Longtime northeast North Carolina Congressman G.K. Butterfield is retiring at the end of this term, leaving an open race for one of the biggest districts in the state.
Don Davis, who Butterfield endorsed as his replacement, easily won the Democratic nomination.
Further south on the coast, incumbent Congressman Greg Murphy won the Republican primary for his seat by a wide margin, while fellow incumbent David Rouzer also won his race.
North Carolina's primary elections have been getting national attention and attractions millions of dollars in out-of-state funding. The balance of power in Washington D.C. could depend on how North Carolina voters swing in just a handful of elections in November.
Democrat Cheri Beasley and Republican Ted Budd won nominations for the state's U.S. Senate seat.
Incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn conceded in the District 11 race. He trailed Chuck Edwards by a slim margin late Tuesday night with 99% of the votes counted.
Davis won the Democratic primary, won more than 63% of the votes to outdistance Eric Smith, who garnered 31%, with all 270 precincts reporting. Butterfield endorsed Davis in the race.
Sandy Smith (31.4%) defeated Sandy Roberson (26.75%) by 2,008 votes with all precincts reporting in the Republican primary.
"We won! Thank you all SO MUCH. Nearly $2 million in smear ads against us and we still came out on top. No run-off. I will fight for border security, jobs, cutting the gas tax and fixing our broken Biden economy. I love you all!" Smith tweeted.
North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District will be one of the few competitive races in the state in November. It’s long been a solidly Democratic district. After a monthslong fight in the legislature and the courts over redistricting, it’s now seen as one of the most competitive in the nation.
Incumbent Republican Rep. Greg Murphy won his party’s nomination with more than 75% of the vote with just one precinct outstanding as of 11 p.m.
On the Democratic side, Barbara Gaskins (80.45%) led Joe Swartz (19.55%) by a large margin with just one precinct not reporting as of 11 p.m.
Murphy is campaigning for his third term in Congress in this heavily Republican district. The 3rd District includes the Outer Banks, running down the coast to Topsail Beach at the Pender County line.
Murphy outraised his top competitor, Army veteran Tony Cowden, 6-1. As of the end of April, Cowden had raised about $220,000, and Murphy’s campaign brought in more than $1.2 million.
Incumbent Republican David Rouzer won the GOP nomination with 79.18% of the vote with two precincts not reporting as of 11 p.m.
Four Democrats were on the ballot to go up against Rouzer in the fall. Charles Graham (31.18%) led Charles E. Evans (29.41%) by 728 votes with two precincts outstanding as of 11 p.m.
Rouzer has represented this heavily red part of North Carolina since 2015. After redistricting, the 7th Congressional District includes the southeast corner of the state, running from Wilmington to Fayetteville.