Alamance County emerges as key battleground in North Carolina House races
Stephen Ross’s exit opened House District 63, and Alamance County’s fast growth is putting both local seats into play.
Stephen Ross’s decision to leave House District 63 open has turned Alamance County into one of the most closely watched battlegrounds on North Carolina’s House map, with Burlington attorney Ryan Moffitt already filing to run for the seat.
Carolina Forward flagged Alamance as one of the state’s more interesting areas this cycle, and the numbers explain why. The county’s estimated population reached 186,177 in July 2025, up from 171,415 in the 2020 Census, and the post-2020 redistricting map split Alamance between House Districts 63 and 64. In a county growing that quickly, campaigns are likely to revolve around the same questions in Burlington coffee shops, school pickup lines and county budget talks: how to manage growth, how to fund schools, whether taxes are keeping pace with development and how to protect Alamance’s identity as the county changes.
Ross announced on December 3, 2025, that he would not seek reelection in 2026 after six terms in the North Carolina House and more than three decades in public service. Before serving in Raleigh, Ross was on Burlington City Council, served as Burlington mayor and chaired the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, giving him deep roots in the city and across the region.
The seat itself has moved back and forth in recent years, another reason analysts see District 63 as competitive. Ross lost the district to Democrat Ricky Hurtado in 2020, then won it back in 2022 by 13,955 votes to 13,367. He expanded that margin in 2024, defeating Democrat Robin Wintringham 23,812 to 19,460. That history suggests Alamance voters have been willing to split their tickets or shift between parties depending on the candidates and the issues in front of them.
District 64 adds another layer to the countywide picture. Republican Dennis Riddell beat Democrat LeVon Barnes 55 percent to 45 percent in 2024, and Barnes has returned to the race. With Ross stepping aside, Alamance now has one open House seat and another district that was still competitive just two years ago.
The filing deadline for North Carolina House races was December 19, 2025. The primary was held March 3, 2026, with a runoff set for May 12 if needed, and the general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026. For Alamance County, those dates frame a fight that reaches beyond party labels and into the county’s future shape.
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