Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee leads challenger Nida Allam by a narrow margin in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District as counting continues. With about 99% of returns in, the Associated Press reports Foushee’s advantage is just over 1,000 votes.
The district, which covers Durham and Chapel Hill, will still see provisional ballots tallied in the coming days under state law. If the final margin falls inside 1 percentage point, Allam could seek a recount.
Primary challenges to sitting members of Congress are uncommon to win, but this election is being watched as an early gauge of whether Democratic voters want generational change. Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County commissioner, positioned her campaign to the left of 69-year-old Foushee and ran an anti-establishment message, saying she would be a more aggressive progressive voice in Washington.
On policy, Allam has taken sharper stances than Foushee. She has called for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while Foushee has endorsed defunding ICE and pursuing broader immigration reform. Allam also has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and pledged not to accept donations from pro-Israel lobbying groups such as AIPAC.
Foushee, who had previously received such contributions, announced last year she would not accept AIPAC funds in this cycle. The two candidates nonetheless clashed over outside spending and the influence of outside groups in the race.
The matchup is a rematch of the 2022 primary, which Allam lost to Foushee. That contest became the most expensive primary in North Carolina history at the time, with outside spending topping $3.8 million. This year’s outside spending has already exceeded that level: Federal Election Commission filings show more than $4.4 million reported by outside groups so far.
Political observers note that while defeating an incumbent remains difficult, several recent primaries have produced upsets as segments of the electorate push for new leadership. This race will likely remain unresolved until all provisional and outstanding ballots are counted and any potential post-election procedures are completed.
WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to reporting on the race.