North Carolina Republicans have selected Laurie Buckhout as their nominee in the 1st Congressional District, positioning her to face incumbent Democrat Don Davis and Libertarian candidate Tom Bailey in the November general election.

The district was redrawn by the state Legislature in 2025, shifting its political makeup to favor Republicans. Previously a closely divided seat, the revised map is projected to give the GOP a clearer advantage across the sprawling district, which stretches from Granville County in the west to Dare County in the east and includes 23 full counties and parts of two others.

Buckhout, the 2024 Republican nominee, is a retired U.S. Army colonel and former acting assistant secretary of cybersecurity at the Department of Defense. A combat veteran awarded the Distinguished Service Medal and Bronze Star, she emphasized national security, border enforcement, and federal spending reductions during her campaign.

She defeated a competitive field that included Asa Buck, a six-term Carteret County sheriff; Bobby Hanig, a state senator and Army veteran; Eric Rouse, a four-term Lenoir County commissioner; and Ashley-Nicole Russell, a family attorney and political newcomer. Polling ahead of early voting showed Buckhout among the leading candidates, with a significant share of voters undecided. Under North Carolina law, a candidate must receive at least 30 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff.

Policy positions among the candidates were largely aligned, including support for downsizing the U.S. Department of Education, strengthening immigration enforcement, reducing federal spending, and sustaining Social Security benefits in the district’s aging rural communities.

With the primary decided, attention now turns to the general election. The 1st District is considered one of the most competitive seats in the state, and national party organizations are expected to invest heavily as Republicans seek to expand their representation in North Carolina’s congressional delegation.