Democrats Flip First House Seat in North Carolina as Florida GOP Map Falls Short

Democrats picked up their first Republican-held House seat of the night in western North Carolina, while Republicans’ plan to gain seats through Florida redistricting appeared to fall short early Tuesday.

The Associated Press declared Democrat Jamie Ager the winner in North Carolina’s 11th District at 8:53 p.m. ET. He led Republican Jennifer Balkcom 60.3% to 38.4% with 83% of the vote counted.

Trump carried the district by 11 points in 2024. The seat opened after Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards ended his reelection bid amid reports of inappropriate relationships with female staffers.

The House later censured Edwards for inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers, AP reported. Balkcom, a state legislator, replaced him on the ballot with less than three months to campaign.

Vice President JD Vance announced nearly $900 million in Hurricane Helene recovery funding at an October rally in Hendersonville, Balkcom’s hometown, the Washington Examiner reported. Slow recovery was a central issue.

Ager, a farmer whose grandfather once represented the district, raised $2.3 million in the third quarter, while Balkcom raised $355,134, according to Federal Election Commission figures cited by the Washington Examiner.

Florida Redistricting Under Pressure

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP lawmakers redrew the congressional map to add four Republican-leaning seats. Early returns suggested the plan was not delivering what Republicans hoped.

AP declared Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz the winner in the 25th District at 8:07 p.m. ET. He led former Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer 51.5% to 46.4% with 95% counted.

Moskowitz won a third term after shifting to a nearby Republican-leaning district, and AP said the contest was one of the most expensive House races of the election cycle.

Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor held the Tampa-area 14th District. AP called that race at 8:13 p.m. ET, with Castor at 51.2% to Republican Mike Beltran’s 45.9% and 97% counted.

Trump would have carried Castor’s redrawn district by more than 10 points, according to the Washington Examiner, which described the contest as a bellwether for Democratic incumbents.

In the open 22nd District, CNN projected Democrat Pia Dandiya the winner over Republican Casey Askar, Newsweek reported. Our check did not find an AP call in that race.

Rep. Darren Soto’s 9th District race against Republican Dan Green was tied at 50% each with 96% counted, according to the Washington Examiner. That race had not been called.

Republicans held a 218-214 House majority heading into Tuesday, according to WTOP. Democrats need a net gain of three seats to win control, according to AP.

In Virginia, WTOP reported that Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman held the competitive 7th District, while GOP Reps. Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman faced challenges whose results were still pending.

Many races in the West and in states with slower counts were still outstanding as of about 9:15 p.m. ET Tuesday, and House control had not been decided.

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