U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole is running for a second term. She faces token opposition from political unknown Pete DiLauro in the Republican primary.

Five candidates are competing in the Democrat Senate primary.

 The first to announce was Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal, who is openly gay. The Democrat leadership, fearing Neal would hurt the rest of the ticket, recruited Kay Hagan, a liberal state Senator from Guilford County. Duskin Lassiter, Howard Staley, and Marcus Williams round out the field.

The 10th Congressional District includes South Iredell and part of West Iredell. Incumbent Patrick McHenry, who  gained national attention as the youngest member of Congress, has a reliably conservative voting record. One sign that McHenry is an effective conservative voice is that the Charlotte Observer is taking every opportunity to criticize him.

Lance Sigmon is opposing McHenry in the Republican Primary. McHenry was first elected in 2004 after winning a runoff primary by a paper-thin margin. Political observers say that Sigmon has been recruited by supporters of the unsuccessful candidate who are still bitter about the result. McHenry is expected to win the primary by a comfortable margin.

Democrats Steve Ivester and Daniel Johnson are competing to oppose McHenry in the general election.

The Fifth Congressional District includes the Statesville and North Iredell areas. Incumbent Virginia Foxx is unopposed in the Republican Primary.

Two Democrats are competing for the right to oppose Foxx in the general election. Diane Hamby, who served as an Iredell County Commissioner from 1992-1994, is well known to local voters. She faces opposition from Roy Carter of Ashe County, a retired teacher and coach.