North Carolina State Senate elections, 2026
 |
U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • Supreme court • Appellate courts • State ballot measures • School boards • Municipal • All local elections by county • How to run for office |
 |
|
← 2024
|
| 2026 North Carolina Senate Election |
|---|
 |
| Election info |
|
Seats up: 50 |
| Election results by year |
| Learn more |
| Other state legislative elections |
Elections for the North Carolina State Senate will take place in 2026. The general election is on November 3, 2026. The primary was March 3, 2026, and the primary runoff is May 12, 2026. The filing deadline was December 19, 2025.
The North Carolina State Senate is one of 88 state legislative chambers with elections in 2026. There are 99 chambers throughout the country.
Party control
| As of March 2026 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Members | |
| Democratic | 20 | |
| Republican | 30 | |
| Other | 0 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 50 | |
Candidates
General election
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection
Democratic
Republican
Primary
Voting information
- See also: Voting in North Carolina
Incumbents who did not advance to the general election
- See also: Annual State Legislative Competitiveness Report: Vol. 16, 2026
Incumbents defeated in primaries
One incumbent lost in the primaries. The average number of defeated incumbents each year since 2010 was 1.5.
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Chris Measmer |  Republican |
Senate District 34 |
Retiring incumbents
One incumbent did not file for re-election in 2026.[1] The average number of retiring North Carolina Senate incumbents each election from 2010 to 2024 was seven. Those incumbents are:
| Name | Party | Office |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Hanig | Republican |
Senate District 1 |
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains data on state legislative primary election competitiveness in North Carolina. These totals include data from all regularly-scheduled House and Senate elections. For more information about Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of state legislative elections, please click here.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all state legislative districts up for election in North Carolina in 2026. Information below was calculated on Jan. 8, 2026, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Ten seats were open in North Carolina’s state legislative elections in 2026, meaning no incumbents filed. That was the fewest open seats since 2010 and meant newcomers could have represented as little as 6% of the legislature the following year. The average number of open seats each cycle from 2010 to 2024 was 24.
Thirty-nine incumbents faced primary contests in North Carolina’s state legislative elections in 2026, tying 2010 and 2018 for the most since 2010.
Ten of the contested incumbents were Democrats, and 29 were Republicans. For Democrats, that was up 25% from eight in 2024. Contested Republican incumbents were up 164% from 11 in 2024.
North Carolina had 60 contested state legislative primaries in 2026, up from 43 in 2024. The average number of contested primaries in North Carolina each cycle from 2010 to 2024 was 67.
Twenty-one of the 2026 primaries were for Democrats, up 11% from 19 in the preceding cycle, and 39 were for Republicans, up 63% from 24 the preceding cycle.
In total, 376 major party candidates filed to run—195 Democrats and 181 Republicans. All 120 House seats and all 50 Senate seats were up for election.
Open seats
The table below shows the number and percentage of open seats in the North Carolina Senate from 2010 to 2026.[2] It will be updated as information becomes available following the state’s candidate filing deadline.
| Open Seats in North Carolina State Senate elections: 2010 - 2026 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total seats | Open seats | Seats with incumbents running for re-election |
| 2026 | 50 | 1 (2 percent) | 49 (98 percent) |
| 2024 | 50 | 6 (12 percent) | 44 (88 percent) |
| 2022 | 50 | 10 (20 percent) | 40 (80 percent) |
| 2020 | 50 | 11 (22 percent) | 39 (78 percent) |
| 2018 | 50 | 5 (10 percent) | 45 (90 percent) |
| 2016 | 50 | 7 (14 percent) | 43 (86 percent) |
| 2014 | 50 | 5 (10 percent) | 45 (90 percent) |
| 2012 | 50 | 11 (22 percent) | 39 (78 percent) |
| 2010 | 50 | 8 (16 percent) | 42 (84 percent) |
Process to become a candidate
For partisan candidates
See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 106 of the North Carolina General Statutes
A partisan candidate must be registered as an affiliate of the party with which he or she intends to campaign. A partisan candidate must also do the following:[3]
- file a notice of candidacy with the appropriate board of elections (state or county-level)
- file a felony conviction disclosure form
- provide for payment of required filing fees
Filing fees for primary elections are established by Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 107, of the North Carolina General Statutes. Filing fees formulas are summarized in the table below.[4]
| Filing fees | |
|---|---|
| Office | How the fee is determined |
| Governor | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| Lieutenant governor | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State executive offices | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| United States Senator | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| United States Representative | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State senator | 1% of the office's annual salary |
| State representative | 1% of the office's annual salary |
For independent candidates
See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 122 of the North Carolina General Statutes
An unaffiliated candidate must file the same forms and pay the same filing fees as partisan candidates. In addition, the candidate must petition to appear on the ballot. Signature requirements are as follows (additional petition requirements are discussed below).[5][6]
| Signature requirements for independent candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Signature requirement formula |
| Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices | 1.5% of the total number of voters who voted in the most recent general election for governor (must include at least 200 signatures from each of three congressional districts) |
| United States Representative | 1.5% of the total number of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year |
| State legislative seats (including those that cover more than one county) | 4% of the total number of registered voters in the district as of January 1 of the election year |
For write-in candidates
See statutes: Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 123 of the North Carolina General Statutes
To be certified, a write-in candidate must submit a declaration of intent and petition. Signature requirements are as follows (additional petition requirements are discussed below).[7]
| Signature requirements for write-in candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Required number of signatures |
| Governor, United States Senator, and other statewide offices | 500 |
| United States Representative; state house and state senate seats for districts that cover more than one county | 250 |
| State house and state senate seats for districts that lie within one county | If there are 5,000 or more registered voters in the district, 100 signatures; if fewer than 5,000, 1% of the number of registered voters |
Petitions are due on noon 90 days before the general election.[8] Write-in candidates do not have to pay filing fees.[8]
Qualifications
Article 2, Section 6 of the North Carolina Constitution states: Each Senator, at the time of his election, shall be not less than 25 years of age, shall be a qualified voter of the State, and shall have resided in the State as a citizen for two years and in the district for which he is chosen for one year immediately preceding his election.
Salaries and per diem
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislative salaries, 2025[9] | |
|---|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
| $13,951/year | $104/day |
When sworn in
North Carolina legislators assume office on January 1 the year after their election.[10]
North Carolina political history
Trifectas
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government.
North Carolina Party Control: 1992-2026
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 | 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 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 | R |
Presidential politics in North Carolina
2024
- See also: Presidential election, 2024
Presidential election in North Carolina, 2024
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
 
