North Carolina
Government
Josh Stein
Governor, Democratic Party, since 1 Jan 2025
Senate50 seats
Republican 30, Democratic 20
House of Representatives120 seats
Republican 72, Democratic 48
Races this cycle
2026 forecastNo governor or Senate race in North Carolina this cycle.
Early vote
Ballots cast or requested before election day in North Carolina, by voters’ registered party. As of 6 Nov 2026.
Mail ballots requested
168,720
- Democratic Party67,41640%
- Republican Party31,49919%
- No party affiliation69,06541%
- Other740<1%
Mail ballots returned
108,376
- Democratic Party43,82240%
- Republican Party20,26419%
- No party affiliation43,89941%
- Other391<1%
Voted early in person
2,728,944
- Democratic Party1,045,13138%
- Republican Party719,90926%
- No party affiliation955,45735%
- Other8,447<1%
Mail ballots returned, day by day
Counties with the most mail ballots returned
| County | Ballots | Democratic | Republican | No party affiliation | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wake | 19,356 | 40% | 14% | 46% | <1% |
| Mecklenburg | 13,417 | 42% | 15% | 43% | <1% |
| Forsyth | 4,634 | 42% | 20% | 38% | <1% |
| Guilford | 4,625 | 45% | 18% | 36% | <1% |
| Buncombe | 4,545 | 45% | 12% | 42% | <1% |
| Durham | 4,467 | 51% | 7% | 42% | <1% |
| New Hanover | 3,141 | 40% | 18% | 42% | <1% |
| Orange | 3,105 | 53% | 5% | 42% | <1% |
| Brunswick | 2,747 | 33% | 27% | 40% | <1% |
| Cabarrus | 2,537 | 38% | 21% | 41% | <1% |
Latest North Carolina polls
All US polls| Institute | Date | Fieldwork | Sample | MoE | Method | Voting intention | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AtlasIntel | 2 Nov 2026 | 28 Oct 2026 – 1 Nov 2026 | 1,459 | ±3 | — |
| Source for AtlasIntel poll (opens in a new tab) |
| East Carolina University | 1 Nov 2026 | 26 Oct 2026 – 29 Oct 2026 | 1,041 | ±3.5 | — |
| Source for East Carolina University poll (opens in a new tab) |
| YouGov | 1 Nov 2026 | 26 Oct 2026 – 29 Oct 2026 | 2,130 | ±2.9 | — |
| Source for YouGov poll (opens in a new tab) |
| RedBox Research | 26 Oct 2026 | 20 Oct 2026 – 23 Oct 2026 | 3,292 | ±3.7 | — |
| Source for RedBox Research poll (opens in a new tab) |
| High Point University/YouGov | 28 Oct 2026 | 1 Oct 2026 – 20 Oct 2026 | 620 | ±4.7 | — |
| Source for High Point University/YouGov poll (opens in a new tab) |
| Quantus Insights (R) | 26 Oct 2026 | 24 Oct 2026 – 25 Oct 2026 | 722 | ±4 | — |
| Source for Quantus Insights (R) poll (opens in a new tab) |
| Harper Polling (R) | 22 Oct 2026 | 18 Sept 2026 – 20 Sept 2026 | 608 | ±4 | — |
| Source for Harper Polling (R) poll (opens in a new tab) |
| ActiVote | 20 Oct 2026 | 8 Oct 2026 – 20 Oct 2026 | 400 | ±4.9 | — |
| Source for ActiVote poll (opens in a new tab) |
| Elon University/YouGov | 20 Oct 2026 | 29 Sept 2026 – 8 Oct 2026 | 561 | ±4.9 | — |
| Source for Elon University/YouGov poll (opens in a new tab) |
| SurveyUSA | 13 Oct 2026 | 7 Oct 2026 – 11 Oct 2026 | 643 | ±5 | — |
| Source for SurveyUSA poll (opens in a new tab) |
- AtlasIntel
2 Nov 2026 · n=1,459 · MoE ±3 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)56.0%
- Whatley (R)42.0%
- East Carolina University
1 Nov 2026 · n=1,041 · MoE ±3.5 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)54.0%
- Whatley (R)45.0%
- YouGov
1 Nov 2026 · n=2,130 · MoE ±2.9 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)55.0%
- Whatley (R)44.0%
- RedBox Research
26 Oct 2026 · n=3,292 · MoE ±3.7 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)50.0%
- Whatley (R)43.0%
- High Point University/YouGov
28 Oct 2026 · n=620 · MoE ±4.7 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)54.0%
- Whatley (R)40.0%
- Quantus Insights (R)
26 Oct 2026 · n=722 · MoE ±4 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)51.0%
- Whatley (R)43.0%
- Harper Polling (R)
22 Oct 2026 · n=608 · MoE ±4 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)49.0%
- Whatley (R)39.0%
- ActiVote
20 Oct 2026 · n=400 · MoE ±4.9 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)57.0%
- Whatley (R)43.0%
- Elon University/YouGov
20 Oct 2026 · n=561 · MoE ±4.9 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)52.0%
- Whatley (R)39.0%
- SurveyUSA
13 Oct 2026 · n=643 · MoE ±5 · Method n/a
- Cooper (D)54.0%
- Whatley (R)40.0%
Last Senate election
2026 United States Senate election in North Carolina ·
How people voted last time.
