In North Carolina, Republicans Got Greedy. Now They’re Getting Schooled.
Published: Oct. 26, 2026
Listen · 16:16 min
By Frank Bruni – Mr. Bruni is a contributing Opinion writer who was on the staff of The Times for more than 25 years.
You’re reading the Frank Bruni newsletter. Reflections on the mess (and magic) of politics and life.
Around this time a year ago, President Trump and his MAGA acolytes saw North Carolina as a trough at which they could gluttonously feed.
They decided that its U.S. House delegation of 10 Republicans and four Democrats — already a mockery of a purple state with roughly equal numbers of voters in each party — wasn’t lopsided enough, so they successfully pressured Republicans in the State Legislature to gerrymander the existing gerrymander, with the aim of an 11-3 split after the midterms.
They envisioned oodles of money pouring into North Carolina to ensure that its 2026 Senate contest went Republicans’ way and that Democrats, who hadn’t won a Senate race in the state since 2008, continued their losing streak. How confident they were. How cocky.
How premature.
Last week, [Sabato]’s Crystal Ball, a prominent newsletter that tracks elections, changed its ratings for North Carolina’s First and 11th Congressional Districts, once thought to be Trump territory, to “leans Democratic,” reflecting a continued nationwide mood shift in favor of Democrats.
That update coincided with the release of an Emerson College poll that put Jamie Ager, the Democratic nominee in the 11th, an astonishing 13 percentage points ahead of the Republican nominee, Jennifer Balkcom. If Democrats indeed prevail in the 11th and the First, North Carolina’s U.S. House delegation after the midterms would probably be nine Republicans and five Democrats. Political analysts in North Carolina tell me that such an outcome is as good a bet as any.
Read more: Opinion – Republican Greed Will Backfire in North Carolina’s Midterm Elections – The New York TimesContinue/Read Original Article: Opinion | Republican Greed Will Backfire in North Carolina’s Midterm Elections – The New York Times
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