This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) – Your ballots for the 2022 election in North Carolina are close to final, with candidate filing complete and hundreds of names qualified for everything for U.S. Senate to soil conservation boards.

And 26 of those candidates are vying fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Republican Richard Burr. You’ve heard about some of them, but several are sticking their toes into the political water for the first time. There are 13 Republicans, 10 Democrats and a Libertarian who filed the necessary paperwork in Raleigh.

The new congressional map also brought on a slew of new candidates in what is seen as a highly competitive landscape. Elections experts favor Republicans in seven of the 14 races, Democrats in six and rate the 13th District as a toss-up. The GOP has an 8-5 edge, with the census adding a new district and forcing the dramatic change that the courts have overseen.

Candidacy can be challenged for 10 days before everything is set for the ballot, and then anyone can be opposed by qualifying write-in candidates on Nov. 8.

Many of those who have filed for state legislative seats and municipal offices often are unopposed, and even one congressional candidate just got an opponent. Several members of the state Senate and House most likely will be headed back to Raleigh.

Two more candidates for Senate filed before the deadline on Friday morning. Some familiar faces submitted their paperwork on Thursday, including Republican Marjorie Eastman of Cary, who is running for the Senate nomination, Rep. Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) in the 6th Congressional District, entertainer Clay Aiken as a Democrat in the 4th District and former Rep. Renee Ellmers, a Republican, in the open 13th district.  

Many other races will be highly contested, too, including a 15-person melee to challenge Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Hendersonville) in the 11th Congressional District. A judge ruled Friday that a petition to remove Cawthorn for his role in the Jan 6 Capitol insurrection couldn’t go forward, but his slate of opposition had amassed when he first said he would run in a different district under the map originally drawn by the General Assembly but ordered redrawn by the state Supreme Court.

There also are eight Democrats seeking the nomination in the 4th Congressional District, which is open because David Price is retiring. But Rep. Dan Bishop (R-Charlotte) just picked up Democrat Scott Huffman on the ballot in the 8th, which includes Davidson and Montgomery counties from the Triad.  

There are some 24 candidates for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Board of Education. Five so far are running in District 1, 10 in District 2 and nine for the three open at-large seats. All of the board’s nine seats are open.

Candidates for U.S. Senate

Democrats (11, alpha order): Greg Antoine of Fayetteville, Cheri Beasley of Raleigh, Chrelle Booker of Tryon, James L. Carr Jr. of Harrisburg, Robert Colon of Wilmington, Alyssia Rose-Katherine Hammond of Raleigh, Lov Johnson of Charlotte, Tobias LaGrone of Greensboro, B.K. Maginnis of Charlotte, Rett Newton of Beaufort and Marcus Williams of Lumberton.

Republicans (14, alpha order): Jen Banwart of Fuquay Varina, Lee Brian of Clayton, Leonard Bryant of Fayetteville, Drew Bulecza of Lincolnton, Ted Budd of Advance, Marjorie Eastman, Cary, David Flaherty of Cameron, Benjamin Griffiths of Cleveland, Kenneth Harper Jr. of Archdale, Pat McCrory of Charlotte, Charles Kenneth Moss of Randleman, Lichia Sibhatu of Raleigh, Debora Tshiovo of Moravian Falls and Mark Walker of Greensboro.

Libertarian: Shannon Bray of Apex.

US House districts in Triad

4th District (Alamance, along with Orange, Durham, Granville and a speck of Person counties): It’s an open seat following the retirement of David Price (D-Durham). State Sen. Valerie Foushee of Hillsborough, Ashley Ward and Crystal Cavalier of Mebane and Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, Stephen Valentine and Richard Watkins of Durham, Clay Aiken of Durham and Matt Grooms of Butner are seeking the Democratic nomination. Courtney Geels and Robert Thomas of Durham are seeking the GOP nomination. Political lean: Democrat

5th District (Stokes, Surry, Davie, Yadkin, Wilkes, Alleghany and most of Forysth counties et al): Incumbent Ted Budd (R-Advance) is running for the Senate. Incumbent Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-Banner Elk) is being challenged by Michael Ackerman of Banner Elk for the GOP nomination. Kyle Parrish of Cary is seeking the Democratic nomination. Political lean: Republican

6th District (Guilford, Rockingham and most of Caswell and some of Forsyth counties): Incumbent Kathy Manning (D-Greensboro) has filed. Republicans Bill Schuch and Mary Ann Contogiannis of Greensboro, Laura Pichardo of Pelham, Gerry Austin and Lee Haywood of Summerfield, Marvin Boguslawski of Jamestown, Christian Castelli of Asheboro are seeking nomination. Thomas Watercott of Greensboro is a Libertarian candidate. Political lean: Democrat

8th District (Davidson, Montgomery counties et al): There is no incumbent. Rep. Dan Bishop (R-Charlotte) is running in this district. Scott Huffman of Harrisburg has filed for the Democrat nomination. Political lean: Republican

9th District (Randolph County et al): There is no incumbent. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-Concord) is running here, challenged for the nomination by Mike Andriani of Fayetteville, Jen Bucardo of Asheboro and Francisco Rios of Charlotte. State Sen. Ben Clark of Raeford has filed on the Democratic side. Political lean: Republican

