RALEIGH, N.C. — The balance of power in North Carolina shifted during Tuesday's midterm elections as enough Democrats seemingly won races at the state level to break up the Republican Party's veto-proof supermajority in the House and Senate.
All results are still unofficial until absentee ballots are counted and some races could be close enough to trigger recounts to declare the winner.
There will still be a majority of Republicans in both chambers of the General Assembly but things will be much tighter in the House. Heading into Tuesday's elections, Republicans held a 75-45 advantage in the House. Now, it's projected to be 66-54, although the close race between Republican Bill Brawley and Democrat Rachel Hunt in Mecklenburg County could shift a seat.
In the Senate, the GOP is expected to have a 29-21 edge over the Democrats after entering the midterms with a comfortable 35-15 lead. Democrats also knocked five Republicans out of the Senate, including Jeff Tarte, who lost by more than 11,000 votes to Natasha Marcus.
Should all of the preliminary results stand, Republicans in the General Assembly won't be able to overturn Gov. Roy Cooper's vetoes without help from Democrats.