Election Day is just under eight weeks away, and I know how easy it is to let that sneak up on you between school pickups, work, and everything else on the calendar. So today I want to do something simple. I want to introduce you to the actual people asking for your vote this November, starting at the top of the ballot and working down through our two Triangle congressional seats. No spin, just who is running and what they are telling voters about themselves.
This is the second stop in a rotation we are running here at TRL between now and Election Day, mixing voting logistics, candidate introductions, and other civic news. Today is candidates. If a race touches your address, I have tried to name and describe every major candidate in it, not just one side.
The U.S. Senate Race: Cooper vs. Whatley
The marquee race on North Carolina’s ballot this year is for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Thom Tillis. Five candidates qualified for the November 3 general election, according to Ballotpedia.
Former Governor Roy Cooper is the Democratic nominee. He served as North Carolina’s governor from 2017 to 2025 and points to job growth during his tenure as a central part of his pitch, along with calls to rebuild FEMA’s disaster response capacity.
Michael Whatley is the Republican nominee. He previously chaired the Republican National Committee and has campaigned on public safety and support for the Trump administration’s agenda, including a pledge to back higher pay for police officers.
Three additional candidates are also on the ballot: Brian McGinnis of the Green Party, Shannon Bray of the Libertarian Party, and Shaunesi Deberry, who is running unaffiliated. Multiple independent forecasters have rated this race a toss up, so every Triangle voter’s ballot genuinely counts here.
NC-02: Central Wake County
North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District covers portions of central Wake County, including much of Raleigh. The incumbent, Democrat Deborah Ross, is seeking re-election. Her Republican challenger is Eugene Douglass, a retired chemistry professor who has taught college chemistry for more than thirty years. According to his Ballotpedia profile, Douglass is campaigning on smaller federal government, eliminating the Department of Education, and opposition to abortion. Libertarian candidate Matthew Laszacs is also on the ballot. You can read more about the district and its candidates at Ballotpedia’s NC-02 race page.
NC-04: Durham, Orange, Chatham, and Eastern Wake
North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District covers all of Durham and Orange counties along with portions of northern Chatham and eastern Wake. Incumbent Democrat Valerie Foushee fended off a primary challenge earlier this year and will face Republican Max Ganorkar, an entrepreneur running under the banner “Constitutionalist for Congress.” You can read his platform at his campaign site. Libertarian Guy Meilleur rounds out the ballot. More detail on the district is available at Ballotpedia’s NC-04 race page.
Why This Matters for Us
The Triangle sits at the center of three genuinely competitive federal races this cycle, and North Carolina as a whole could help decide which party controls the U.S. Senate next year. That is a lot of attention on our corner of the state between now and November 3, and I would rather you hear the plain facts from me than piece it together from thirty second ads.
I will keep introducing candidates and covering the logistics of voting as we get closer to Election Day. In the meantime, take two minutes and confirm you are registered at the address you are currently living at, and check which polling place is yours, using the NC State Board of Elections voter lookup tool. It is quick, it is official, and it means no surprises when you show up to vote.
Sources
- United States Senate election in North Carolina, 2026 – Ballotpedia
- Roy Cooper (D), Michael Whatley (R), and three other candidates are running in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate election on November 3, 2026 – Ballotpedia News
- Roy Cooper for North Carolina (official campaign site)
- Michael Whatley for Senate (official campaign site)
- Roy Cooper, Michael Whatley step up campaigns – Spectrum News
- North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District election, 2026 – Ballotpedia
- Deborah K. Ross for Congress (official campaign site)
- Eugene Douglass – Ballotpedia
- North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District election, 2026 – Ballotpedia
- Valerie Foushee for Congress (official campaign site)
- Max Ganorkar for Congress (official campaign site)
- NC State Board of Elections – Voter Lookup
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