North Carolina Republicans suffered sweeping losses in Tuesday’s elections, losing a U.S. Senate seat to former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and control of the state house, according to a Red State column by writer Sister Toldjah.
Going into Election Day, Republicans held 10 of North Carolina’s 14 congressional districts, most considered safe. After Tuesday, the party could end up holding as few as four, depending on the outcome of three too-close-to-call races in CD3, CD5 and CD7. Rep. Virginia Foxx, running in CD5, may lose by fewer than 100 votes.
State house Republicans also lost their majority, with some races decided by margins under 300 votes, a gap narrow enough that recounts are expected. The state senate appears likely to remain in GOP hands by a thin margin, with one incumbent leading by fewer than 300 votes.
Florida, by contrast, was described in the column as having performed well for Republicans overall.
Two reasons for optimism, columnist says
Toldjah argued that despite the losses, two factors could work in Republicans’ favor over the next several election cycles. First, she pointed to Democrats on social media who, after the House flip was called Tuesday night, began discussing subpoenas and telling Trump administration officials to “lawyer up” — behavior she characterized as prioritizing retaliation over the affordability concerns Democrats had campaigned on.
Second, she noted that several moderate Democrats won in state legislative and congressional districts that President Trump had previously carried by comfortable margins, including North Carolina U.S. House seats that flipped by only a few thousand votes. She suggested some of these newly elected Democrats, particularly in southern states, may not consistently vote with their party given the narrow margins by which they won.
The column also described the personal toll of the election results on the author, who wrote of experiencing a headache and stress-related stomach problems after the results came in, and of finding reassurance in the party’s past recoveries from difficult midterm losses.
