Four candidates are running in the Democratic primary for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. Incumbent G.K. Butterfield (D), who has held the seat since 2004, did not file to run for re-election.
Donald Davis and Erica Smith have raised the most money and received the most media attention.
Davis has held a seat in the state Senate since 2013. Davis was first elected to the state Senate in 2008 but lost his re-election bid in the 2010 general election to Republican Louis Pate. Davis ran unopposed in the 2012 state Senate primary and general elections. Davis said, “As a veteran, a minister, and a state senator, I’ve rolled up my sleeves and gone to work for our neighbors and families. When I am sworn in as our next congressman, we will focus on the fight ahead — transforming the future of our region and rural America.” He has campaigned on rebuilding the rural economy and has said he will “continue to fight for affordable healthcare, voting rights and protect a woman’s right to choose” in Congress.
