Election night live updates: Budd wins Senate seat, GOP appears just short of supermajority

After months of campaigning, Election Day is finally here.

More than 2 million people have already voted during the early voting period, which ran from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5, and millions more will head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots. The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun will provide live updates throughout the day as voting comes to an end and results begin to be reported.

Polls have been open since 6:30 a.m. and closed at 7:30 p.m.

Follow our coverage by refreshing this page to find the latest updates, and following the rest of our reporting at newsobserver.com.

GOP and Dems split state’s 14 Congressional districts

Updated 12:45 a.m.: State Sen. Don Davis will represent Eastern North Carolina in Congress after defeating Sandy Smith on Tuesday and keeping the seat in Democratic hands. Davis, 51, a Greene County resident, is a six-term state senator who grew up in Eastern North Carolina. He served in the U.S. Air Force and was mayor of Snow Camp at 29 years old. He also served as a minister and educator.

Rep. G.K. Butterfield, a Democrat, currently holds the seat — and has since 2004 — but plans to retire at the end of his term this year.

With Davis’s victory, Democrats and Republicans will each represent half of the state’s 14 congressional districts.

Nickel appears poised to defeat Hines

Updated 12:26 a.m.: Wiley Nickel, a two-term Democratic state senator from Cary, appears likely to win a highly competitive race for Congress from the Triangle, according to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results showed Nickel leading Hines by just over 7,000 votes, or about 2.6 percentage points.

Shortly before 11:40 p.m., Nickel’s Republican opponent, Bo Hines, appeared before supporters to congratulate Nickel and concede the race.

Baldwin relected Raleigh mayor with reshaped council

Updated 12:16 a.m.: Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin has won a second term leading a very different set of council members than her first term.

She’ll return to the board along with Council members Corey Branch, Stormie Forte and Jonathan Melton but also joined by four newcomers to political office. The group will likely be split on contentious issues like growth and community engagement which dominated the conversation during the election. Newcomers include Mary Black, Jane Harrison, Christina Jones and Megan Patton.

Budd wins N.C. Senate seat

Updated 12:05 a.m.: Rep. Ted Budd has defeated former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in the race to fill outgoing Sen. Richard Burr’s seat, The Associated Press reports.

As of 12:05 a.m., Budd had 50.71% of the vote to Beasley’s 47.07%, according to unofficial results from the North Carolina State Board of Elections.

“I am beyond grateful for your unwavering support throughout this election,” Budd told his supporters in an email. “I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say that we could not have done this without committed friends like you. Our victory tonight sends a clear message that North Carolinians are ready for a new direction in Washington.”

GOP flips control of NC Supreme Court

Updated 11:52 p.m: Republicans appear to have flipped the state’s highest court.

“Democrats have controlled the court for the last six years, and have a 4 to 3 majority now,” writes N&O political reporter Will Doran. “But with nearly all of the votes counted Tuesday night, Republicans appear to have flipped both those seats and will head into 2023 with a 5 to 2 GOP majority on the state’s highest court.”

Birkhead to continue as Durham sheriff

Updated 11:47 p.m: Clarence Birkhead easily won a second term as Durham County sheriff earlier Tuesday night, staving off a challenge from a retired FBI agent who said she could help Durham combat gang violence.

Birkhead beat Maria Jocys with 71.5% of the vote, according to unofficial results reported by the State Board of Elections.

Wake school board split

Updated 11:43 p.m: Wake County voters kept a Democratic majority on the school board but elected two new conservative members on Tuesday.

The school board races are officially nonpartisan, but candidates backed by the Wake County Democratic Party were leading in seven of the nine board seats as of 11:20 p.m. Tuesday.

But the election of Republican-backed candidates Cheryl Caulfield and Wing Ng will lead to a new conservative minority that’s expected to fight over issues such as what books should be allowed in school libraries.

GOP appear one seat short of supermajority

Updated 11:10 p.m: Unofficial results show that Republicans appear to have captured a supermajority of seats in the state Senate but are at least one seat short in the House, ensuring Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper still has veto power over legislation.

Yet Cooper’s margin to ward off a veto override is as thin as can be.

According to an election analysis by N&O reporters Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan and Tyler Dukes, the GOP has won at least 30 seats in the Senate to claim a supermajority in that chamber.

“We got a supermajority. It’s a good feeling,” Dylan Watts, Senate Republican Caucus director, told The News & Observer Tuesday night. “Bobby Hanig and Michael Lee worked their tails off. They ran phenomenal campaigns. Feels nice to get it again,” he said.

