RALEIGH, N.C. — 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.
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.