The north carolina delegation
congressional officials …
North Carolina is a relatively diverse and electorally stable congressional delegation.
Of the 16 members in the 2022-2023 class, five are female, and 11 are male. Three are minority representation through the end of the year. Five are lawyers, one has a medical degree, three hold doctorates, and six have Master’s degrees.
The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill has conferred seven degrees - the highest received by any delegation member from within the state. North Carolina State University and East Carolina University have conferred two degrees each.
Several members of the North Carolina congressional delegation are military, at least one of whom served combat duty. One member is a former speaker of the North Carolina House.
The current average tenure for the delegation is 3.4 terms, assuming everyone completes their service by the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress for ten terms.
Five members of the North Carolina delegation are freshmen in the House, with one Senator serving their first term as well.
When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)
If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.
Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are essential to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. For example, six of the 16 North Carolina delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results the same evening Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.
Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on critical matters because they control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.
Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire and obstructionist to good government in the 21st century is not acceptable.
We are also indicating what we believe today might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections. The overwhelming majority of House members were re-elected in 2022, and neither of the United States Senators is up for re-election this season.
Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:
Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. We do, however, reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.
It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.
Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!
So, would you like to meet these fascinating North Carolinians? If so, keep reading on!
what is thomas looking for?
There are a few potentially vulnerable races Thomas is watching in North Carolina for 2024:
NC01 - Don Davis’ seat (Incumbent D)
NC06 - Kathy Manning’s seat (Incumbent D)
NC13 - Wiley Nickel’s open seat (Incumbent D)
NC14 - Jeff Jackson’s seat (Incumbent D)
the senators
Credit: US Sen. Thom Tillis
United States Senator thom tillis (r)
The senior senator from North Carolina is Thom Tillis, a former state house speaker. Now serving his second term in the Senate, Tillis is a member of the Finance Committee; the Veterans’ Affairs Committee; the Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Judiciary Committee. He is married, the father of two, and a graduate of the University of Maryland.
Thomas Take: Not Up for Re-Election in 2024
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Sen. Ted Budd
United states senator ted Budd (r)
North Carolina’s junior senator was elected in 2022 to his first term. A graduate of Appalachian State University with a Master’s degree from both Dallas Theological Seminary as well as Wake Forest University, Senator Budd was a member of the U.S. House from 2017 to 2023. He is a member of the Armed Services Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; the Science, Space, and Transportation Committee; and the Small Business Committee. Senator Budd is married and the father of three.
Thomas Take: Not Up For Re-Election in 2024
Thomas Rank: D
the representatives
Credit: US Rep. Don Davis
district 1 - u.s. rep. don davis (D)
Congressman Don Davis is an Air Force veteran who graduated from the United States Air Force Academy. He also has a graduate degree and a doctorate from East Carolina University. His district borders Virginia in the northeast corner of the state. Davis is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee. The Congressman, who is married, is serving his first term.
Thomas Take: Nudging Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 2 - U.S. Rep. deborah ross (D)
Congresswoman Deborah Ross represents a district in the Wake County area. Ross is a graduate of Brown University and earned her law degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Before her House service, Ross lost a U.S. Senate seat in 2016. She was elected to Congress in 2020 and is in her second term. The married Congresswoman is a member of the Judiciary and Rules committees.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Deborah Ross
Credit: U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy
District 3 - U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy (R)
Congressman Greg Murphy is a member of the Ways and Means Committee, House Administration, and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. A two-term member, Congressman Ferguson represents a district on the Atlantic Ocean side of the state which includes the Outer Banks region. He is a graduate of Davidson College and holds a medical degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. The Congressman is married.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
District 4 - U.S. Rep. valerie foushee (d)
Representing central North Carolina in the Durham area, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and is a freshman member having first been elected in 2022. Married and the mother of two, Foushee is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Valerie Foushee
Credit: US Rep. Virginia Foxx
district 5 - U.S. rep. virginia foxx (r)
Virginia Foxx is a ten-term member of the U.S. House who represents a district that comprises the northwest corner of the state in the Piedmont Triad and Appalachian area. A graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, with a graduate and a doctorate from the University of North Carolina Greensboro, Congresswoman Fox is chair of the Education and Workforce Committee and is a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. She is married and the mother of one.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: F
district 6 - U.S. rep. Kathy Manning (D)
The sixth district runs through the Piedmont Triad area and includes Greensboro and Winston-Salem. Congresswoman Manning has announced that she will not be seeking re-election in 2024. Three-term member Manning holds a law degree from the University of Michigan and an undergraduate degree from Harvard University. Married and the mother of three, Congresswoman Manning serves on the Foreign Affairs and Education and Workforce committees.
