The rating
Lean Democrat
Rated Lean Democrat by Cook Political Report on Oct 23, 2026.
| Forecaster | Rating | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Cook Political Report (opens in a new tab) | Lean D | Oct 23, 2026 |
Who is running
Jennifer Balkcom
Republican Open seat
Jamie Ager
Democrat Open seat
Travis Groo
Libertarian Open seat
The facts
- Cook Political Report rates the race Leans Democratic as of Oct. 23, 2026.
- Rep. Chuck Edwards (R) won the March 3 primary, then withdrew on August 5 after a censure.
- Wikipedia lists the district's Partisan Voting Index as R+5.
- The state Republican Party picked Jennifer Balkcom as the nominee (NC Newsline, Aug. 10).
Opinion
Why this race matters to conservatives
Republicans must hold this seat without Chuck Edwards on the ballot. Cook rates it Leans Democratic.
This box is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of this page is reporting, with sources listed below.
Where these facts come from
- Cook Political ReportCurrent rating, as of Oct 23, 2026Read it (opens in a new tab)
- Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)Candidate and race factsRead it (opens in a new tab)