| Donald Trump/J.D. Vance (R) |
50.9
|
2,898,423 | 16 |
 
| Kamala D. Harris/Tim Walz (D) |
47.6
|
2,715,375 | 0 | |
 
| Jill Stein/Butch Ware (G) |
0.4
|
24,762 | 0 | |
 
| Chase Oliver/Mike ter Maat (L) |
0.4
|
22,125 | 0 | |
 
| Cornel West/Melina Abdullah (Justice for All) |
0.2
|
12,099 | 0 | |
 
| Randall Terry/Stephen E. Broden (Constitution Party) |
0.1
|
6,863 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.3
|
19,494 | 0 | ||
 |
Total votes: 5,699,141 |
2020
- See also: Presidential election, 2020
Presidential election in North Carolina, 2020
Candidate/Running mate |
% |
Popular votes |
Electoral votes |
||
| ✔ |
| Donald Trump/Mike Pence (R) |
49.9
|
2,758,775 | 15 |
| Joe Biden/Kamala D. Harris (D) |
48.6
|
2,684,292 | 0 | |
 
| Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen (L) |
0.9
|
48,678 | 0 | |
 
| Howie Hawkins/Angela Nicole Walker (G) |
0.2
|
12,195 | 0 | |
 
| Don Blankenship/William Mohr (Constitution Party) |
0.1
|
7,549 | 0 | |
 | Jade Simmons (no running mate) (Independent) (Write-in) |
0.0
|
119 | 0 | |
| Other write-in votes |
0.2
|
13,196 | 0 | ||
|
Total votes: 5,524,804 |
2016
- See also: Presidential election, 2016
| U.S. presidential election, North Carolina, 2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | Electoral votes | |
| Democratic | Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine | 46.2% | 2,189,316 | 0 | |
| Republican |  Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
49.8% | 2,362,631 | 15 | |
| Libertarian | Gary Johnson/Bill Weld | 2.7% | 130,126 | 0 | |
| - | Write-in votes | 1.3% | 59,491 | 0 | |
| Total Votes | 4,741,564 | 15 | |||
| Election results via: North Carolina State Board of Elections | |||||
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 |
Redistricting following the 2020 census
On October 25, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted new legislative district boundaries.[11] The legislation adopting the new Senate districts passed the state Senate by a vote of 28-17 and the State House by a vote of 63-40.[12] The legislation adopting the new House districts passed the state Senate by a vote of 27-17 and the State House by a vote of 62-44.[13] All four votes were strictly along party lines with all votes in favor by Republicans and all votes against by Democrats.[14][15][16][17] WUNC's Rusty Jacobs wrote that Catawba College Prof. Michael "Bitzer said Republicans have drawn maps that have a strong chance of preserving their veto-proof super majorities in both chambers of the state legislature. Bitzer noted that constitutional provisions, like requiring legislators to keep counties whole when drawing state legislative districts, make it more difficult for lawmakers to gerrymander these maps more aggressively."[18]
See also
| North Carolina | State Legislative Elections | News and Analysis |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 • 2014 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 • 2016 • 2015 |
|
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines a seat as open if the incumbent did not file to run for re-election or filed but withdrew and did not appear on any ballot for his or her seat. If the incumbent withdrew from or did not participate in the primary but later chose to seek re-election to his or her seat as a third party or independent candidate, the seat would not be counted as open. If the incumbent retired or ran for a different seat in the same chamber, his or her original seat would be counted as open unless another incumbent from the same chamber filed to run for that seat, in which case it would not be counted as open due to the presence of an incumbent.
- ↑ North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 106," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 10, Section 107," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 122," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ General Assembly of North Carolina, "Senate Bill 656," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ North Carolina General Statutes, "Chapter 163, Article 11, Section 123," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 North Carolina State Board of Elections, "Write-in Candidate Petitions," accessed April 28, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2025 Legislator Compensation," December 2, 2025
- ↑ North Carolina Constitution, "Article II, Section 9," accessed February 12, 2021
- ↑ The Carolina Journal, "New state House, Senate, and congressional maps finalized," October 25, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 758 / SL 2023-146," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Bill 898 / SL 2023-149," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Carolina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #614," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #499," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #504," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #604," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ WUNC, "New district maps show signs of GOP partisan gerrymandering," October 24, 2023
