In the state House races, incumbents and former politicians won the night in four out of the five races. The most hotly contested race was that of District 60, where an incumbent fended off a primary challenger by less than 100 votes.

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 59 – Republican 

Winner: Alan Branson

Numbers: By 10 p.m. Alan Branson had bested his opponent, Allen Chappell by garnering 70 percent of the vote with 55 percent of precincts reported.

Analysis: Former Guilford County commissioner Alan Branson is a staunch conservative who pushed for lowering taxes and increasing police in schools, served on county commission from 2012-20 before ultimately losing the seat to Democrat Mary Beth Murphy. Branson has been endorsed by incumbent Jon Hardister, who is running for state labor commissioner this year, as well as former Guilford County Sheriff BJ Barnes and fellow past county commissioners Jeff Phillips and Justin Conrad.

In November, Branson will face Democrat Tanneshia Dukes.

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 60 – Democrat

Winner: Cecil Brockman

Numbers: By razor-thin margins, incumbent Brockman secured the Democratic nomination over opponent James Adams. The incumbent garnered nearly 51 percent of the vote and 3,047 votes while Adams got 49 percent and 2,964 votes.

Analysis: Brockman has been the representative of House District 60 since he was first elected to the seat in 2015 when he was just 30 years old, making him one of the youngest, and only openly bisexual, state representatives at the time. During his tenure, Brockman has pushed for legislation that would enact police reform, offer free lunch for students, support esports at community colleges, expand the state’s pre-K program and establish an independent redistricting process. But he’s been absent on some very key votes, including during a vote that got rid of permits for pistols. Then in late February, reports showed that a conservative Republican group had sent out mailers on his behalf.

Brockman will face Republican Joseph Perrotta in November.

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 62 – Republican 

Winner: John M. Blust

Numbers: By 10:30 p.m., former State House Representative John Blust, who represented House District 62 from 2004-18 and District 27 from 2001-03, had won 34 percent of the vote with 55 percent of precincts reporting in. The other four candidates in the race were about 14 percentage points behind Blust with Britt Moore and Michelle Bardsley running neck-and-neck for second place. 

Analysis: This go around, Blust is prioritizing defunding diversity and inclusion programs in schools, curbing abortion access and decreasing gun regulation per his campaign website. 

Blust will face Democrat Marjorie Benbow in November.

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 72 – Democrat

Note: There are no Republicans running in this race so Baker runs unopposed in November and is the default winner of this race.

Winner: Amber Baker

Numbers: Baker had a strong showing at the polls, pulling 76 percent of the vote, defeating challenger Marcus Pearson who pulled nearly 24 percent of the vote.

Analysis: Two-term representative Amber Baker first won her seat in 2021. During her tenure, she has pushed for the expunction of certain eviction records from public records to make it easier for people to access housing, advocated for a tax credit for solar panels and pushed for making it illegal to refuse employment or fire someone over a hairstyle.

NC HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 74 – Democrat

WINNER: Amy Taylor North

THE NUMBERS: North defeated Wilder in an 80-20 percent victory. She secured 4,943 votes while Wilder got 1,252.

ANALYSIS: According to her campaign website, Amy Taylor North has volunteered for a Congressional campaign in the past and is passionate about funding public schools. She advocates for free community college for the first two years, protecting reproductive rights, increasing teacher pay, more environmental protections and pushing for gun safety through background checks, permits and banning assault-style weapons. Despite this being her first time running for office, she’s been endorsed by Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines, Mayor Pro Tem Denise Adams, Rep. Evelyn Terry and Sen. Paul Lowe.

North will face incumbent Jeff Zenger in November.

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