Democratic Rep. Don Davis is seeking reelection in North Carolina after his district was targeted in a gerrymander to favor Republicans.
“Many feel Washington, D.C., isn’t serving their needs, and the redistricting battle clearly proves it,” Mr. Davis said on social media. “I’m running in NC-01 to ensure everyone, from the northeast to the coast, has a powerful voice in Congress. We’re in this fight together!”
Mr. Davis is one of the most vulnerable House incumbents running in 2026 and represents North Carolina’s only swing seat.
On Wednesday, a panel of federal judges allowed his state to move forward with its redrawn congressional map.
The contentious race to redraw congressional maps is President Trump’s multi-state effort for Republicans to keep their slim House majority in the 2026 elections.
After North Carolina’s legislature approved the redrawn map, Mr. Davis called it “one of the darkest moments of our state’s history.”
Mr. Trump won Mr. Davis’ district by three points, but would have carried the new district by 11 points.
The lawmaker has received roughly $1.5 million in contributions for his reelection campaign, according to a Federal Election Commission filing.
Mr. Davis’ decision to run again in his current district side-steps a campaign fight against GOP Rep. Greg Murphy, who is running to stay in his district. Both had reportedly considered swapping seats as the new maps changed key parts of their respective districts.
Mr. Davis’ home is now within the boundaries of Mr. Murphy’s district.
The Republican primary in Mr. Davis’ district will feature Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson, state Sen. Bobby Hanig, vice-chair of the Lenoir County Board of Commissioners Eric Rouse and Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck.
“Career politician Don Davis will lose because eastern North Carolina is sick of his self-serving, two-faced politics,” said National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Reilly Richardson.
The Democrat introduced the Restoring Electoral Stability to Enhance Trust Act of 2025 in late October to ban statewide mid-decade redistricting and “erase the nationwide redistricting wars,” according to a press release.
The bill would ensure redistricting occurs only after constitutionally required censuses, unless mandated by a state independent redistricting commission created through a state constitution, a court order on constitutional grounds or state referenda.
