United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2026

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U.S. Senate, North Carolina
	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.; Voting in North Carolina
Race ratings
	Cook Political Report: Toss-up; DDHQ and The Hill: Pending; Inside Elections: Toss-up; Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up
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, North Carolina; 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; Alabama U.S. Senate raceAlaska U.S. Senate raceArkansas U.S. Senate raceColorado U.S. Senate raceDelaware U.S. Senate raceGeorgia U.S. Senate raceIdaho U.S. Senate raceIllinois U.S. Senate raceIowa U.S. Senate raceKansas U.S. Senate raceKentucky U.S. Senate raceLouisiana U.S. Senate raceMaine U.S. Senate raceMassachusetts U.S. Senate raceMichigan U.S. Senate raceMinnesota U.S. Senate raceMississippi U.S. Senate raceMontana U.S. Senate raceNebraska U.S. Senate raceNew Hampshire U.S. Senate raceNew Jersey U.S. Senate raceNew Mexico U.S. Senate raceNorth Carolina U.S. Senate raceOklahoma U.S. Senate raceOregon U.S. Senate raceRhode Island U.S. Senate raceSouth Carolina U.S. Senate raceSouth Dakota U.S. Senate raceTennessee U.S. Senate raceTexas U.S. Senate raceVirginia U.S. Senate raceWest Virginia U.S. Senate raceWyoming U.S. Senate raceSubmit

North Carolina 2026 elections

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Voters in North Carolina will elect one member to the U.S. Senate in the general election on Nov. 3, 2026. Incumbent Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who first assumed office in 2015, announced that he would not seek re-election in 2026.

According to The Cook Political Report's Amy Taylor, Tillis' retirement makes the seat a "top pickup opportunity" for Democrats in the 2026 election cycle.^[1] Taylor also wrote, "The vulnerability of this seat, however, does not alter the overall Senate math for 2026. Even if Democrats were to win here in 2026, they'd still need to flip three more seats, including at least two in deep red states, in order to win a bare majority."^[1]

North Carolina State University's Steven Greene said, "Tillis is widely disliked by a number of Republicans who maybe wouldn't turn out to vote for him. And it's possible that the Republicans are able to come together more unified behind a fresh face."^[2]

As of Jan. 13, 2025, noteworthy declared and potential candidates included the following. Click here to view all of the candidates for the seat.

Roy Cooper (D), who served as governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025 (Declared)
Michael Whatley (R), who served as chair of the RNC from March 2024 to August 2025 (Declared)

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson (D) and U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) gained media attention as possible Democratic candidates but have all said they will not run for the seat.^[3]^[4] U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), and former Republican National Committee (RNC) co-chair Lara Trump gained media attention as possible Republican candidates but have all said they will not run for the seat.^[5]^[6]^[7]

North Carolina’s delegation to the U.S. House of Representatives includes four Democrats and 10 Republicans. The state’s two U.S. Senators—Tillis and Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.)—are Republicans. The state's most recent Democratic senator was Kay Hagan (D), who served from 2009 to 2015.

In the six presidential elections from 2004 to 2024, Republican presidential candidates won the state with the exception of the 2008 election. In the 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won 50% of the vote to Joe Biden’s (D) 49%. In 2024, Trump won 51% of the vote to Kamala Harris’ (D) 48%.

North Carolina has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. Democrats control the governorship, while Republicans control both legislative chambers. North Carolina’s last Republican governor was Pat McCrory (R), who served from 2013 to 2017.

As of Jan. 13, 2025, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales, and Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Toss-up. Click here for more information on race forecasts.

For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:

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. Senate North Carolina

Brian McGinnis, Shannon Bray, and Shaunesi Deberry are running in the general election for U.S. Senate North Carolina on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Brian McGinnis (G)
		Shannon Bray (L)
		Shaunesi Deberry (Independent)

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Robert Colon
		Roy Cooper
		Justin Dues
		Daryl Farrow
	Submit photo	Orrick Quick
		Marcus Williams

	There are no incumbents in this race.
= 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

Wiley Nickel (D)
Alyssia Hammond (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina

The following candidates are running in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina on March 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Don Brown
	Submit photo	Richard Dansie
		Margot Dupre
		Thomas Johnson
		Michele Morrow
		Elizabeth Anne Temple
		Michael Whatley

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Shannon Bray advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. Senate North Carolina.

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.

Brian McGinnis

Party: Green Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography: "My name is Brian McGinnis. I will not accept donations from any corporate groups. I represent the people of North Carolina. I will represent an anti war, pro social services perspective in Congress. I believe our education system is failing and is in dire need of increased funding instead of federal cuts. I am a veteran and the VA is far too hard to access and needs to be better staffed. If political leaders cared about its veterans it would reserve involving our military for imminent national security instead of wars based on greed."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

I will not accept money from corporate donors as Democrats and Republicans do. Therefore I will vote with peoples inalienable rights as most important deciding factor. I will not look to pad my own pockets and one term is all I am looking for and term limits need to be instated.