But in the House, it looks like Republicans will win up to 71 seats, one short of the amount they needed for a supermajority.

Edwards takes Cawthorn’s seat

Updated 10:45 p.m: State Sen. Chuck Edwards won North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, per the Associated Press. Edwards, who manages McDonald’s franchises in Western North Carolina, defeated polarizing incumbent Rep. Madison Cawthorn in May’s Republican primary before winning the general against Buncombe County Democratic Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara.

Most of Wake remains unreported

Updated 10:35 p.m.: Republicans hold leads in three key statewide races, with the large majority of precincts reported. But many of the outstanding precincts are in counties like Wake with large left-leaning cities.

In the two state Supreme Court races, Republicans Richard Dietz and Trey Allen hold 5-point leads over Democrats Lucy Inman and incumbent Sam Ervin IV with more than 87% of precincts reporting. But only 38 of Wake County’s 208 precincts have reported.

There’s a similar dynamic in the U.S. Senate race, where Rep. Ted Budd holds a 4-point lead over former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley. Almost 88% of precincts have reported but much of Wake (and many parts of Mecklenburg, Guilford, and Forsyth) still need to be counted.

Hines keeps narrowing the gap

Updated 10:13 p.m.: After jumping out to a big edge after early voting, Democratic state Sen. Wiley Nickel has seen his lead in a congressional race dwindle to around 11,000 votes over his opponent, Republican Bo Hines.

But most of the unreported precincts are in Wake County, which could bode well for Nickel. There are currently 54 unreported Wake precincts and 12 unreported precincts in Johnston County.

Both parties have identified the 13th Congressional District, which covers southern Wake County including a sliver of downtown and Southeast Raleigh, as well as all of Johnston County and parts of Harnett and Wayne counties, as a key pickup opportunity that could either help Democrats keep control of the House of Representatives, or deliver Republicans a majority.

Jackson wins North Carolina’s 14th

Updated 9:41 p.m.: The Associated Press has called North Carolina’s 14th district for Democrat Jeff Jackson, a state senator who, for a time, ran against U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley in their party’s primary. Jackson dropped out of that race in December, and a few months later, announced he would be running in the 14th, which covers part of Charlotte.

Bishop, Murphy, Foxx all hold U.S. House seats

Updated 9:35 p.m.: As expected, a trio of GOP incumbents in North Carolina have retained their congressional seats, according to the Associated Press.

Greg Murphy will represent North Carolina’s 3rd District, which encompasses Eastern North Carolina and the Outer Banks. Dan Bishop will represent the 8th District, which stretches from south of Charlotte to Lumberton, while Virginia Foxx will represent a leg-shaped 5th District which sits above Charlotte.

Of the three, Foxx has been in Congress the longest, having taken office in 2005.

Budd overtakes Beasley

Updated 9:14 p.m.: With 44% of precincts reported, Rep. Ted Budd has overtaken former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in the race for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat. Beasley had raced out to a lead from early voting, but Budd now claims about a 19,000-vote advantage.

First Wake school board results come in

Updated 9 p.m.: Though they’re technically nonpartisan, Wake County Board of Education races are another example of Democratic-backed candidates with early leads. According to N&O education reporter T. Keung Hui, eight candidates endorsed by the Wake County Democratic Party are ahead, though it’s worth repeating, early voting tends to favor Democrats.

McHenry and Adams hold seats

Updated 8:50 p.m.: Republican Patrick McHenry and Democrat Alma Adams each win another term in the U.S. House, according to the Associated Press. McHenry represents North Carolina’s 10th Congressional District, which is north of Charlotte and west of Greensboro. He’s been in Congress since 2005. Adams, who represents the 12th Congressional District in Charlotte, has served since 2014.

Early results in state Senate swing districts

Updated 8:30 p.m.: Will Republicans capture a supermajority in the General Assembly? Or will Democrats win enough seats to preserve Gov. Cooper’s veto? Political reporter Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan is tracking the five Senate races and 20 House races that could decide. In those Senate swing districts, Democrats hold an advantage after early voting. But can it hold?

AP calls US House races for Ross and Foushee

Updated 8:21 p.m.: The Associated Press has called two congressional seats for North Carolina Democrats. Incumbent Rep. Deborah Ross will hold on to her 2nd district seat while state Sen. Valerie Foushee wins the 4th district.

Incumbent Wake DA holds early lead

Updated 8:03 p.m.: Early voters have given incumbent Lorrin Freeman the early lead in her quest for a third consecutive term as Wake County district attorney.

