Election results: Congressional races in Charlotte and beyond
With control of a closely divided U.S. House at stake, N.C. voters went to the polls Tuesday to fill 14 congressional seats. Here’s what happened in Charlotte-area races:
Moore defeats Genant in District 14 Congressional race
Republican N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore led Democrat Pamela Genant 58.2 percent to 41.8 percent with all precincts but one reporting in the 14th District race. AP called the race for Moore around 10:20 p.m.
District 14 covers part of southern Mecklenburg County and most of Gaston, Cleveland, Rutherford and Burke counties. The seat, currently held by Democratic Rep. Jeff Jackson, was expected to turn over to Republicans after the state’s Republican-led General Assembly redrew the congressional maps in 2022.
“This campaign has been a journey fueled by your voices, your concerns, and the very best volunteers who have worked so hard on this campaign. I am deeply grateful for your support. Now, the work begins,” Moore said in a statement. “I look forward to representing all of the 14th District and working alongside my colleagues in Congress to advance policies that uphold our freedoms and the values we hold dear.”
Moore is an attorney who has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives for over 20 years as the District 111 representative and, beginning in 2015, the speaker of the state House.
Moore told the Observer his biggest priority is securing the border.
“The current administration’s open border policies threaten our national security and allow illegal drugs to enter the country,” he said in a candidate questionnaire. “I will support President Trump and make sure we have the funding in place to close the border once and for all.”
Moore also said he would work toward tax cuts, encourage more fossil fuel development and lower the federal corporate income tax rate to zero.
Genant is a small business owner and retired Army veteran who said in a candidate questionnaire her biggest priority if elected is to fight the housing crisis.
Harris defeats Dues in District 8 Congressional race
Republican pastor Mark Harris led Democrat Justin Dues 59.4 percent to 40.6 percent with 99 percent of precincts reporting in the 8th District race. AP called the race around 9:45 p.m.
District 8 covers Union County, most of Cabarrus County, southeastern Mecklenburg County and stretches east to Robeson County. Harris defeated five Republicans in the primary in hopes of taking the seat held by Rep. Dan Bishop since 2023.
“I’m extremely grateful for the outpouring of support from the citizens of the 8th district,” Harris said in a statement. “This victory shows the desire for strong conservative leadership. Our campaign ran on the issues that matter most to the voters and I look forward to being a voice for our shared North Carolina values in Washington D.C.”
Harris’s 2018 congressional campaign was marked by a ballot-harvesting scandal that resulted in a new election and felony charges for someone working for him. Since announcing his bid for election Harris has called it a “manufactured scandal” and pushed back on the North Carolina Board of Elections’ decision to not certify the results of his election.
Harris said in a candidate questionnaire the economy is “in shambles.”
“Families can’t afford basic living expenses due to the rising costs of groceries, gas, and housing,” Harris said. “We need to eliminate wasteful government spending thus decreasing the burden on hardworking taxpayers, reduce burdensome regulations on businesses, and increase drilling here in America to bring down gas prices.”
Dues is an entrepreneur and science educator, according to his candidate questionnaire. He told the Observer his biggest priority is addressing the abuse of power in politics. He said he supports term limits, fighting gerrymandering, combating “dark money” in politics and holding non-partisan primaries.
Adams defeats Ali in District 12 Congressional race
Democratic U.S. Rep. Alma Adams led Republican Addul Ali 74 percent to 26 percent with 97 percent of precincts counted in the 12th District race. AP called the race for Adams around 10:30 p.m.
District 12 covers much of Mecklenburg County. Adams ran for reelection after serving the district since 2014. Adams served in the North Carolina General Assembly before she was elected to Congress 10 years ago and began her political career in the 1980s when she became the first Black woman elected to Greensboro’s school board.
Adams said in a candidate questionnaire her biggest priorities are advocating for access to higher education, eliminating hunger and poverty, ensuring access to affordable housing and healthcare, and fighting for reproductive rights. Adams said the economy is doing great, but more can be done to lower the cost of food.
“Our country has come a long way since President Biden took office… By virtually every measure, our economy is the strongest in the world,” Adams said. “However, the cost of food is still too high, and I will work with the Harris administration to pass the first-ever federal ban on food price gouging.”
Ali owns a media company and has served as the chairman of the Cabarrus County Republican Party, the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party Black Conservative Voices Coalition and is the operations director for The Frederick Douglass Foundation of NC, according to his candidate questionnaire.
