Dozens of Republican congressional candidates from North Carolina are vying for reelection. At least ten of the fourteen seats are anticipated to be won by Republicans, thanks partly to redistricting that skewed districts to the right.
In 2025, when their House majority is precariously poised, national Republicans may reap the benefits of this. Vacancies have opened up in districts overwhelmingly populated by Republicans when Reps. Patrick McHenry and Dan Bishop chose not to seek reelection.
There is a better probability that North Carolina’s present congressional boundaries will remain in place until the 2030 elections since courts have rejected legal claims that redistricting maps can be set down for favoring a party’s candidates disproportionately. According to Michael Bitzer, a political science professor at Catawba College, the victor may retain their seat as long as they want, regardless of the result.
There are at least five candidates in four Republican primaries for seats where no incumbent is running. If a leading contender doesn’t earn 30% of the vote, the two top vote-getters in each race could face a runoff on May 14. Numerous candidates have expressed interest in the available seats, including Rev. Mark Harris, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, and Tim Moore, currently the North Carolina House speaker.
Moore (in the 14th district) and Addison McDowell (in the 6th district) are two of the five available seats, and former president Donald Trump, a Republican, has endorsed both. Bo Hines, who was nominated for the 13th District Republican Party in 2022 and obtained Trump’s backing, and Walker, who was a six-term congressman from the Greensboro area until 2020, are McDowell’s opponents. Among the six candidates vying for the Republican nomination in the 6th District is Christian Castelli, a Green Beret and former Army officer.
The five Republicans vying to replace McHenry in the 10th District are state representative Grey Mills and 2022 congressional contender Pat Harrigan. The victor will face a Libertarian Party candidate and Democrat, Ralph Scott Jr., in the upcoming autumn election.
