This district, located in the northeastern portion of the state, is represented by Democrat
G. K. Butterfield, who first won it in a 2004
special election. It is the only majority-black district in the state, and is overwhelmingly Democratic (
Cook Partisan Voting Index of D+9). It is one of the few districts in the former Confederacy that has not elected a Republican since the end of
Reconstruction. Butterfield was opposed by Republican William A. "Dean" Stephens. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
This district includes several suburban and rural areas near
Raleigh,
Rocky Mount and
Fayetteville. It has been represented by Democrat
Bob Etheridge since 1997. The district is a swing district on paper (CPVI of R+3); it narrowly supported
Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, and gave equally narrow margins to
George W. Bush in 2000 and 2004. However, Etheridge is very popular in this area. In 2008, he faced his 2006 opponent, Republican
Dan Mansell, and Libertarian
Will Adkins. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
This district stretches along the northeastern and east-central portions of the state, including the
Outer Banks. It has been represented by Republican
Walter B. Jones Jr. since 1995. Although Democrats have a 14-point plurality of registered voters, Jones had long been thought to have an unbreakable hold on this district. Much of this area had been part of the 1st prior to 1993, and Jones's father, popular 14-term Democrat
Walter B. Jones Sr., is still an icon in this region. However, Jones's voting record has shifted increasingly to the center for some time, and he has become one of the most vocal Republican opponents of the
Iraq War. This has caused considerable chagrin among Republicans in his district.
Onslow County Commissioner Joe McLaughlin announced in mid-2007 that he would challenge Jones in the Republican primary. Jones defeated McLaughlin in the May 6 primary, with about 60 percent of the vote. 2006 Democratic nominee
Craig Weber won his party's primary over
Marshall Adame, carrying about 70 percent of the vote. The district has a CPVI of R+15—a three-way statistical tie for the most Republican district in the state, making it a very difficult pickup for Democrats on paper. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
This district includes the heart of
the Triangle area, including part of Raleigh and all of
Durham and
Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It has been represented by Democrat
David Price since 1997 (he previously represented the 4th from 1987 to 1995). Despite a CPVI of only D+5, the influence of the state's three major research universities plus Price's status as an
Appropriations subcommittee chairman (or "Cardinal") make Price a heavy favorite. Two Republicans competed in a May primary for the right to face Price: Augustus Cho and
William (B.J.) Lawson. Lawson won, with about 70 percent of the vote. Libertarian Maximillian Longley also ran in the general election. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
Democrats
Roy Carter and Diane Hamby filed to run against incumbent
Virginia Foxx. Carter won the May 6 primary, with just over 50 percent of the vote. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
Democrats Johnny J. Carter, Jay Ovittore, and
Teresa Sue Bratton (
campaign website) filed to run against incumbent
Howard Coble. Bratton won the May 6 primary, with 61 percent of the vote. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
Democratic nominee
Larry Kissell won against incumbent
Robin Hayes, reversing the result from 2006 when Kissell came up only 329 votes short of upsetting Hayes. Libertarian Thomas Hill also ran. CQ Politics rated it as 'No Clear Favorite',[2]The Rothenberg Political Report as 'Toss-Up/Tilt Democratic',[3] and The Cook Political Report as 'Republican Toss Up'[4]
Ross Overby and
Harry Taylor ran in the Democratic primary, and incumbent
Sue Myrick faced opposition from Jack Stratton in the Republican primary. Taylor defeated Overby, with about 58 percent of the vote, while Myrick easily won re-nomination with 92 percent of the vote. Libertarian Andy Grum also ran in the general election. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Republican'.
Republican incumbent
Patrick McHenry defeated Democratic nominee
Daniel Johnson, but the margin of victory was McHenry's smallest to date.[5] Johnson defeated Steve Ivester in the May 6 Democratic primary, with about 60 percent of the vote. McHenry won the Republican primary, garnering about 67 percent of the vote in a race against attorney Lance Sigmon.[6] CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Republican Favored', while Cook Political Report ranked it as 'Likely Republican'.
First-term incumbent
Heath Shuler faced
Carl Mumpower, who won a three-way Republican primary that included Spence Campbell and John C. Armor. Shuler was favored, since he did not face opposition from the man he defeated in 2006, former Rep.
Charles H. Taylor. Libertarian Keith Smith also ran in the general election. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
Incumbent
Mel Watt was the heavy favorite over little-known Republican and U.S. Army veteran Ty Cobb Jr. (no known relation to the baseball legend
Ty Cobb).[7] CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
Incumbent
Brad Miller faced Republican former state senator
Hugh Webster, after easily defeating little-known Derald Hafner in the Democratic primary, with 88 percent of the vote. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.