ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — As Laurie Buckhout walked through the Nash County GOP headquarters in Rocky Mount, she seemed to be in high spirits. The Republican congressional candidate bounced across the crowded room, hugging and laughing with volunteers assigned to canvass local neighborhoods that afternoon.
But a scandal emerging in North Carolina politics was becoming harder to disregard. The day before Buckhout's Nash County visit, CNN published one Bomb report Details of alleged racist and sexual comments by the Republican lieutenant governor. Mark Robinson — the Republican candidate for governor — greater than a decade ago in a web-based pornography forum.
Buckhout addressed the volunteers and spoke generally in regards to the importance of the race. Then she paused and realized “the elephant in the room.”
“My fight is right here, and when you fight, the most important thing is not to be distracted by someone rattling a saber over there,” she said. “It’s about continuing to move forward and fighting for this district.”
A fragile balancing act is going down in North Carolina's 1st Congressional District – a competitive district in a competitive state and considered one of the few undecided congressional elections in all the Southeast.
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis and Buckhout are running a vigorous campaign for the state's northeastern district, however the final result might not be entirely of their hands. Candidates higher on the ballot – Vice President Kamala Harris for Davis and Robinson for Buckhout — could impact voters' decisions.
The freshman representative seat is considered one of the weakest within the country, political analysts say. A loss for Davis could open a path for Republicans to achieve control of the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to AdImpact, which tracks campaign ad spending, Democratic groups across the country have significantly outperformed Republicans on ads within the 1st District — $9.5 million to $3.7 million as of Friday. As for the candidates themselves, Buckhout's campaign spent barely greater than Davis.
Things could change by Election Day. Republicans, boosted by a giant infusion of money from their Congressional Leadership Fund and a brand new ad buy announced by the National Republican Congressional Committee on Friday, have $9.1 million in seats reserved through Nov. 5 , in comparison with $8.6 million for Democrats.
The district terrain is tougher for Davis than it was when he won in 2022. It got redder after that recent GOP-led redistricting Conservative-leaning Lenoir, Wayne, Currituck and Camden counties were added and Democratic-leaning Pitt County was deleted.
He also faces a “much stronger opponent” in Buckhout than Sandy Smith, whose campaign two years ago was stricken by various scandals, said Peter Francia, a political science professor at East Carolina University. Davis defeated Smith by nearly 5 percentage points, or about 12,000 votes.
Buckhout will not be burdened by such unrest, Francia said, and her military background may also help her. According to her website, Buckhout served within the U.S. Army for over 25 years before retiring in 2010 and starting a consulting firm in Virginia specializing in military technology. She later sold it and moved to North Carolina a number of years ago.
Buckhout says her military experience and her intention to not change into a “career politician” — she has agreed to a term limit — will allow her to get things done.
One of the volunteers at party headquarters, John Norwood, said he didn't know much about Buckhout but appreciated her military service as a veteran himself. Some friends had told him about her race, and so the 32-year-old blacksmith traveled – searching for “real life.” Change” after years of avoiding politics – traveling greater than 250 miles or 400 kilometers from McDowell County near Asheville to assist.
“She definitely seems like a candidate I would want in office,” he said.
Davis has now earned a repute as a moderate Democrat in a district he knows well. He grew up in Snow Hill and served as a state senator six times. He is an Air Force veteran himself and has supported laws in Congress to support veterans.
In a district that’s more conservative than before, the Democratic top spot could cost Davis some voters. But he hopes to profit from Democrats motivated by Harris' campaign, amongst others Black voterswho reconcile greater than 40% the population of his district.
Davis said in an interview that he’s running similarly to 2022 and stays committed to giving all residents of eastern North Carolina a “strong voice in government.” If re-elected, he said, he would work to strengthen the region's predominantly rural communities, including by expanding broadband access and improving social security advantages.
“It doesn’t matter whether they are Democrats, Republicans or independents, we are fighting for Eastern North Carolina, which has been shut out of a process for so long,” he said.
Buckhout focused on her own race after the Robinson news
As CNN reported on Robinson's alleged messages – including comments like “I'm a black NAZI!” and derogatory characterizations of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. — the lieutenant governor has denied the allegations, which the Associated Press has not independently confirmed. Robinson has also vowed to “use all legal means to hold CNN accountable for its lies.”
The fallout was significant. Several members of Robinson's campaign team have resigned. Several GOP officials — including Sen. Thom Tillis and state party chairman Jason Simmons — have called on Robinson to refute the allegations. Other groups, akin to the Republican Governors Association, have cut ties financially.
Photos of Robinson and Buckhout together, once featured on her social media, now appear at the tip of a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee television ad linking Buckhout to the lieutenant governor on abortion policy. She doesn't mention that she donated to his campaign.
Davis said there was “no need” to attach Buckhout to Robinson because she did that work herself. He said he trusts the district's voters will “sort this all out.”
Buckhout says she is targeted on her own race.
“If people want to talk about social media and personalities, I want to talk about issues,” Buckhout said.
She said she was asking the identical query she has asked voters throughout the race: Is anything higher than it was 4 years ago? The answers are “clearly no,” she says.
Harris may very well be a mixed blessing for Davis
Buckhout has worked to link Davis to the Biden-Harris administration's economic policies — what she and other Republicans now call “Kamalanomics” — and what they are saying are Democrats' failures on immigration and crime.
Davis actually voted for it Blame Harris' work on the US-Mexico border in July, breaking away from most Democrats within the House of Representatives. The next day, while endorsing Harris' presidential candidacy on X, he noted that immigration issues “cannot be overlooked.”
Davis told The Associated Press he “fully supports” Harris' presidential bid and welcomes the chance to work along with her on “comprehensive immigration reform” to secure the border. He's also seen the passion for Harris in his district firsthand, saying it's a “good environment to run in.”
Turnout on either side may very well be crucial for any candidate, Francia said. “We are in a very close election where every vote could potentially make the difference.”
Leah Askarinam of the AP Decision Desk contributed from Washington.
Originally published:
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