North Carolina State Senate Elections 2024: Key Races and Outcomes

The North Carolina State Senate elections, held on November 5, 2024, saw all 50 seats up for grabs. Heading into the elections, the Senate was composed of 30 Republicans and 20 Democrats. The primary elections took place on March 5, 2024, with primary runoffs on May 14, 2024, and the filing deadline was December 15, 2023.

Ballotpedia identified 10 Senate battleground districts, with Democrats holding six and Republicans holding four. These districts included several closely contested races, such as District 7, which was rated as a “Tilt R” by CNalysis, and District 18, rated as “Lean D”.

In the primaries, 19 North Carolina state legislative incumbents faced challenges, representing a decade low in contested incumbents. Of these, eight were Democrats and 11 were Republicans. The overall number of contested state legislative primaries decreased by 41% from 2022, with 43 primaries in 2024 compared to 72 in 2022.

The election results are crucial as they determine the balance of power in the North Carolina Senate. As of the latest updates, the outcomes of these races will shape the legislative agenda and political landscape in the state for the coming term.

One notable aspect of the elections was the redistricting process, with Republican Sen. Ralph Hise emphasizing that the maps were drawn using traditional redistricting criteria to maintain equal population across districts and minimize the splitting of municipalities and precincts.