Income inequality is dividing our country's population and therefore weakening our national strength. A country divided cannot stand. The have-nots must be listened to and I am here to bring them the tools they need to succeed.

America is amped and ready to re-industrialize and I am here for it. I will vote to spur on ecologically responsible ways to get American manufacturing and energy stronger and stronger.

Shaunesi Deberry

Party: Independent

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography: "Born and raised in Durham North Carolina, I’ve been blessed to live and travel global. Upon my return to the United States after living in Antalya Turkey, I gained a new found respect for America. I graduate in 2002 from Hillside High School, after on and off again attendance of both HBCU’s and PWI’s I gained my Bachelor of Science in Management in 2024 with a focus on organizational behavior. I’m the mother of two daughters of which both I homescooled. Professionally I have over 15 years of experience in telecommunications, wireless, non- profit management, human/education rights advocacy, organizational leadership and strategic digital solutions ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. I’ve sat on boards ranging from local to National PTA as well as the NAACP. I’ve testified and advocated by Amicus Brief and oral testimony in MD and NC general assembly’s and Court of Appeals litigation and most recently I represented myself pro se’ and secured a partial acquittal in a criminal case in Anne Arundel County. I’ve successfully won an appeal pro se’ in the MD Office of Administrative Hearings. In high school I was one of the first students to take an online course over twenty four years ago and that sparked my interest in computers and navigating the forthcoming digital era. I believe that this interest is what took me to new heights in my adult journey to help others adapt to the “new world” of digital navigation and social media in government and politics."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Mental Wellness Matters: Stigmas surrounding mental “illness” creates instant civil rights violations when ignorantly or incompetently addressed. As a mental wellness advocate who openly advocates for person’s with hidden disabilities I plan to bring federal ADA compliant expertise to assuring we redefine what mental “illness” is and more importantly how to assure citizens are able to maintain their mental wellness with effective resources for such.

Self Sustainability is Possible: Between both school, work, and family I bring expertise on navigating through adversity and the highs and lows of implementing effective real life strategies to sustain whether a single individual or in a two person household with children. This expertise will help Americans access to state and federal resources to assure they aren’t hindered by their temporary adversities and can effectively maintain or revamp their lives as needed.

Business Solutions exist for all: I’ve been a small business owner/entrepreneur off and on for years. American’s need to know trades matter. I bring expertise in ensuring whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or individual it is possible to get started and excel in a business that can grow both your dreams and the economy. Most people aren’t aware of the resources for such. Together we can change this.

Voting information

See also: Voting in North Carolina

Election information in North Carolina: March 3, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

In-person: Feb. 6, 2026
By mail: Postmarked by Feb. 6, 2026
Online: Feb. 6, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

Yes

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

In-person: Feb. 17, 2026
By mail: Received by Feb. 17, 2026
Online: Feb. 17, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

In-person: March 3, 2026
By mail: Received by March 3, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

Feb. 12, 2026 to Feb. 28, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. (ET)

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. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Robert Colon	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Roy Cooper	Democratic Party	$10,924,824	$2,366,369	$8,558,455	As of September 30, 2025
Justin Dues	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Daryl Farrow	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Orrick Quick	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Marcus Williams	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Don Brown	Republican Party	$114,296	$70,326	$44,811	As of September 30, 2025
Richard Dansie	Republican Party	$2,410	$1,780	$630	As of December 31, 2025
Margot Dupre	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Thomas Johnson	Republican Party	$3,560	$1,932	$1,629	As of December 31, 2025
Michele Morrow	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Elizabeth Anne Temple	Republican Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Michael Whatley	Republican Party	$1,380,875	$253,977	$1,126,898	As of September 30, 2025
Brian McGinnis	Green Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Shannon Bray	Libertarian Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Shaunesi Deberry	Independent	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," . 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." According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. * Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

Race ratings: U.S. Senate election in North Carolina, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	1/13/2026	1/6/2026	12/23/2025	12/16/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up	Toss-up
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.

Filing requirements for U.S. Senate candidates, 2026
State	Office	Party	Signatures required	Filing fee	Filing deadline	Source
North Carolina	U.S. Senate	Ballot-qualified party	10,000	$1,740.00	12/19/2025	Source
North Carolina	U.S. Senate	Unaffiliated	1.5% of all registered N.C. voters who voted in the most recent election for N.C. Governor	$1,740.00	12/19/2025	Source

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Ted Budd (R)	50.5	1,905,786
	Cheri Beasley (D)	47.3	1,784,049
	Shannon Bray (L)	1.4	51,640
	Matthew Hoh (G)	0.8	29,934
	Michelle Lewis (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	137
	Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,378

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,773,924
= 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.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Cheri Beasley	81.1	501,766
	James Carr Jr.	3.5	21,903
	Alyssia Hammond	3.4	21,005
	Marcus Williams	2.8	17,446
	Constance Johnson	2.0	12,500
	Everette Newton	1.6	10,043
	Chrelle Booker	1.6	9,937
	Brendan K. Maginnis	1.1	7,044
	Robert Colon	1.1	6,904
	Greg Antoine	0.8	5,179
	Tobias LaGrone	0.8	5,048