Dems build early cushion in Supreme Court races

Updated 7:54 p.m.: Yes, early voting tends to favor Democrats. But it’s still worth taking a look at initial results. In the two hotly contested State Supreme Court races, which will decide the balance of the court, Democrats Lucy Inman and incumbent Sam Ervin IV hold 60-40 leads over their Republican opponents Trey Allen and Richard Dietz.

But expect that lead to shrink as Election Day votes get tabulated.

Polls are now closed

Updated 7:30 p.m.: Polls across the state have now closed. You’ll still be able to vote if you’re already in line. A handful of precincts have extended their voting times due to earlier technical issues, but early voting election results will start coming in.

Another extension of voting hours

Updated 6:35 p.m.: The State Board of Elections approved another extension of voting hours in Eastern North Carolina, this time in New Bern.

The hours are being extended in just one Craven County precinct by 25 minutes. That’s the amount of time the precinct was down earlier Tuesday.

Voters who arrive between 7:30 p.m., when polls close statewide, and 7:55 p.m. will have their votes considered as provisional ballots.

What’s really at stake....

Updated 4:10 p.m.: Zarrin Brooks and Tim Goins stopped by their polling site near the Museum of Life and Science in Durham late Tuesday afternoon.

A poll worker standing outside said only a small number of people had come out to vote in the midterm election. But Brooks, 50, and Goins, 49, said they have voted in every election for the last 30 years. This year, it was particularly important, Brooks said.

“With everything that has been going on since before our previous president, this is the best we can do. The fact that my daughters have less rights now than I had. I have daughters in their 20s, and it scares me what they’re going to have if we don’t stop this.”

The Supreme Court and what could happen there also has him worried, Goins said.

“The whole foundation of our country and the right to vote, and women’s rights and equal opportunities for everybody is really at stake,” Brooks said.

At one Raleigh polling place, frustration is up and turnout is down

Updated 3:55 p.m.: Otis Allen, 73, has been a poll greeter for the Democratic Party for nearly 20 years. He said this year’s voter turnout seems underwhelming, which he attributes to lackluster candidates and broken promises by politicians.

“In 2016, cars were lined up around the block,” said Allen, who was working Tuesday at the Abundant Life Christian Center polling place in Raleigh. “A lot of people have lost trust and faith and don’t know if the people they vote into office will fulfill their obligations.”

Allen himself has become frustrated with politicians showing up around election season and disappearing when his community needs them. He has grown so frustrated that he said this will be his last election working at the polls.

“After 7 p.m. today, I’m done,” he said. “I’m hurt and disappointed.”

Polling hours extended in three NC counties

Updated 3:40 p.m.: The North Carolina State Board of Elections has agreed to extend voting hours at individual polling places in three counties because of technical problems.

In Wilson County, the Saratoga-Sanoca Volunteer Fire Station precinct opened about two hours late because of a problem connecting computers and printers. Paul Cox, general counsel of the elections board, said 15 to 20 voters were affected by the delay and will now have an extra hour to return.

In Robeson County, the Gaddys Township Volunteer Fire Department opened an hour late because poll workers didn’t have the code needed to get into the building. An estimated eight voters were affected.

In Columbus County, the Ransom Event Center precinct opened an hour late because of a problem connecting computers and printers. Cox said 25 people were affected by the delay, and all but five had already returned before the regular closing time.

All three polling locations will now close an hour later, at 8:30 p.m.

Elections results from Columbus, Robeson and Wilson counties will now be released starting at 8:30 p.m. Results for all other counties will be released starting at 7:30 p.m.

Parents and children and first-time voters

Updated 12:45 p.m.: Young voters also showed up at the polls Tuesday, whether it was children out of school for the day who joined their parents in the voting booth or new voters exercising their right for the first time.

Pittsboro resident Kate DiCato, 36, said she and her husband Tom brought their 5-year-old daughter Lucy with them to the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center because voting is a way to ensure “the best for her future, obviously, and for my son.”

They left the 2-year-old at daycare, she said.

She votes in every election, DiCato said, and wants to make sure her voice is counted, especially in terms of who makes the decisions.

“I think we have a lot of growth to do in this area, and I want to make sure that the right people are in place to ensure that we’re getting more progressive ideas into town politics and state politics,” she said.

Shannon Wolfgang and her son Cole also came out to have their say. This was 18-year-old Cole Wolfgang’s first election, and on election night, he planned to work as a stringer for the Associated Press covering Durham’s polls.

As a young voter, Cole had a few suggestions for elected officials and election workers. They need to fix the voting process, because it takes too long, he said, but the negative ads also need to stop.

