North Carolina’s 5th District House Race 2026

Mecklenburg County commissioners are weighing whether to form an audit advisory committee to oversee how Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools (CMS) spends money, as the district faces five separate investigations into alleged financial irregularities. The idea draws on a similar committee in Forsyth County, created after a nearly $46 million budget gap was discovered in the Winston-Salem school district due to overspending. That committee has seven expert members who review finances and recommend corrective actions. Mecklenburg County Manager Michael Bryant has contacted his Forsyth County counterpart for guidance.

At-Large Commissioner Arthur Griffin says an audit committee would increase accountability to taxpayers, who contribute more than $4,000 annually per CMS student. No misuse of funds has been confirmed yet, but Bryant said any confirmed irregularities would factor into his recommended budget next spring. Griffin wants deeper budget discussions with CMS beyond brief question-and-answer sessions. He noted the situation has drawn national attention, with inquiries from as far as Los Angeles and Yale University. Budget discussions for next year begin in a few months.

Early voting opened in Forsyth County, North Carolina, with steady lines reported at locations including the Clemmons Library. More than 5,000 people had cast ballots across the county's early voting sites by Thursday afternoon, a pace comparable to the first day of early voting in the 2022 midterms, when 5,067 people voted. County Director of Elections Tim Tsujii said he expects turnout this year to set a new record.

The county has expanded to more than a dozen early voting locations, two more than in previous cycles, and voters can cast ballots at any site rather than a designated precinct. Races on the ballot include the U.S. Senate contest and the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board election. Voters must bring photo ID. Early voting continues through Saturday, Oct. 31, with officials noting the first two days and the final day typically see the heaviest turnout.

A Winston-Salem, North Carolina woman has been indicted in connection with the May 18, 2026 mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O'Neill announced. FBI and local law enforcement officials joined O'Neill to detail the charges, though further specifics on the woman's alleged role have not yet been released.

The shooting killed three men, including a longtime mosque security guard credited with limiting the attack's toll. Two teenage suspects, ages 17 and 18, died by suicide in a vehicle near the scene after fleeing a home where a parent had reported one of them missing and armed. Investigators found evidence of "generalized hate rhetoric" and are treating the case as a hate crime, though no specific threat had been made against the center beforehand. The indictment marks the first known criminal charge tied to the attack beyond the deceased shooters, raising questions about who else may face prosecution as the investigation continues.

Property records show Democratic candidate LaKesha Womack, who is challenging Republican Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina's 14th Congressional District, purchased a home in neighboring District 12 this summer while her official voting address — located in District 14 — appears on Zillow as a rental listing. Womack initially agreed to discuss the matter but later canceled the interview and has not responded to further requests for comment.

The Constitution does not require House members to live in the districts they represent, only that they reside in the state, be at least 25 years old, and have held U.S. citizenship for seven years. Still, a WBTV review found two of North Carolina's 14 House members registered to vote outside their districts: Womack and Republican Rep. Brad Knott, whose Raleigh voting address falls in District 2 rather than his District 13. A third representative, Democrat Don Davis, was redrawn out of his old district in last year's redistricting and is now running in a seat reconfigured to favor Republicans.

President Trump campaigned in Greenville, North Carolina, urging voters to back Senate candidate Michael Whatley, who trails former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper by a wide margin in polling for the seat of retiring Senator Thom Tillis. The race could help determine Senate control after the November 3 midterms. National Republican groups, including the Senate Leadership Fund, have pulled spending from the contest, and early voting data show Democrats casting ballots at twice the rate of Republicans in the state. Trump's approval rating has fallen to 31%, with 68% of Americans disapproving of his economic handling amid rising gas prices. Competitive House races in the state have also drawn tens of millions in outside spending.

Early voting opens Oct. 15 and runs through Oct. 31 in North Carolina, a key battleground in the 2025 midterms. The marquee race is the open U.S. Senate seat left by retiring Republican Thom Tillis, pitting Democrat and former Gov. Roy Cooper against Republican Michael Whatley, the Trump-backed former RNC chair, with Green and Libertarian candidates also on the ballot. Democrats are targeting the seat as part of a broader push to flip the four seats needed for Senate control.

The ballot also includes competitive U.S. House races, including Charlotte-area districts held by Reps. Alma Adams, Tim Moore and Mark Harris, plus down-ballot contests for the N.C. Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, state legislature, and Mecklenburg County offices. Voters will also weigh in on constitutional amendments covering voter ID, income tax caps and property tax limits, along with Charlotte bond measures for transportation, housing and neighborhood improvements. Election Day is Nov. 3, with North Carolina's results seen as a bellwether for national party control in Washington.

An NRCC ad targeting Jamie Ager, the Democratic candidate in North Carolina's 11th District, highlights a past "kid-friendly" farm festival where drag performers from the Beer City Sisters, including figures using names like "Sister Domina Trix," appeared. Ager's Hickory Nut Gap Farm had publicly thanked the group for attending the 2019 event before later locking the related Facebook post.

Performers and LGBTQ advocates, including Blue Ridge Pride, disputed the ad, with some performers claiming parts of the footage were AI-generated and issuing cease-and-desist demands. The NRCC stands by the ad. The dispute has become a flashpoint in the closely watched race days before the election.

Former Governor Roy Cooper holds a double-digit lead over Republican Michael Whatley in North Carolina's US Senate race, built on a message focused on affordability and healthcare costs. Cooper, who spent six years securing Medicaid expansion from a GOP-controlled legislature, is campaigning against Trump-backed healthcare cuts and the rollback of Obamacare subsidies, which he blames for rising premiums. Republican super PACs have pulled TV ad spending from the state to shore up other races, and Trump plans to rally for Whatley, a political newcomer and former RNC chair. With Republicans holding a narrow Senate majority, Democrats need the North Carolina seat as part of a broader path to control the chamber, and strategists see Cooper's approach as a potential model for other moderate Democrats.