NRCC Chairman Richard Hudson Loses North Carolina House Race

Richard Ojeda defeated Rep. Richard Hudson in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District on November 3, a loss for the Republican who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee. The NRCC is the party organization charged with helping elect Republicans to the House. Hudson has represented the state in Congress since 2013 and has chaired the committee since 2023.

With 99% of ballots counted, Ojeda received 51.1% of the vote to Hudson’s 48.9%. The close result overturned expectations: the district had been held by Republicans since 1963, and the Cook Political Report had rated the race Likely Republican. President Donald Trump carried the district by 16 points in 2024.

The outcome came as Democrat Roy Cooper won North Carolina’s Senate race against Republican Michael Whatley. Cooper led by nearly 20 points as of 10 p.m. on November 3, and his strong showing helped Democrats in other contests in the state. Republicans had pulled back investment in the Senate race after Cooper built a substantial advantage.

Hudson is the second congressional campaign committee chair to lose a reelection bid in the past two midterm cycles. In 2022, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, then head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, lost his New York House race. North Carolina Republicans had also redrawn the state’s congressional map with the stated aim of creating another GOP seat.

GOP Campaign Chief Falls as Democrats Sweep North Carolina Races

North Carolina voters rejected the Republican who leads the House GOP’s campaign operation, handing Democrat Richard Ojeda a victory over Rep. Richard Hudson on November 3. Ojeda won 51.1% with 99% of ballots counted, despite the district’s long Republican history and Trump’s 16-point margin there in 2024.

Hudson’s defeat came on a night of broader Democratic gains in the state. Roy Cooper won the Senate contest against Republican Michael Whatley, leading by nearly 20 points as of 10 p.m. Cooper’s advantage also boosted Democrats in other races. Republicans had stopped investing heavily in the Senate contest after Cooper opened a large lead.

The result exposes the limits of the GOP’s campaign machinery: Hudson chaired the National Republican Congressional Committee, whose job is to elect Republicans to the House. The Cook Political Report had rated his race Likely Republican. Meanwhile, North Carolina Republicans had redrawn the congressional map intending to produce another GOP seat. The contrast between that effort and Hudson’s loss underscores the political stakes of the state’s redistricting and campaign strategy.

Hudson’s Loss Shows GOP Campaign Strategy Failed in Safe District

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, the man tasked with helping his party win House races, could not hold his own North Carolina seat. Democrat Richard Ojeda won 51.1% to Hudson’s 48.9% with 99% of ballots counted, despite the district’s long Republican record and Trump’s 16-point victory there in 2024.

The upset raises hard questions for the House GOP’s campaign operation. Hudson has led the National Republican Congressional Committee since 2023, and the race had been rated Likely Republican. Yet Ojeda defeated him in a district Republicans had held since 1963. The result came amid Republican losses across the country on November 3.

North Carolina’s Senate race also went decisively to Democrat Roy Cooper, who led Republican Michael Whatley by nearly 20 points as of 10 p.m. Republicans had largely pulled back spending after Cooper built a substantial advantage. State Republicans had redrawn the congressional map aiming to gain another GOP seat, making Hudson’s defeat an especially stark setback for the party’s efforts to shape and hold its House majority.