HCDP issues news release on historic election

On the day after the November 3, 2026 election, HCDP issued the following news release crediting more than 600 volunteers for the overwhelming Democratic shift in Henderson County:

November 4, 2026—In yesterday’s historic election, Henderson County voters

continued to shift toward Democrats in key state and federal races while also electing multiple Democrats at the local level. “While we had a national blue wave event, the change in Henderson County is dramatic in its own right and would never have been possible without more than 600 volunteers who have worked tirelessly with no guarantee of victory,” said Linda Ford, Henderson County Democratic Party Chair.

Of the 16 candidates supported by the Henderson County Democratic Party, 13 won. Senator Elect Roy Cooper, Congressman Elect Jamie Ager, and Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls all won a majority of votes in Henderson County, building on Governor Josh Stein’s 2024 success here.

“We have heard time and again that the road to change runs through Henderson

County,” Ford said. “And our volunteers made it happen. The doors we knocked, the

phone calls we made, the texts we sent—that was real people connecting with real

people and telling them that their vote mattered. And that they mattered and that they could make the change they wanted to see in this world.”

Especially important to Tuesday’s progress are the Democrats who were willing to

accept the challenge of running in races with extremely challenging odds.

“NC District 117 hasn’t been represented by a Democrat since its creation in 2003, but Lynne Russo jumped in and worked for 18 months to change that statistic, and she did," Ford said. Additionally, Mary Ellen Kustin entered the race for the Henderson County Board of Education for the third time and became the first Democrat to win since the election was made partisan in 2024.

“It's important to also mention our Democratic candidates who ran but did not win. They had even more challenging odds but ran good races that helped spread our message that the people of Henderson County deserve elected officials who are accountable and transparent and who work for the best interests of the people they represent."

Henderson County Democratic Party will continue to work for change in the weeks and months and years to come. “We can’t let this election be an anomaly,” Ford said. “We have to start fighting right now for 2028.”