North Carolina voters deliver a new political dynamic 

MATT LACZKO | THE CHARLOTTE POST

Keyondra Nixon, a student at UNC Charlotte, shows off her “I Voted” sticker on Nov. 3, 2026, at the former University City Library polling site.

North Carolina Democrats have returned from legislative exile.

Voters delivered a stunning rebuke of Republican control to flip the state House of Representatives to Democrats for the first time since 2010. They also elected former Governor Roy Cooper to the U.S. Senate, making him the first Democrat to hold a seat in the upper chamber since Kay Hagan was elected in 2008. Both results were part of a national Democratic wave in which voters opted to change the power dynamic from statehouses to Congress as a check on President Donald Trump. 

By flipping the state House – despite mid-decade GOP gerrymandering designed to expand the legislative map for Republican candidates – Democrats secured 70 of 120 seats and with it a critical lever of power over redistricting and election administration. It also gives Governor Josh Stein a working margin to sustain vetoes after two years of a one-vote hedge against a GOP supermajority in both chambers. Republicans still control the state Senate, but their advantage dwindled to 26 of 50 seats.

“After a decade of rigging maps in their favor and attacking civil rights, reproductive freedoms, and democracy itself—Republicans’ unchecked power trip has come to an end,” Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Heather Williams said in a statement. “Democrats will wield the Speaker’s gavel for the first time in nearly two decades and will continue to fight on behalf of all North Carolinians for a brighter future.”

Democrats also held onto the lone state Supreme Court seat contested this year when Associate Justice Anita Earls, the only Black justice on the panel, beat Republican Sarah Stevens, a former state representative. With multiple seats up for election in 2028, Democrats considered holding onto Earls’ seat paramount to cutting into Republicans’ 5-2 majority. 

“It is the honor of my life to continue serving the people of North Carolina on the Supreme Court for another term,” Earls said in a statement. “The cornerstone of a healthy democracy is an impartial and independent judiciary that aims to secure equal justice for all under the law. I will work every day to uphold the Constitution and protect the rights and freedoms of all North Carolinians.” 

Said former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, chairman of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee: “The lesson from North Carolina is that the people hold the power to make change in this country, in spite of efforts to silence their voices — and the people have put North Carolina on a path toward meaningful change and a representative democracy.”

Three statewide referendums were approved by voters: capping the state income tax rate at 3.5%, a limit on counties’ ability to raise property taxes and a voter ID requirement for all ballots cast – including those sent via mail.
In Charlotte, voters approved three bond referendums totaling $425 million for affordable housing, transportation and neighborhood improvements. The bonds won’t require a property tax rate increase.
The measures provide: 

• $125 million to preserve and create affordable housing through public, private and nonprofit partnerships;

• $280 million for resurfacing existing roadways and sidewalk connections, and 

• $20 million for neighborhood improvement projects such as sidewalks, drainage, streets, lighting and public spaces.

“Charlotte voters sent a clear message that they believe in making sure this community continues to be a place where families can find housing they can afford, streets they can navigate safely, and the infrastructure required for a growing city,” Mayor Rob Harrington said.

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