Can U.S. Rep. Don Davis beat a gerrymander?

A year ago this month, Republican state lawmakers redrew North Carolina's 1st Congressional District to make it more conservative — part of a national push from President Donald Trump to make it easier to defeat Democrats in Congress.

But as Election Day draws near, incumbent Congressman Don Davis appears to have an increasingly strong shot at keeping his seat.

The redrawn 1st District stretches from the Virginia border north of the Triangle to the Outer Banks and Emerald Isle. It includes some of the state’s poorest counties — places that benefit from federal grants for infrastructure projects (often secured through a member of Congress) that local government budgets typically can’t afford.

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WUNC News spoke with Davis after a recent event at the Williamston Fire Department, which was dedicating a new $1.5 million ladder truck funded by a $1 million federal grant.

Local officials there like Fire Chief Michael Peaks credited Davis with securing the grant money. Peaks called it "an extraordinary investment in our community."

In an interview on the WUNC Politics Podcast after the Williamston event, Davis rattled off the dozens of grants he's helped obtain.

"The Spaulding Family Resource Center (in Spring Hope), Robersonville meter replacement, Ayden police technology, Pasquotank County water plant: The list goes on and on," he said.

That work at the local level helped Davis outperform other Democratic candidates in the 2024 election. And it’s part of why some initial polling has him slightly ahead of his Republican opponent, Laurie Buckhout.

Buckhout lost to Davis that year by just 6,000 votes under the old district lines. Her strategy this time is to tie Davis to other prominent Democrats in Washington.

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"Let me be clear: A vote for Don Davis is a vote to make Hakeem Jeffries speaker of the House," she said at a recent rally with House Speaker Mike Johnson, in video shared by C-Span. "It is that simple, and that means all the good things we've been enjoying come to a screeching halt."

Buckhout's campaign did not agree to an interview with WUNC.

Buckhout's challenge is that Davis' voting record is more moderate than Jeffries and other Democrats. One example is the Democratic effort to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security over concerns about violent immigration enforcement incidents. Davis voted with the GOP.

"People were saying, 'Hey, don't fund ICE,' but there was so much more in that, and that's why I voted every single time to open the government," he said. "Why? Because it was more than ICE. There was FEMA (emergency response funding) sitting in there."

Davis did stick with Democrats in voting against Trump's so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill." That's prompted Buckhout to argue that he opposed the tax cuts and rural healthcare funding included in the megabill.

He says the bill contained too many harmful provisions even though he supported some of what's in it.

"I don't have issues with relieving taxes on tips and overtime or Social Security," he said. "It doesn't solve Social Security. We have some real issues to deal with Social Security by 2032."

National PACs aligned with Congressional Democrats and Republicans have spent about $5 million on the race in recent weeks. Each party is trying to paint their opponent as extreme.

An ad from Democrats accuses Buckhout of backing "a national abortion ban" while not being "from around here" (she moved to Edenton about five years ago). Republican ads reference transgender athletes being allowed in locker rooms and women's teams and say that Davis is "for they/them, not us."

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While the ads focus on social issues like abortion and transgender rights, Davis says his campaign is centered on affordability. He’s sponsoring legislation to pause the federal tax on diesel fuel — a key issue for a coastal, rural district.

“I would even say it's no longer just affordability or inflation — it's survivability,” he said. “They're concerned if they're going to be able to keep the family farm. Fishermen, right now, when you look at diesel prices, some are making decisions just not even to go out.”

Both candidates are talking about the district’s economic troubles. Buckhout highlights her background as an Iraq War veteran and says she’ll be a strong fighter for the area’s needs.

“There are people I think who are in need across this district, and that's why I'm fighting,” she said at the New Bern rally. “I'm fighting because Democrats walk away from that.”

But Davis argues that his moderate, bipartisan approach can deliver better results for the district.

“I'm not here working for any person or party, I'm here to speak up for Eastern North Carolina,” he said.

The Cook Political Report recently moved the race to its list of toss-up districts. It had previously rated the district “lean Republican,” noting that Davis is “without a doubt, the most vulnerable House Democrat in the country.”

Listen to the full interview with Davis on the WUNC Politics Podcast.

Two key issues in the race

Rural hospitals: In TV ads, Buckhout stands in front of the shuttered Martin General Hospital and says Davis voted against funding for rural healthcare.

The vote was against Trump's so-called "Big, Beautiful Bill." Davis says he supported parts of the bill but opposed other changes to healthcare, and the funding for hospitals was part of a sweetener to offset the controversial healthcare provisions.

He says he's advocated for the Martin hospital and thanked the state legislature for approving funding this year.

“The hospital is on the pathway of reopening,” he said. “It'll be, when it reopens, the first hospital that fully closed that reopens as a rural emergency hospital in the nation.” Davis says other healthcare facilities in the area still need funding.

Transgender athletes: Buckhout is also attacking Davis over restrictions on transgender athletes. She claims he “voted no against protecting women and girls by allowing boys into locker rooms.”

But Davis didn't vote for or against a bill in Congress that would have made gender discrimination protections based on someone's gender at birth. Davis says he supports a North Carolina law that bans transgender players from girls' and women's sports teams, and he’s even run his own TV ads on that topic.

“I think you can talk about issues with respect and dignity and civility, and that's what I've tried to do — and at the same time, you can stand on those beliefs of safety and fairness.”