North Carolina Democrat Ojeda defeats NRCC Chair Richard Hudson in House race

Democrat Richard Ojeda is projected to defeat Rep. Richard Hudson (R), the chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), in the race for North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ.

Hudson’s role as the NRCC chair meant he was tasked with helping protect vulnerable House Republicans across the country and had to devote some resources toward his own reelection campaign, according to Cook Political Report .

The Democrat eked out a victory with more than 51 percent support, with 95 percent of the vote tallied. The incumbent garnered nearly 49 percent of the vote.

Democratic operatives were skeptical of Ojeda’s ability to close the gap in his challenge against Hudson, Cook Political Report stated. The race shifted Sunday from being a solidly Republican district to being a likely Republican win.

The 9th Congressional District is home to Hoke, Moore, Randolph and Alamance counties, along with portions of Guilford, Cumberland and Chatham counties, including part of the city of Greensboro.

Ojeda’s victory marks the first Democratic win in the district since 1963. He ran a campaign focused on ousting Hudson, who Ojeda’s campaign website says “voted to make life more expensive for working families, from utilities to electricity costs.”

“He’s running for Congress because he’s sick of politicians getting richer while working people get sold out,” Ojeda’s website states. “In Congress, he’ll secure the border, and take on the rigged system and corrupt politicians by making billionaires and corporations pay their fair share and banning members of Congress from trading stocks.”

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee launched TV ads going after Hudson in the few days before the election, with Ojeda telling voters the rising cost of healthcare and contributions to Hudson’s campaign from the pharmaceutical industry made things “a corrupt mess,” The Carolina Journal reported.