“I have been seeing a lot of these negative ads. I’m not a big fan of them, so if I see someone constantly running negative ads, that will actually make me not want to vote for them,” he said.

His mom had a more issues-oriented take on why she votes.

“I think I’m mostly interested in the local issues: education, our sheriff. There’s a lot of change happening in this particular area,” she said.

Mostly congenial in Holly Springs

Updated 12:30 p.m.: Holly Springs Cultural Center was a bastion of calm during a contentious day of voting.

Groups of Democrats and Republicans gathered 50 feet from the door, quietly debating politics among themselves.

“I said, let’s be respectful and civil towards one another and we have,” said Oksana Sharapova, with the Republican Party.

Lesli Doares, with the Wake County Democratic Party, agreed: “We’re trying to show by example that you can disagree in a civil way,” she said. “We’re thanking people for voting, no matter who they voted for.”

The groups, who had been there since 5:30 a.m. handing out voter guides, even warned each other if they missed an incoming voter.

David Roten, the precinct chief, said about 300 people had voted at the community center by noon.

Some voters weren’t quite as pacific with their disagreements.

Larry Burlison said “fascism” was his biggest reason for voting. “(Republicans) don’t even believe in democracy,” he said. “It’s not even about politics, it’s about rights.”

In Pittsboro, tension and a 30-minute wait

Updated 12:05 p.m.: Pittsboro voters were waiting 30 minutes or more just before midday Tuesday outside the Chatham County Agriculture & Conference Center voting site on U.S. 64.

Democratic Sheriff Mike Roberson, who was facing a challenge from Republican Marcus Globuschutz, stood under a tent near the parking lot talking with voters. He also had borrowed his dad’s Ford pickup truck to bring a giant campaign sign to the event, he said.

The precinct has seen some controversy in recent years, due to tensions between Confederate statue supporters and white supremacists, and the anti-racism protesters who have come out repeatedly to oppose them.

In 2020, several people showed up during early voting with Confederate flags, Trump banners and a flag representing the League of the South, a neo-Confederate white supremacy group. Members of the group, who yelled racist and homophobic remarks at passers-by, told the Triad City Beat that they were there to protest a seminar about the Confederate monument.

Earlier this year, a Siler City mayoral candidate and a county commission candidate reported receiving racist and homophobic threats in text messages.

Paula Cappabianca, 59, who moved to Pittsboro last year, said the election this year appears to be going well. She has never missed an election in 41 years, Cappabianca said.

“I wish people would get along a lot better. That’s for sure,” she said. “People have lost their human side. This has become a lot of arguing, and I just don’t like that.”

Is a ‘blood moon’ any way to start Election Day?

Updated 10:45 a.m.: Election Day still stretched far ahead for Orange County Elections Director Rachel Raper, who was fielding questions and directing staff around 10 a.m. Tuesday.

“The ‘blood moon’ lunar eclipse did not fill me with joy this morning,” she said, laughing. “A lunar eclipse and Election Day are not something I want to happen at the same time, but again I haven’t had any issues or complaints today.”

At the Carrboro precinct, voting was steady but slow. A few voters stood confused at the front door of Town Hall, where the precinct voting has happened in the past. This year, the precinct moved to a small white house on Bim Street behind the fire department.

Jorge Quinones, a 75-year-old Puerto Rican native who moved to Carrboro to be near his daughter, said he was there to cast his ballot because it is important.

“I believe in democracy, and I feel that every citizen has the right to vote (in a) democracy.”

Lynne Starr, an Orange Democrats volunteer who was handing out sample ballots to passers-by, listened to Quinones and said she agreed and hoped for more turnout. The early voting numbers were down in Orange County this year, she and another volunteer said.

“The economy will come back. Democracy may not,” Starr said, noting the number of attack and false campaign ads on television and the internet this year. She shared a text message from a friend about a conversation with someone who came out to oppose Democratic candidates because they are “pedophiles,” the text said.

“All I’ve seen on the other side is attack ads that are attacking things that are not the truth. How can they get away with that? I just don’t get it.”

No early lines in Alamance County

Updated 9:45 a.m.: A few voters were starting to trickle into the North Graham precinct on College Street in Graham at 8:30 Tuesday morning, but campaign workers and poll watchers were expecting long lines.

Carolina Jews for Justice had a booth set up on one side of the parking lot with snacks and cold drinks, chalk to entertain the kids, and nonpartisan voting materials.

Nearby, volunteers with the nonpartisan group Democracy NC were standing by in case of voter problems.