Non-Triad congressional districts

1st District: Incumbent G.K. Butterfield (D-Wilson) is retiring, and incumbent Greg Murphy (R-Greenville) is running in the 3rd District. Democrats in the field are Jullian Bishop Sr. of Garner, Don Davis of Snow Hill, Erica Smith of Gaston and Jason Albert Spriggs of Henderson. Republican candidates are Will Aiken of Warrenton, Brad Murphy of Macon, Ernest Reeves of Greenville, Brent Roberson of Williamston, Sandy Roberson and Sandy Smith of Rocky Mount, Billy Strickland of Wilson and Henry Williams II of Greenville. Political lean: Democrat

2nd District: Rep. Deborah Ross (D-Raleigh) is seeking re-election. Max Ganorkar of Pittsboro, Adina Safta of Raleigh and Christine Villaverde of Fuquay-Varina are vying for the Republican nomination. Political lean: Democrat

3rd District: There is no incumbent. Republican Greg Murphy of Greenville, who switched districts, is being challenged by Tony Cowden of Harrells, Eric Earhart of Eure, Brian Friend of Wilmington and George Papastrat of Richlands. Democrats are Barbara Gaskins of Greenville and Joe Swartz of Swansboro. Political lean: Republican

7th District: Incumbent is David Rouzer (R-Wilmington). He is being challenged by Max Southworth-Beckwith of Currie. Democrats in the field are Charles Evans of Fayetteville, Charles Graham of Lumberton, Yushonda Midgette of Winnabow and Steve Miller of Wilmington. Political lean: Republican

10th District: Republican incumbent Patrick McHenry (R-Statesville) is being challenged by Jeff Gregory of Shelby, Michael Magnotta of Morganton and Richard Speer of Lincolnton. Democrats in the field are Michael Felder of Arden and Pam Genant of Valdese.  Political lean: Republican

11th District: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-Hendersonville) is facing a challenge from Matthew Burril of Fletcher, Chuck Edwards of Flat Rock, Rod Honeycutt of Alexander, Wendy Nevarez of Asheville, Bruce O’Connell of Candler, Kristie Sluder of Weaverville and Michele Woodhouse of Hendersonville. Democrats Jay Carey of Hendersonville, Katie Dean of Swannanoa, Bo Hess of Asheville, Jasmine Beach-Ferrara of Asheville, Marco Gutierrez of Clyde and Bynum Lunsford of Mars Hill are in the field. Libertarian David Coatney of Fletcher is running, too. Political lean: Republican

12th District: Incumbent Democrat Alma Adams (D-Charlotte) has filed and is being challenged in the primary by John Sharkey of Charlotte. Republican candidates are Andrew Huffman of Concord, Nalini Joseph of Salisbury and Tyler Lee of Charlotte. Political lean: Democrat

13th District: 13th District: There is no incumbent. Democrats in the race are Jamie Campbell Bowles of Salemburg, Nathan Click of Morrisville, Denton Lee of Clayton, Wiley Nickel of Cary and Sam Searcy of Holly Springs. Republicans who have filed are DeVan Barbour of Benson, Kelly Daughtry of Clayton, Renee Ellmers of Dunn, Bo Hines of Winston-Salem, Kent Keirsey of Chapel Hill, Jessica Morel of Fayetteville, Chad Slotta of Holly Springs and Kevin Alan Wollf of Apex. Political lean: Toss-up

14th District: State Sen. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte and Ram Mammadov of Pineville are the Democrats in the field. Pat Harrigan of Catawba and Jonathan Simpson of Charlotte are in the Republican field. Political lean: Democrat

What about the Supreme Court?

There remains the possibility that the U.S. Supreme Court could intervene and halt all of this after a suit filed last Friday by Republicans in the General Assembly who challenged the map being used to define congressional districts. Briefs were submitted by all parties by a 5 p.m. deadline on Wednesday, and several of them, including one from the NC Board of Elections, cited the fact that the filing process was well under way.

House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Cleveland) et al asked the Supreme Court to overturn the map approved last week by a Republican-majority, 3-judge panel in Wake County Superior Court, saying that court had no right to draw a map, that it was the constitutional purview of the General Assembly.

That Republican-majority panel in Wake County employed three former judges as special masters to review remedial maps that the state Supreme Court had ordered to be drawn because legislators original maps for congress and the General Assembly were judged to be unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders designed to insulate if not expand Republicans’ control in Washington and Raleigh.

More from FOX8

North Carolina News

See the latest North Carolina news

The special masters approved the maps lawmakers drew for the state House and Senate but “modified” the map for congress, citing in their ruling that lawmakers were responsible to draw the maps and they simply adjusted some districts. All those maps were appealed by all parties – the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters, Common Cause, a Harper et al group of voters (the three plaintiffs) – and Republicans in the General Assembly.

The state Supreme Court rejected those appeals last week, enacted the maps, and candidate resumed filing for office on Friday. The primary is scheduled for May 17, with possible run-offs in July.

This article will be updated.