Incumbent U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee holds a narrow advantage over challenger Nida Allam in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District as election officials continue counting ballots. With about 99% of results reported, Foushee’s lead is a little more than 1,000 votes, the Associated Press reports. State law requires remaining provisional ballots to be tallied in the coming days, and if the final margin is within 1% Allam could request a recount.
The district covers Durham and Chapel Hill. Allam, a 32-year-old Durham County commissioner, mounted a progressive challenge to the 69-year-old incumbent, campaigning to the left and framing her bid as part of a broader push to change long-standing Democratic practices. She cast herself as a tougher fighter in Congress against former President Donald Trump’s agenda and advocated bolder measures on affordability and other economic issues.
On immigration policy the two diverge: Allam favors abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, while Foushee has called for defunding ICE and pursuing wider immigration reform. The candidates have also clashed over positions on the war in Gaza and campaign funding. Allam has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, declined contributions from pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC and criticized Foushee for previously accepting such support. Foushee announced last year that she would not take AIPAC donations in this cycle, but disputes over outside spending in the race continued.
This contest is a rematch of the 2022 primary, when Allam was defeated by Foushee in what became the costliest primary in North Carolina to that point. Outside groups spent more than $3.8 million in 2022; Federal Election Commission filings show outside spending in this year’s primary has already exceeded $4.4 million.
Challenging an incumbent is typically difficult, though recent election cycles have produced some high-profile upsets and a number of incumbents have faced serious primary challenges. With provisional ballots still to be counted and the margin close, the outcome of the 4th District Democratic primary has not yet been finalized.