Harrigan defeats Scott in District 10 Congressional race
Republican Pat Harrigan led Democrat Ralph Scott 57.8 percent to 38 percent with 96 percent of precincts reporting in the 10th District race. AP called the race around 9:30 p.m.
District 10 includes Lincoln, Catawba, Iredell, Forsyth and Yadkin counties. The seat has been held by Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry since 2004 and the past three holders of the seat have served for over 17 years each, WCNC first reported.
“I’m extremely thankful to the constituents of (District 10) for placing their trust in me to represent them in DC.,” Harrigan said in a statement. “I am not going to Washington to fill a seat; I’m going to fight for you, for our families, and for our American way of life. I’m going to Washington with a mission – a mission to defend our freedoms, protect our borders, revive our economy, and restore faith in our institutions.”
Harrigan, a gun manufacturer who also ran for Congress in 2022, told a Charlotte radio station in 2022 that mass deportations of people living illegally in the country– a main pitch by former President Donald Trump – is akin to roundups of prisoners in Nazi Germany. The story was recirculated earlier this year by Fox News. He said he supported a clear pathway to legal citizenship for these people.
Harrigan apparently went back on this statement in January, telling Fox News he supports securing borders, building a wall at the southern border and deporting people living in the country illegally who have broken laws.
According to his campaign website, Harrigan supports curbing inflation, becoming energy independent, investing in the military, protecting the 2nd Amendment, and fighting for “conservative values” relating to abortion, religious freedoms and parental rights.
Scott is an Air Force Veteran and the sixth great grandson of James Madison, according to his campaign website.
Edwards defeats Rudow in District 11 Congressional race
Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards led Democratic state Rep. Caleb Rudow 56.8 percent to 43.2 percent with 100 percent of precincts reporting in the 11th District race. AP called the race for Edwards around 10:05 p.m.
District 11 covers most of western North Carolina, including areas hard-hit by Hurricane Helene. Edwards has held the seat since 2023.
“While the results didn’t go in our favor, I want to thank everyone who supported this campaign. We fought for the issues that matter most to (western North Carolina), and though we didn’t win, the movement we’ve built won’t stop here,” Rudow said in a statement. “I congratulate my opponent and wish them success in the months ahead. To all of our volunteers, donors, and supporters — thank you for your dedication. We’ll continue to push for the change (western North Carolina) deserves.”
In April, Edwards was sanctioned over email newsletters he sent out attacking President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden.
“The Democrats are clearly ashamed of their president and his failing agenda, which is why they tried to put a gag order on me, thinking I might stop talking about Joe Biden’s disastrous policies,” Edwards said in an emailed statement to McClatchy in April.
Edwards ousted former Rep. Madison Cawthorn in 2022.
“As a first-term US Congressman, I steadily gained recognition among my House peers for my ability to apply business acumen and mountain values to issues, being continually appointed to committee assignments that allowed me to positively impact the lives of those in the NC-11th Congressional District,” Edward’s campaign website states. “As your US Congressman, I will continue to expand that impact to all Americans.”
Rudow has served in the North Carolina House of Representatives’ 116th District since 2023.
McDowell defeats Hayes in District 6 Congressional race
Republican Addison McDowell led the Constitution Party’s Kevin Hayes 70 percent to 30 percent with 85 percent of precincts reporting in the 6th District race. AP called the race for McDowell around 9:45 p.m.
District 6 covers Davie, Davidson, Rowan and parts of Cabarrus, Guilford and Forsyth counties, with Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning holding the seat since 2021. The district is one of three expected to turn over to Republicans after the 2022 redistricting.
“I am honored the voters of the 6th District have selected me to serve as their next Congressman,” McDowell said in a statement. “This district is my home and it’s been so great to see old friends and family on the campaign trail; all the good folks who have invested in me over the years. Now I’m raising my children in this district. I’m going to Congress to fight for them and to fight for you!”
Endorsed by Trump, McDowell said he wants to secure the border, protect jobs, defend the 2nd Amendment, champion pro-life legislation, and secure elections, according to his campaign website.
McDowell’s brother died of a fentanyl overdose, his website states, which has influenced his beliefs about immigration.
“We must secure the Southern Border and stop the flow of illegal drugs from flooding into our country,” his website states. “This isn’t just a talking point for Addison, it’s personal. His younger brother died of a fentanyl overdose, the same fentanyl entering our country daily due to Joe Biden’s failure at the border.”
Hayes is a member of the Constitution Party. Hayes owns an IT business in the Charlotte area and has run for state House and U.S. Senate in the past, according to his campaign website.
This story was originally published November 5, 2024 at 8:49 PM.
