Richard Ojeda said on Wednesday that he thinks Democrats are on the verge of flipping the North Carolina 9th Congressional District. He tied that view to early voting and to a race he says is moving in his party’s direction before Election Day.
“I think that we’re on the verge of flipping these seats,” Ojeda said at a Wednesday news conference. He added, “I think that we actually have a good-sized lead right now,” “I think Democrats are voting for us” and “I think the majority of unaffiliated are voting for us.”
Cumberland County and the 9th District
It has been 10 years since Fayetteville and Cumberland County had a Democratic representative in the U.S. House. Ojeda’s argument rests on the early-voting pattern that has emerged since mid-October, when Democratic and independent participation rose compared with the 2022 midterms.
That turnout shift is the main evidence he offered for why the 9th District could move. Republican Reps. Richard Hudson in the 9th Congressional District and David Rouzer in the 7th Congressional District were still expected to easily retain their seats going into the 2026 midterms, so Ojeda’s claim runs against the broader race setup.
Kimberly Hardy and David Rouzer
Kimberly Hardy pointed to the same trendline in the 7th District. At the Wednesday news conference, she said an August survey had her trailing David Rouzer 49% to 43%, then added, “We were right behind him, and the lag was because he had name recognition that we didn’t have yet.”
Her camp also pointed to the Power Rankings, which shifted the 7th District from solid Republican to likely Republican on October 27. Ojeda later noted in a Friday news release that the Cook Political Report moved the 9th District from solid Republican to likely Republican as well.
The two rating changes do not mean either seat has flipped, but they do show that both districts moved one step closer to being treated as competitive. For voters in Cumberland County and Fayetteville, that leaves Election Day turnout as the deciding factor between a polling surge and a result that still favors Richard Hudson and David Rouzer.
