Democratic incumbent and GOP challenger in a close contest in NC’s 1st Congressional District

By MAKIYA SEMINERA The Associated Press

FILE - Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., speaks at a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris, at East Carolina University, Oct. 13, 2024, in Greenville, N.C. (AP Photo/David Yeazell, File)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/David Yeazell]

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Incumbent Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis and Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout remained in a close contest early Wednesday for North Carolina’s only toss-up congressional district.

With the vast majority of precincts reporting, Davis and Buckhout were separated by a narrow margin in the closely watched race for the 1st Congressional District, one of the few competitive districts across the Southeast.

“Like all of you, we are reviewing all the results as they come in,” Buckhout said in a statement early Wednesday. “Once the votes have been counted, we will look at all options for getting this over and done with. If a recount is required, we will be ready.”

A spokesperson for Davis said his team was waiting for more results to come in before commenting on the race.

The contest between Davis and Buckhout has attracted millions of dollars from both parties to either flip or maintain the district, which spans from Currituck County to a small portion of Granville County in the state’s northeast.

FILE - Congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout, R-N.C., second from right, speaks to a supporter prior to a staff photo at the Nash County Republican headquarters in Rocky Mount, N.C., Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker, File)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Karl B DeBlaker

The district’s political landscape is a bit different for Davis compared to when he defeated Republican opponent Sandy Smith in 2022. Last year, the GOP-controlled state legislature added a handful of conservative-leaning counties to the district, making it less blue than it once was.

Davis was born and raised in Snow Hill and has held various political positions in the region, including as his hometown’s mayor and a state senator. He also is a U.S. Air Force veteran.

Buckhout served in the U.S. Army for more than 25 years before retiring and starting a Virginia-based military technology consulting company. She sold the company and moved to Edenton a few years ago.

Both Davis and Buckhout have sought to tie each other to the unpopular policies or controversial behaviors of other candidates in their respective parties.

Buckhout’s campaign has repeatedly tried to tie Davis with Vice President Kamala Harris’ economic and immigration policies as a way to win over voters dissatisfied with the Biden-Harris administration. Davis voted with House Republicans in July to condemn Harris’ work at the U.S.-Mexico border, then endorsed her presidential run a day later. He has also campaigned with her, speaking at one of her rallies in Greenville in October.

Democratic groups supporting Davis, meanwhile, have tried to draw connections between Buckhout and Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose gubernatorial campaign has been fighting back against a CNN report alleging that he made several graphic sexual and racist comments on an online pornography forum about a decade ago. Robinson has denied the claims, and The Associated Press has not independently verified them.

Those groups also have used photos in which Buckhout appears with Robinson to tie her to the lieutenant governor’s shifting stance on abortion restrictions. Buckhout has previously said that she’s focused on her own race rather than Robinson’s.