| Party | Vote | |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Cooper (D) | 58.7% | |
| Michael Whatley (R) | 39.1% | |
| Shannon Bray (L) | 1.3% | |
| Michael Dublin (G) | 0.9% |
Source: Wikipedia
2026 United States Senate election in North Carolina by county
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake | Cooper | +47.3 | 523,237 |
| Mecklenburg | Cooper | +53.6 | 439,955 |
| Guilford | Cooper | +42.1 | 217,239 |
| Forsyth | Cooper | +35.5 | 152,572 |
| Durham | Cooper | +75.7 | 150,482 |
| Buncombe | Cooper | +46.2 | 131,206 |
| New Hanover | Cooper | +22.4 | 102,740 |
| Union | Whatley | +2.8 | 100,583 |
| Cumberland | Cooper | +35.1 | 95,138 |
| Johnston | Cooper | +6.0 | 88,773 |
Last governor election
2024 North Carolina gubernatorial election ·
How people voted last time.
| Party | Vote | |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Stein (D) | 54.9% | |
| Mark Robinson (R) | 40.1% | |
| Mike Ross (L) | 3.1% | |
| Vinny Smith (I) | 1.0% | |
| Wayne Turner (G) | 0.9% |
Source: Wikipedia
2024 North Carolina gubernatorial election by county
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake | Stein | +45.3 | 642,792 |
| Mecklenburg | Stein | +48.7 | 569,417 |
| Guilford | Stein | +39.0 | 279,435 |
| Forsyth | Stein | +32.6 | 200,106 |
| Durham | Stein | +71.5 | 179,167 |
| Buncombe | Stein | +39.5 | 157,655 |
| Cumberland | Stein | +26.6 | 137,910 |
| Union | Robinson | +6.9 | 136,328 |
| New Hanover | Stein | +25.3 | 135,516 |
| Johnston | Robinson | +0.1 | 122,151 |
Last presidential election
2024 United States presidential election in North Carolina ·
How people voted last time.
| Party | Vote | |
|---|---|---|
| Donald Trump (R) | 50.9% | |
| Kamala Harris (D) | 47.6% | |
| Jill Stein (G) | 0.4% | |
| Chase Oliver (L) | 0.4% | |
| Cornel West (I) | 0.2% | |
| Randall Terry (I) | 0.1% |
Source: Wikipedia
2024 United States presidential election in North Carolina by county
| County | Leader | Lead | Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wake | Harris | +25.4 | 653,580 |
| Mecklenburg | Harris | +32.7 | 577,505 |
| Guilford | Harris | +21.8 | 285,053 |
| Forsyth | Harris | +13.1 | 204,726 |
| Durham | Harris | +61.7 | 180,912 |
| Buncombe | Harris | +24.7 | 160,510 |
| Cumberland | Harris | +13.4 | 140,513 |
| Union | Trump | +25.2 | 139,355 |
| New Hanover | Harris | +0.6 | 138,734 |
| Johnston | Trump | +21.5 | 124,678 |