 1916 | 1920 | 1924 | 1928 | 1932 | 1936 | 1940 | 1944 | 1948 | 1952 | 1956 | 1960 | 1964 | 1968 | 1972 | 1976 | 1980 | 1984 | 1988 | 1992 | 1996 | 2000 | 2004 | 2008 | 2012 | 2016 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winning Party | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | R | R | R | R |
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of North Carolina's congressional delegation as of October 2025.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from North Carolina | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Republican | 2 | 10 | 12 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vacancies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 14 | 16 |
State executive
The table below displays the officeholders in North Carolina's top four state executive offices as of October 2025.
| Office | Officeholder |
|---|---|
| Governor | Josh Stein |
| Lieutenant Governor | Rachel Hunt |
| Secretary of State | Elaine Marshall |
| Attorney General | Jeff Jackson |
State legislature
North Carolina State Senate
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 20 | |
| Republican Party | 30 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
North Carolina House of Representatives
| Party | As of October 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 49 | |
| Republican Party | 71 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 120 | |
Trifecta control
North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2025
Fourteen years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The Assembly, "A House District Divided," January 27, 2026
- ↑ The 9th Street Journal, "In echo of 2022, Foushee and Allam debate support for Israel," January 13, 2026
- ↑ Valerie Foushee official website, "Justice and Policing," accessed February 2, 2026
- ↑ Valerie Foushee campaign website, "Home page," accessed January 29, 2026
- ↑ Nida Allam campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed January 29, 2026
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
