Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chairman of the GOP’s House campaign arm, lost Tuesday in his Republican stronghold district to Democratic challenger Richard N. Ojeda II.
The long-shot bid to unseat an incumbent in a GOP leadership position gained Democrats another House seat as the party wrested control of Congress from Republicans.
Republicans have held this district since 1963.
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Mr. Ojeda, a former state senator and retired Army major, won by roughly 6,000 votes.
Three of the counties in the district that hosts Fort Bragg overwhelmingly voted for the Democratic nominee.
“We just unseated the chair of the [National Republican Congressional Committee],” Mr. Ojeda said in all caps on social media. “It’s a new day in America.”
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The Republican incumbent won the 2024 general election by 18.5 percentage points and won by 13 in 2022, when he was first elected to the seat. He previously served in other North Carolina districts since 2013.
While rated as a safe or likely Republican seat by forecasters such as the Cook Political Report and Inside Elections, the district has seen increased outside targeting by national Democrats.
As chair of the NRCC, which focuses on electing Republicans to the House, Mr. Hudson raised over $4 million in this election cycle, according to Federal Election Commission reports. Mr. Ojeda, on the other hand, raised roughly $2.8 million.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee congratulated Mr. Ojeda on a “resounding victory,” calling it a “clear sign that North Carolinians are fed up with rising costs and D.C. Republicans who put party loyalty over working families.”
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