Another 50 feet away, at the center of the lot, a military Humvee flew U.S. and MIA-POW flags. Placards for Alamance County Sheriff Terry Johnson covered the windshield.

Johnson’s race against challenger Kelly White is probably the biggest local race in Alamance County this year, said Wayne Brewer, a retired Vietnam veteran who lives in Graham and was canvassing for Johnson.

A poll watcher who identified herself only as Bjorn said the group was concerned that the Humvee could be intimidating to some voters.

“It was a party out here” on the last day of early voting Saturday, Bjorn said.

The line that day was out the parking lot and down the street, added Abby Lublin, a Durham resident with the Power, Protection and Encouragement voter campaign, part of BluePrint NC.

“This program is in counties all over the state,” Lublin said.

“We’re not partisan, so we have nonpartisan voting guides, it’s really just about making sure (elections are fair),” she said. “And we’re all trained in de-escalation, so while it looks like we’re having a party, we’re watching to make sure there’s no potential (issues).”

While the site was quiet Tuesday morning, they noted there were some problems Saturday, when a voter complained that Johnson was not listed as a candidate on her ballot.

Johnson’s campaign repeated the claim on Facebook, adding that “numerous voters” had found incorrect ballots and that a man also was arrested “for pulling up the sheriff’s campaign signs.”

The Alamance County Board of Elections investigated the claims, noting in a news release Saturday that the claims were reported after voters had cast their ballots instead of telling workers at the precinct.

“Elections staff verified that all candidates that are supposed to be on ballots are correctly listed. Any information a candidate is not on a ballot is not correct,” Elections Director Dawn Huddle said in the news release.

The Alamance County Board of Elections has determined that Sheriff Johnson’s name was not missing from ballots. Read the story here.

The U.S. Department of Justice sent poll watchers to Alamance County and several other N.C. counties on Tuesday to check for irregularities.

“I still have a little hope”

Updated 9:30 a.m.: Fatima Jerhaoui voted at the Chavis Memorial Park Community Center in Raleigh Tuesday morning.

The main issues for her are getting inflation down — “the prices are killing us” — lowering crime and dealing with the mental illness crisis.

She said many of her friends who have voted for 20 years or more have given up this year. “They’re not seeing any change,” she said, but, “I still have a little hope.”

Alfred Moore, who also voted at the Chavis Community Center, said education is a big issue for him and “right now, we are falling behind.”

Moore said he voted for candidates who are trying to make a change because “the system is just not working right now”

Polls open, no reported problems

Updated 8:45 a.m.: Polls have been open a bit more than two hours in the Triangle and across North Carolina, and so far there have been no reported problems with ballots, machines or long lines.

In Raleigh, Angela and Kent Kilpatrick were among the early voters at Project Enlightenment School in Boylan Heights.

Abortion was the issue that drove the Kilpatricks to the polls on a national level. Locally, they’re concerned about sustainable growth in Raleigh and residents being “squeezed out by condos.”

Use our voter guides to research candidates

Updated 6 a.m.: If you’re voting today and still need to research the candidates running for office in your area, click on the N&O and Herald-Sun voting guides below to see where candidates stand on issues like abortion, immigration, and education, and what they describe as their top priorities.

▪ Wake County

▪ Durham County

▪ Orange County

▪ Chatham County

▪ Johnston County

▪ Harnett County

▪ Franklin County

We also asked candidates running for the state legislature where they stand on important issues. Those responses can be found here.

More information about the election can be found at newsobserver.com/voter-guide.

Several high-stakes races on the ballot

Updated 6 a.m.: Races on the ballot Tuesday include high-profile and competitive contests that could have major ramifications for the balance of power in Washington and Raleigh.

An open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Richard Burr is up for grabs, and could help determine which party controls the upper chamber of Congress, where Democrats currently enjoy a razor-thin 50-seat majority with Vice President Kamala Harris’s tie-breaking vote.

And in the suburbs southwest of Raleigh, and other parts of central North Carolina, voters will decide whether to elect to the U.S. House a Democratic state senator, or a political newcomer endorsed by Donald Trump. The race in the 13th district is North Carolina’s most competitive this cycle, and the outcome could decide control of the House, which is also held by Democrats, but by just a handful of seats.

At the state level, Republicans are hoping to flip a handful of seats in the General Assembly to deliver them a supermajority, which would allow GOP lawmakers to pass legislation over vetoes by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. And when it comes to the N.C. Supreme Court, Republican victories in even one of the two races on the ballot would give them control of the state’s highest court.

Other important races on the ballot in the Triangle include races for sheriff, district attorney, school board, county commissioners, and mayor.