Rachel Black | The Election Hub

In North Carolina, Democrats picked up seats that were considered reliably red before or had even been gerrymandered by GOP leaders. In a district covering part of Mecklenburg County, a Democrat and first-time political candidate, LaKesha Womack, even unseated one of North Carolina’s most powerful politicians, Republican Tim Moore — in a U.S. House district he redrew to be more GOP-friendly before running for the seat.

Candidates across North Carolina have made their final ad purchases and donors have given their last contributions in races covering Mecklenburg County and the surrounding area — some of which are expected to be close.

This fall, Beth Helfrich is fighting to retain a seat she flipped blue in 2024 from a former legislator who wants it back.John Rhodes held the seat Helfrich currently holds in the North Carolina House of Representatives for District 98 — covering Cornelius, Davidson, and Huntersville — in the early 2000s. Now he’s running on a platform of ultra-conservative values to try to win it back.

Voter turnout amongst older generations historically outpaces young voter turnout. But this year, disillusioned by an economy that doesn’t seem to be working for them and frustrated with political division, Generation Z voters could be narrowing that gap.

LaKesha Womack, a community organizer and ordained minister, believes her faith and her politics go hand-in-hand. She’s also the mom of a 20-year-old son concerned about his future in a harsh economy, and the daughter of aging parents worried about their Social Security benefits.

Voters across North Carolina will be faced with an array of judicial candidates on their ballots who are responsible for interpreting and applying laws enacted by lawmakers as well as compliance with the state and U.S. Constitutions.

With the midterm elections a week away, President Donald Trump is set to return to South Carolina on Thursday to campaign for Republican Darline Graham.

Ken McCool considered himself an apolitical person for much of his life. That changed when his class at Providence High School was visited by a state politician: Tricia Cotham, a Democrat who had graduated from the school in 1997. She spoke to the class about her work in the legislature, igniting in McCool an interest in running for public office.

Early voting numbers have already far surpassed numbers from this point in the 2022 midterm election, according to data from the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections. But the numbers don't just reflect voter enthusiasm — compared with data from the last midterm, it also seems to reflect voter anxiety.

The first full week of early voting is underway in North Carolina, and so far, data show that Democrats and unaffiliated voters are turning out in much higher numbers than Republicans.