Republican Richard Hudson, who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been ousted from what was considered a safe seat in North Carolina's Ninth congressional district.
Hudson, a GOP leader who has been in Congress for 14 years, conceded defeat to Democrat Richard Ojeda, a former state senator and retired Army Major who served for 24 years and ran for president.
As NRCC chair, Hudson was a large part of the reason the House GOP campaign arm raised over $260 million for races across the country. Hudson's own race cost him about $2 million.
But with 99 percent of votes counted, Ojeda had 138,707 votes to Hudson's 132,692.
His defeat came as a total shock to Republican leadership and operatives.
'No freaking way!' one told the Daily Mail.
A strong performance by former Democratic Governor Roy Cooper helped usher in a blue wave in the state that Trump won three times.
Two other Republican incumbents from the Tar Heel State, Virginia Foxx and Greg Murphy, still await final calls in their respective races.
National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Richard Hudson speaks during the RNC in 2024
Donald Trump looks at documents on his desk, as Hudson, (furthest left) looks on
Murphy is up by just under 250 votes, and Foxx trails by 99 votes as of Wednesday afternoon.
Cooper, the first Democrat to win a US Senate seat in North Carolina since 2008, campaigned on the slogan: 'Make stuff cost less.'
It's a resonant theme in the state and across the country, as voters widely cited concerns about the economy and higher costs of living in various exit polls.
Cooper took the stage at his watch party in Raleigh on Tuesday shortly after the race was called, and as a deeply enthusiastic crowd chanted, 'Cooper! Cooper! Cooper!'
'Tonight,' Cooper said, 'We told Washington loud and clear that North Carolinians will always matter more than the billionaires and the insiders.'
'I am still a prisoner of hope,' Cooper said, adding that the election results were evidence that voters are eager for a course correction.
Democratic strategist Mally Smith, a former senior political and coalitions advisor for Kamala Harris' 2024 campaign in North Carolina, told the Daily Mail that it was 'incredible' that Democrats flipped the Tar Heel State.
'Democrats having full control of state government, picking up House seats, and winning the Senate is beyond most NC Democrats' wildest dreams,' he continued, adding that 'this is a seismic election for the state.'
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Democrat Jamie Ager also flipped North Carolina's 11th Congressional district in Appalachia from Republican control.
It was the first House flip of Election Night.
A Daily Mail review of Ager's family tree revealed this fall that his grandparents were first cousins.
North Carolina's 11th congressional seat has had a tumultuous history.
It is currently represented by Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who withdrew his re-election bid in August after it was revealed that he gave lavish gifts, including towers of ice cream and firearms to young female staffers, and even wrote them poems.
As a result of a House Ethics Committee recommendation, Edwards was formally censured by his own colleagues.
Edwards pushed back at the finding, insisting there was nothing nefarious about the gestures of 'friendship.'
The Republican remained in office as he has not faced legal issues. He apologized to his wife for his actions and denied that he ever meant anything inappropriate.
After Edwards withdrew his bid for office, Republican Party insiders selected State Representative Jennifer Balkcom as his replacement on the November ballot.
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