(The Center Square) – Republicans, collectively swept aside by Democrats at every significant turn in the 2026 midterms, may hold a slim 26-24 edge in the North Carolina Senate when final recounts are done.

Already lost Tuesday were the state House of Representatives, a U.S. Senate seat, majority of 14 seats to the U.S. House of Representatives, a state Supreme Court seat and all three seats on the ballot for the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

President Donald Trump for weeks told voters to pretend he was on the ballot; in the Tarheel State, his numbers were far below water and voters didn’t seem to have any make believe in solidarity.

With all precincts in, unofficial results have incumbent Republican Sen. Danny Britt ahead of Democrat Catina Hamm by 268 votes in District 24 – a margin within recount request for Hamm. Britt would make it 26-24 Republicans; a Hamm win would tie it at 25 and deliver first-term Democratic Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt the tie-breaking vote for the chamber.

Democrats won 70 seats in the state House of Representatives and have first-term Gov. Josh Stein. This means the purple state with more than 40% unaffiliated voters is within reach of being a blue trifecta.

Democrats flipped four Republican seats.

In District 4, Jess Rivera defeated Sen. Buck Newton 51.1%-48.9%; in District 7, Jessica Bichler defeated Sen. Michael Lee 52.6%-47.4%; in District 11, James Gailliard defeated Sen. Lisa Barnes 51.4%-46.3%; and in District 34’s open seat race, April Cook defeated Kevin Crutchfield 57.7%-42.3%.

District 4 has voters in Greene, Wayne and Wilson counties. Newton, of Wilson, was seeking a sixth term. District 7 has voters only in New Hanover County and Lee was also seeking a sixth term.

District 11 has voters in Franklin, Nash and Vance counties, the largest volume being from Nash. Barnes, of Spring Hope in Nash County, was seeking a fourth term in the Senate following one in the House of Representatives.

District 34 has voters in Cabarrus County. Crutchfield, of Midland, knocked out Republican Sen. Chris Measmer 53.7%-46.3% in the primary. Measmer had been appointed April 8, 2025, filling the term of Republican Sen. Paul Newton after his resignation.