Candidate filing opens Monday for North Carolina’s 2026 races. What to know.
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- Candidate filing opens noon Monday for almost three weeks for 2026 races.
- Candidates file with state or county boards depending on office sought.
- Major contests include US Senate, all US House seats and full state legislature.
Voters will soon get their first look at who plans to run in North Carolina’s next election cycle.
Candidate filing for the 2026 elections opens Monday and marks the official start of the campaign season ahead of the March primary and November general election.
Here’s what to know about how the process works, who can run and what’s on the ballot.
What is candidate filing?
Candidate filing is the legal process by which someone formally enters a race for public office.
To appear on the ballot, those wanting to run must submit a notice of candidacy and pay a required filing fee (which varies by office). They must file with the appropriate elections board office.
The filing period opens at noon Monday and closes at noon Dec. 19, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.
Where do candidates file?
Where candidates file depends on the office they’re seeking.
Candidates for the following offices file with the State Board of Elections in Raleigh:
- U.S. Senate
- U.S. House of Representatives
- N.C. Supreme Court
- N.C. Court of Appeals
- Superior Court
- District Court
- District attorney
Candidates for the N.C. General Assembly and for all county and local offices file with their county board of elections. Notices of candidacy can sometimes also be submitted by mail, according to the NCSBE.
Candidates can withdraw from the ballot until Dec. 16.
When are the elections?
- Primary election: March 3, 2026
- General election: Nov. 3, 2026
North Carolina has one of the earliest primaries.
This year, Texas and Arkansas are also holding their primaries on March 3, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Other states will vote later in March, with additional primaries in May, June and August.
What is a primary?
In state primary elections, voters choose which candidates from their party will advance to the general election across various partisan offices.
In presidential election years — which this year is not — voters also select their party’s preferred nominee for president. The candidate who wins the most votes typically receives most of the state’s delegates, who then cast votes at the party’s national convention. The convention winners move on to the general election.
For nonpresidential races, the primary winner is the candidate who receives the most votes and, in some contests, meets a required threshold to avoid a runoff. That candidate advances to the general election. Every U.S. state and territory uses primaries for at least some offices, according to the NCSL.
Who can run?
Requirements vary by office, but generally, candidates must:
- Be a registered North Carolina voter
- Meet age requirements by the general election date
Additional rules apply for specific offices. People with felony convictions may run for office if their voting rights have been restored, but sheriff candidates must have never been convicted of a felony.
People currently serving felony sentences are barred from running for office, with the exception of federal races.
What’s on the ballot?
Many major offices in North Carolina will be up for election in 2026.
On the ballot:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- All 14 of North Carolina’s U.S. House seats
- All 120 seats in the state House
- All 50 seats in the state Senate
Multiple judicial races are on the ballot statewide and locally, including a state Supreme Court race in which Democratic Justice Anita Earls, who is seeking another term, is being challenged by Republican Rep. Sarah Stevens.
Several local elections are also on the ballot, including races for counties, school districts and municipal offices.
What are some notable races?
Republican U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis has said he will not seek another term, making North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race one of the most closely watched contests in 2026.
Candidates who have said they will enter the race include former Gov. Roy Cooper for Democrats and former Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley for Republicans.
Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Budd is not up for reelection until 2028. In Congress, all 14 members of North Carolina’s U.S. House delegation have signaled plans to seek reelection.
That includes U.S. Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat, who has said he will run again but has not announced which seat he will seek after this year’s Republican-led redistricting moved his home into a different district. Davis lives in Snow Hill but was drawn out of the 1st District and into the neighboring 3rd District represented by Rep. Greg Murphy, a Republican from Greenville. Congressional candidates are not required to live in the districts they represent.
Counties previously represented by Davis were shifted into Murphy’s district, diluting Black and Democratic voting strength in the 1st District. Once considered a swing district, the 1st is now expected to favor Republicans — a shift that is expected to lead to an 11–3 GOP advantage, up from the current 10–4 split.
A panel of federal judges on Wednesday rejected an effort to prevent the new congressional map from taking effect before the midterm elections, The News & Observer reported. Any appeal of the ruling would go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Absentee voting begins Jan. 12 for the primary election.
This story was originally published November 30, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Candidate filing opens Monday for North Carolina’s 2026 races. What to know.."
