Democrat Alma Adams won election to a U.S. House seat representing North Carolina on Tuesday. Adams defeated Republican Addul Ali in the strongly Democratic 12th Congressional District, which is anchored by Charlotte. Adams joined Congress in 2014 after a special election to fill a seat when then-Rep. Mel Watt resigned. Adams is a former college art professor who served on the Greensboro City Council, followed by 20 years in the state House. While in Congress, she's been an assertive advocate for historically Black colleges and universities and is a founder of the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus. declared Adams the winner at 10:34 p.m. EST.