Decker Wins North Carolina House District 37
Democrat Winn Decker defeated Republican Erin Paré in the Wake County state House race on Tuesday.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Elections
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Democrat Winn Decker won North Carolina House District 37, defeating Republican Erin Paré with 54.72% of the unofficial vote to Paré's 45.28%. The contest covered portions of southern Wake County, including Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina and Garner.
Why it matters
The result shifts a seat Republicans had held and bears on which party controls the state House, where Republicans entered Election Day with 71 of 120 seats. Democrats need 61 seats for a majority, and the district's partisan index moved from R+3 in 2024 to R+0 in 2026.
Decker won with 26,678 unofficial votes (54.72%) against Paré's 22,074 (45.28%), a reversal from Paré's 3,647-vote margin in 2024. The results are unofficial and final certification was not addressed in the source.
The players
Winn Decker
Democratic candidate who holds a doctorate in public administration from NC State University and campaigned on education funding and housing affordability.
Erin Paré
Republican incumbent representative from Holly Springs, first elected in 2020, who co-chaired the House Appropriations Committee.
The details
Decker, who holds a doctorate in public administration from NC State University, campaigned on public education funding, teacher compensation, housing affordability and infrastructure. Paré, a Holly Springs small-business owner first elected in 2020, co-chaired the House Appropriations Committee and the House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform in 2026.
Timeline
2020: Paré first elected, defeating Democrat Sydney Batch by 2,294 votes.
2022: Paré reelected to the House.
2024: Paré reelected, defeating Democrat Safiyah Jackson by 3,647 votes.
2026: Paré co-chairs the property tax reduction committee during the legislative session.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026: Election Day; Decker wins District 37.
Political Context
Paré won this seat in 2020 by 2,294 votes and again in 2024 by 3,647 votes, so Decker's win reverses a district that had been trending toward Republicans. The result narrows Republicans' hold on the state House, which now needs 72 seats to reach a veto-override supermajority.
Decker's win changes which representative North Carolina House District 37 voters send to Raleigh for the next term. The outcome affects the House's partisan balance, which determines how the legislature handles votes on state budget and tax policy.
The takeaway
A single district can shift a chamber's balance when margins are narrow, as District 37's history of sub-4,000-vote margins shows. Readers tracking control of the state House should watch certified totals and how the remaining districts on the Democratic flip list break.
Further reading
For context on the broader contest, see Elections coverage across North Carolina.
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Should local governments be legally limited in how much property tax levies can grow?
