National Democrats think they have a shot at flipping these two NC districts in 2026
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- DCCC adds North Carolina’s 3rd and 11th districts to its 2026 competitive list.
- State Republicans’ Trump-backed redistricting shifted Murphy’s seat toward vulnerability.
- Democrats point to special-election overperformance and plan targeted 2026 campaigns.
North Carolina Republicans may have drawn themselves a more favorable congressional map for 2026, but national Democrats are betting on a chance to not only defend their redrawn seat, but flip two more in the process.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Wednesday announced that it would add North Carolina’s 3rd and 11th congressional districts to its list of competitive “districts in play” for the upcoming midterm election.
Those districts, currently held by Republican Reps. Greg Murphy and Chuck Edwards, respectively, are solidly red — but the DCCC, emboldened by Democrats’ overperformance in special elections this year, is hoping for a blue wave in 2026.
They’re also hoping that North Carolina’s recent round of Trump-backed redistricting will backfire.
When state lawmakers drew a new congressional map intended to oust Democratic Rep. Don Davis from the 1st district, they significantly altered Murphy’s district and made it slightly less Republican-friendly in the process. Trump still won the areas in the new district by 14 points last year.
“In a desperate attempt from a flailing White House and House Republicans to subvert the will of voters, North Carolina Republicans have put Greg Murphy’s seat on the chopping block,” DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement. “Murphy has spent years putting special interests over North Carolinians and now, Republicans have endangered him in a district he’s even more disconnected from.”
Murphy is running for reelection in the redrawn district, saying on social media he would “continue to fight to make life more affordable, keep our nation secure, lower the cost of healthcare, and fight the creep of socialism. We are at a pivotal crossroad in our country’s history.”
No Democrats have officially filed paperwork to run for Murphy’s seat yet, but psychology instructor Chris Schulte has announced his intention to seek the party’s nomination.
The 11th district, located in Western North Carolina and represented by Edwards, wasn’t changed by the new congressional map and remains a long shot for Democrats to win. It does, however, have one of the state’s smallest Republican advantages for an incumbent — with about 54% of the district voting for Trump in 2024.
In a statement, DelBene accused Edwards of having “abandoned North Carolina’s working families, rural communities, and veterans. North Carolinians don’t want a politician with such disregard for the people that he is supposed to serve.”
Edwards said in a social media post he would provide “leadership rooted in faith, hard work, and common sense—not Washington politics.”
Three Democrats, Jamie Ager, Paul Maddox and Richard Hudspeth, have filed to run for Edwards’ seat.
Republicans currently hold a slim majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. To flip control, Democrats would need a net gain of three seats in 2026.
Ten of North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts are represented by Republicans, a breakdown that was made possible after the state Supreme Court effectively legalized partisan gerrymandering in 2023.
Before that, North Carolinians elected an even split of seven Democrats and seven Republicans in the 2022 midterms under a congressional map drawn by a group of court-appointed “special masters.”
Had a similar map been used in 2024, it’s possible that Democrats would have retained control of the House even as Republicans took the Senate and the presidency.
