Early voting for the 2026 primary starts Feb. 12 with a total of 18 races for state, local and federal positions appearing on the ballot in Watauga County.
The bids for the United States Senate and House of Representatives candidacy stand out with the most names on the ballot. The Senate race in particular is expected to be one of the most notable of 2026 after Sen. Thom Tillis announced his retirement and North Carolina’s former governor entered the race.
Cooper has four decades of experience working in North Carolina politics. He served as the 75th governor of the state for two terms. Before that, he was the 50th attorney general and served in both the state House and Senate.
Cooper is a Democrat, and according to his campaign website, he “believes that if we work together, we can build a North Carolina that works for everyone.”
Whatley is a Watauga County native who was raised in Blowing Rock. The former chair of the Republican National Committee was reelected to the position in 2025 but vacated the seat after announcing his Senate campaign. Additionally, he chaired the North Carolina Republican Party.
Before he chaired the RNC, Whatley was selected by President Donald Trump in 2016 to oversee the administration’s Farm and Energy Plan and continued the role in Trump’s second term. At the Watauga GOP’s Lincoln-Reagan Dinner, Whatley spoke about his close personal relationship with Trump and the work they did together in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Morrow is a former nurse and educator from Mecklenburg County. In 2024, she won the Republican candidacy for Superintendent of Public Instruction against incumbent Catherine Truitt but lost in the general election.
Although not receiving his endorsement, Morrow has aligned herself with Trump. Her website reads, “President Trump has taken America back from the brink. Now, it’s time we take back North Carolina.”
Fewer candidates are on the ballot to represent North Carolina’s 5th Congressional District in the House. The district, which encompasses Watauga alongside nine other counties, has been consistently won by the current representative since 2005.
Incumbent Republican Foxx is the dean, or longest-serving member, of North Carolina’s congressional delegation. She currently chairs the House Committee on Rules, which is responsible for the guidelines under which bills are introduced, debated and voted on.
After being reelected in 2024, Foxx described herself as a “strong conservative” and said she expects to continue voting in the House the way her district wants her to vote.
Hubbard is a Democrat from Wilkes County who worked as a journalist for the Wilkes Journal-Patriot. He opposed Foxx in the 2024 election, winning 40% of the vote. According to his campaign website, Hubbard is involved with the board of Wilkes Recovery Revolution, the Wilkes Child Abuse Prevention Team and the Wilkes Prison Ministry.
If elected, Hubbard’s website reads he will apply the same mindset to politics as he did journalism: “rejecting political theater and focusing on what’s important — improving the lives of the folks back home.”
Creekmore is a 24-year-old North Carolina A&T graduate born in Florida and raised in Greensboro. According to his campaign website, Creekmore is running on five central issues: healthcare for all, higher school funding and teacher pay, workers’ union power, climate justice and gun reform.
“I am not running to be another quiet vote in Congress,” Creekmore’s website reads. “I am running to be the kind of representative I never saw growing up: transparent, accountable, and unafraid to call out corruption no matter what party it hides in.”
Voters can access their sample ballots and view their registered party through the North Carolina Voter Search.
