LIVE UPDATES: Midterm Election Results in the Carolinas

Vote 2026: Midterm Election Results in the Carolinas

By Andrew McMillan and WSOCTV.com News Staff

CHARLOTTE — Voters in North Carolina and South Carolina are making their voices heard for the 2026 midterm elections, and both states have seen a big increase in turnout.

Now, the question is who those voters are favoring between the Republican and Democratic parties. Two Senate seats are up for grabs, along with every U.S. House seat in the Carolinas, and there are plenty of eyes on how Carolinians will affect control of Congress.

Channel 9 Eyewitness News has crews following the latest updates and election results throughout the night. Scroll down for live updates.

[ >>NC, SC MIDTERM ELECTION RESULTS ]

Midterm Election Live Updates:

8:30 p.m. - Michael Whatley called Roy Cooper to congratulate him on his victory in the North Carolina U.S. Senate race, Channel 9 Reporter Jonathan Lowe learned Tuesday evening.

Channel 9’s Joe Bruno is in Raleigh, where Gov. Josh Stein addressed a crowd of supporters to congratulate Cooper.

>> Click/tap this link for Channel 9’s Special Election Stream <<

8:20 p.m. - Cooper Wins North Carolina

The first results in North Carolina have been posted, and the Tar Heel State clearly showed up for early voting.

Former Gov. Roy Cooper has a commanding lead over Republican candidate Michael Whatley. With over 2.1 million votes counted, Cooper leads Whatley with 67.65% of the vote. The Associated Press already called the race and declared Cooper the winner.

Democrats are also out in front in every Congressional race. The AP called the race for NC’s 12th Congressional District and declared Democrat Alma Adams the winner.

8 p.m. - There may be an upset brewing in South Carolina. With hundreds of thousands of votes now counted, Democrat Annie Andrews has increased her lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Darline Graham. With 67 precincts reporting and about 330,000 votes counted, Andrews leads Graham by about 12,500 votes.

Republicans are in the lead across other statewide races in South Carolina, including governor, attorney general, and secretary of state.

7:30 p.m. - While we’re still waiting for the first results to be posted from North Carolina, we’re starting to see a trickle of results from the Palmetto State.

It’s still way too early to call, but Democrat Annie Andrews led Republican Sen. Darline Graham by just about 1,900 votes in the first batch of vote totals. However, with millions of votes still left to be tallied, the race has the potential to flip back and forth throughout the night.

But at the same time that Andrews is leading the Senate race, Republican Alan Wilson is leading the gubernatorial race over Democrat Jermaine Johnson.

We’re expecting the first numbers from North Carolina at around 8:15 p.m.

7 p.m. - Polls are now closed in South Carolina, though any voters still in line will be able to cast their ballots.

ABC News election coverage is also starting now, and you can watch live at the top of this page or on the WSOC Now app on your TV or streaming device.

5:45 p.m. - South Carolina broke the record for votes in the gubernatorial election, the state announced Tuesday evening.

According to the South Carolina Elections Commission, 1,797,335 voted as of 4:30 p.m. That works out to a little over 53% of all registered voters, which is still just shy of the record percentage turnout of 54.6%, set in 2022.

5 p.m. - Polls are set to close at 7 p.m. in South Carolina and 7:30 p.m. in North Carolina. However, the North Carolina State Board of Elections extended voting due to technical issues at five precincts in four counties: Columbus, Hertford, Lenoir, and Wilson counties.

Due to the extension, we’re expecting to get our first round of election results in North Carolina around 8:15 p.m.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE:

Channel 9 Reporters on the Ground

Here’s where our team of reporters is gathering information in North Carolina and South Carolina:

Channel 9 has a complete list of the races, polling locations and the candidates in your area. Voters can search by county for everything they need to know in our Political Beat Candidate Guide.

[ LINK: The 2026 North Carolina Political Beat Candidate Guide ]

[ LINK: The 2026 South Carolina Political Beat Candidate Guide ]

National Balance of Power

Eyes are on Congressional races across the country as polls show many close races in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate.

The Associated Press is tracking results from outside the Carolinas. Tap the map below for more updates.