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 618,775
= 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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		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Ted Budd	58.6	448,128
		Pat McCrory	24.6	188,135
		Mark Walker	9.2	70,486
		Marjorie K. Eastman	2.9	22,535
	Submit photo	David Flaherty	1.0	7,265
		Kenneth Harper Jr.	0.9	7,129
		Jennifer Banwart	0.4	3,088
	Submit photo	Charles Moss	0.4	2,920
		Leonard L. Bryant	0.4	2,906
		Benjamin Griffiths	0.4	2,870
		Debora Tshiovo	0.4	2,741
		Lee Brian	0.3	2,232
		Lichia Sibhatu	0.3	2,191
	Submit photo	Drew Bulecza	0.3	2,022

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 764,648
= 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.

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Thom Tillis (R)	48.7	2,665,598
	Cal Cunningham (D)	46.9	2,569,965
	Shannon Bray (L)	3.1	171,571
	Kevin E. Hayes (Constitution Party)	1.2	67,818

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Cal Cunningham	56.9	717,941
		Erica Smith	34.8	438,969
	Submit photo	Trevor Fuller	3.8	48,168
	Submit photo	Steve Swenson	2.7	33,741
		Atul Goel	1.8	22,226

	Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Thom Tillis	78.1	608,943
	Paul Wright	7.6	58,908
	Larry Holmquist	7.4	57,356
	Sharon Hudson	7.0	54,651

**U.S. Senate, North Carolina General Election, 2016**
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Richard Burr Incumbent	51.1%	2,395,376
	Democratic	Deborah Ross	45.4%	2,128,165
	Libertarian	Sean Haugh	3.6%	167,592
Total Votes				4,691,133
Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections

2024 presidential results in congressional districts, North Carolina
District	Kamala Harris	Donald Trump
North Carolina's 1st	45.9%	53.4%
North Carolina's 2nd	67.6%	29.8%
North Carolina's 3rd	45.2%	52.8%
North Carolina's 4th	73.0%	24.8%
North Carolina's 5th	42.9%	55.0%
North Carolina's 6th	42.7%	54.9%
North Carolina's 7th	45.0%	52.7%
North Carolina's 8th	41.5%	56.4%
North Carolina's 9th	43.5%	54.4%
North Carolina's 10th	42.6%	55.2%
North Carolina's 11th	45.9%	51.9%
North Carolina's 12th	73.8%	23.6%
North Carolina's 13th	42.9%	54.7%
North Carolina's 14th	43.4%	54.4%
Source: The Downballot

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,474,952
= 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.

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 1,261,045
= 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.

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 779,858
= 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	Incumbent	PVI
North Carolina's 1st	Don Davis	R+1
North Carolina's 2nd	Deborah Ross	D+17
North Carolina's 3rd	Greg Murphy	R+10
North Carolina's 4th	Valerie Foushee	D+23
North Carolina's 5th	Virginia Foxx	R+9
North Carolina's 6th	Addison McDowell	R+9
North Carolina's 7th	David Rouzer	R+7
North Carolina's 8th	Mark Harris	R+10
North Carolina's 9th	Richard Hudson	R+8
North Carolina's 10th	Pat Harrigan	R+9
North Carolina's 11th	Chuck Edwards	R+5
North Carolina's 12th	Alma Adams	D+24
North Carolina's 13th	Brad Knott	R+8
North Carolina's 14th	Tim Moore	R+8

County-level voting pattern categories
Democratic
Status	2016	2020	2024
Solid Democratic	D	D	D
Trending Democratic	R	D	D
Battleground Democratic	D	R	D
New Democratic	R	R	D
Republican
Status	2016	2020	2024
Solid Republican	R	R	R
Trending Republican	D	R	R
Battleground Republican	R	D	R
New Republican	D	D	R

North Carolina county-level statistics, 2024
Solid Republican	74	49.3%
Solid Democratic	21	46.7%
Trending Democratic	1	2.2%
Battleground Republican	1	0.9%
New Republican	2	0.6%
Trending Republican	1	0.3%
Total voted Democratic	22	48.9%
Total voted Republican	78	51.1%

Race	Winner	Runner up
2022	50.5%	47.3%
2020	48.7%	46.9%
2016	51.1%	45.3%
2014	48.8%	47.3%
2010	55.0%	42.9%
Average	50.8	45.9

Race	Winner	Runner up
2024	54.9%	40.1%
2020	51.5%	47.0%
2016	49.0%	48.8%
2012	54.6%	43.2%
2008	50.3%	46.9%
Average	52.1	45.2

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

Office	Officeholder
Governor	Josh Stein
Lieutenant Governor	Rachel Hunt
Secretary of State	Elaine Marshall
Attorney General	Jeff Jackson

United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2026