Nida Allam in 2022; Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) in 2025. Jonathan Drake/Reuters; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a slim lead over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District as ballots continue to be tallied.
With about 99% of results reported, Foushee leads by just over 1,000 votes, the Associated Press says. State law requires provisional ballots to be counted in the coming days in the district that includes Durham and Chapel Hill; if the final margin is within 1%, Allam may request a recount.
Unseating an incumbent is typically rare and difficult, though recent cycles have seen some upsets as voters seek new leaders and multiple members of Congress face primary challenges. Allam, 32 and a Durham County commissioner, ran to the left of 69-year-old Foushee and framed her campaign as part of a move away from long-established Democratic norms.
On the trail, Allam pitched an anti-establishment message, saying she would be a stronger fighter in Congress against President Trump’s agenda and for bolder policy on issues like affordability. She supports abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Foushee has called instead for defunding ICE and broader immigration reform.
Allam has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, refused campaign donations from pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and criticized Foushee for previously accepting such contributions. Foushee announced last year she would not accept AIPAC donations this cycle, but the two candidates continued to spar over outside spending’s role in the race.
This matchup is a rematch of 2022, when Allam lost to Foushee in what became the most expensive primary in North Carolina history, with outside groups spending more than $3.8 million. This year’s primary has already surpassed that figure: Federal Election Commission filings show outside groups have reported more than $4.4 million in spending on the contest.
WUNC’s Colin Campbell contributed to this report.