Raleigh – Today, the North Carolina Democratic Party announced candidates in every statewide office, every federal office, every state Senate district, and all but one state House district, continuing its strong momentum from its successful 2018 midterm election and reflecting the strength of the NCDP and the growing enthusiasm among Democratic voters and candidates. At the close of filing, Democrats have candidates in 50 of 50 Senate districts and 119 of 120 House districts.

“North Carolina is the biggest 2020 battleground in the country and Democrats are going all out to win up and down the ticket,” NCDP Chairman Wayne Goodwin said. “The momentum is there following a strong midterm election when we broke the Republican supermajority, won in deep-red areas, and swept statewide judicial races. Democrats are ready to take back North Carolina as we fight for better opportunities, more jobs, and a cleaner environment, and the future for our children.”

“This election is about expanding access to health care, providing our educators the resources they deserve, and giving North Carolina families a seat at the table in Raleigh that has too long been dominated by outside special interests,” House Democratic Leader Darren Jackson said. “House Democrats have a clear and wide path to the majority. This is the team to do it.”

“Democrats have the wind at our backs and the energy and enthusiasm to take back the Senate and create a legislature that puts teachers and middle-class families ahead of corporate tax cuts,” Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue said. “We have the right candidates, the enthusiasm, and the resources to win big in 2020, and we plan on doing just that.”

Democrats are continuing their effort to build a diverse team of candidates that looks like North Carolina. Among the full team of Democratic legislative candidates, 78 are female (54 in the House, 24 in the Senate), 63 are people of color (37 in the House, 26 in the Senate), and six are LGBTQ (4 in the House, 2 in the Senate). In addition, there are 10 veterans running the Senate.

Today’s announcement comes after a strong midterm election for the party. In 2018, Democrats broke the Republican supermajority in the legislature, including flipping 11 districts President Trump carried in 2016, and swept statewide judicial races. Today’s team of candidates is also historic compared to previous presidential years. In 2016, the most recent presidential year, Democrats filed candidates in 92 House districts and 38 Senate districts.

Democrats will also be on the ballot for every federal office, have top tier candidates for every statewide Council of State and judicial race, and are contesting local county commission and sheriff races across the state.