Thomas Take: Not running for re-election (Open seat) - Nudging Democrat)
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Kathy Manning
Credit: US Rep. David Rouzer
district 7 - U.S. rep. david rouzer (r)
U.S. Representative David Rouzer represents the southernmost district in North Carolina around the Wilmington area down to the South Carolina border. A six-term member of the House, Congressman Rouzer is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and the Agriculture Committee. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University and is not married.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
district 8 - U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop (r)
First elected in a 2019 special election, three-term Congressman Dan Bishop represents a district that encompasses the Southern Piedmont region. Congressman Bishop has announced that he is running for State Attorney General. A graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with both a Bachelor’s and law degree, Congressman Dan Bishop serves on the Homeland Security and Judiciary committees. He is married and the father of one.
Thomas Take: Not Running for Re-Election in 2024 (Running for State Attorney General - Open Seat) - Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
Credit: US Rep. Dan Bishop
Credit: US Rep. Richard Hudson
district 9 - U.S. rep. richard hudson (R)
Representing south-central North Carolina, six-term Congressman Richard Hudson serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The married father of one is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: D
district 10 - u.s. rep. patrick mchenry (r)
Speaker Pro Tempore during the Kevin McCarthy ouster in 2023, ten-term Congressman Patrick McHenry earned his paycheck managing the unruly House of Representatives during that trying period in American history. The Congressman serves a district in the central-western part of the state and serves as chair of the Financial Services Committee and is a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. A graduate of North Carolina State University, McHenry is married, the father of three, and has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2024.
Thomas Take: Not Running for Re-Election in 2024 (Open Seat) - Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: C
Credit: US Rep. Patrick McHenry
Credit: US Rep. Chuck Edwards
district 11 - U.S. Rep. chuck edwards (r)
Congressman Chuck Edwards is a freshman member of Congress who represents western North Carolina. He serves on the Oversight and Accountability Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Edwards attended Blue Ridge Community College, is married, and is the father of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Republican
Thomas Rank: B
district 12 - U.S. Rep. alma adams (d)
Congresswoman Alma Adams serves a district that includes the northern and eastern parts of Charlotte. A five-term member of the House, Congresswoman Adams holds a doctorate from the Ohio State University, and both an undergraduate and graduate degree from North Carolina A&T State University. She is the mother of two and serves on the Agriculture, Education and Labor Committee, and the Financial Services Committee.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Alma Adams
Credit: US Rep. Wiley Nickel
district 13 - U.S. Rep. wiley nickel (d)
A graduate of Tulane University with a law degree from Pepperdine University, freshman Congressman Wiley Nickel serves central North Carolina around Wake County. Congressman Nickel has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in 2024. A member of the Financial Services Committee, the Congressman is not married.
Thomas Take: Not Running for Re-Election in 2024 (Open Seat) - Nudging Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 14 - U.S. Rep. jeff jackson (d)
Representing the Charlotte area, Army combat veteran Jeff Jackson is in his first term in Congress having been elected in 2022. Jackson has announced that he is running for State Attorney General. With a law degree from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and undergraduate and graduate degrees from Emory University in Atlanta, Congressman Jeff Jackson is a member of the Armed Services Committee and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. He ran for a brief period for the U.S. Senate in 2022 but withdrew in favor of being elected to the House. Congressman Jackson is a Major in the Army National Guard, is married, and the father of three.
Thomas Take: Not Running for Re-Election in 2024 (Running for State Attorney General - Open Seat) - Nudging Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Jeff Jackson