The week-long sprint to Election Day has begun.
What You Need To Know
Election Day is Tuesday, and N.C. could be key in who controls Congress
U.S. Senate candidates Cheri Beasley and Ted Budd have been neck and neck in polling
Biggest swing U.S. House race in N.C. is between Wiley Nickel and Bo Hines in N.C. 13
North Carolina’s U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Rep. Ted Budd and Democrat Cheri Beasley, who’ve been neck and neck in the polls for months, are blitzing the state.
"It’s going to be incredibly close,” said Western Carolina University Political Science Professor Chris Cooper. “Whoever wins isn’t going to win by a large margin. You’ve gotta say Ted Budd is the favorite, but he’s the light favorite."
Budd has scheduled campaign events Tuesday in Charlotte and the Wilmington area. Former Vice President Mike Pence will also campaign with Budd in Raleigh on Wednesday.
Beasley had scheduled campaign events in the Greensboro area Tuesday and will make stops in Wake, Chatham, Orange and Durham counties Wednesday.
Tuesday night she’ll turn to social media as she appears in an Instagram Live with actress Brooklyn Decker.
While she’s campaigned with influential Democrats like House Majority Whip James Clyburn and Sen. Cory Booker, she hasn’t appeared with President Joe Biden or former President Barack Obama.
Obama did endorse her in a video last week.
North Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in more than a decade, but Democrats believe they have a chance.
Polls have shown a narrow race, and while Beasley has raised significant money, some Democrats have reportedly expressed concern she’s not getting enough national support.
"She has not had the support of national Democrats that Ted Budd has had from national Republicans,” Cooper said. “There just haven’t been the signals from the national parties that this is a race to watch … it could be one thing that could lead to a loss.”
A big U.S. House race to watch in North Carolina is District 13 in the Raleigh area.
It’s considered the biggest swing district in N.C. Democrat State Sen. Wiley Nickel and Republican political newcomer Bo Hines are looking to replace Budd in the seat.
Nationally, while political experts say the U.S. House looks like it may flip Republican, the Senate is a complete toss up.
The chamber is split 50/50 with the vice president breaking tie votes. That means for Democrats there’s little room for error.
Some of the races to watch include Nevada, Georgia and Arizona where Democrats are trying to protect their seats and Pennsylvania where Democrat John Fetterman is hoping to turn the state blue.
"I don’t think you’re [a Republican] ... you’re feeling cautiously optimistic … but I don’t think anybody is confident in any outcome in this polarized political environment we’re in today," Cooper said.
And there are also major statewide races as Republicans look to take control of the state Supreme Court and create a veto-proof majority in the state legislature.