Davis to run in NC’s newly redrawn 1st Congressional District, as 2026 NC candidate filing begins

Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis plans to seek reelection to North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District — despite being drawn out of the district last month by Republican state lawmakers — setting the stage for a closely watched race in the northeastern part of the state.

“Many feel Washington, D.C., isn’t serving their needs, and the redistricting battle clearly proves it,” Davis said in a social media post Monday. “I’m running in NC-01 to ensure everyone, from the northeast to the coast, has a powerful voice in Congress.”

Republican legislative leaders, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, last month approved new congressional districts that seek to give the GOP a greater advantage in the district — part of a broader effort to retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. 

The new map carved Davis’s Snow Hill home out of the district, placing it in the 3rd Congressional District, which is represented by Republican U.S. Rep. Greg Murphy. It also turned the district from a competitive seat into one that's expected to favor a Republican in 2026.

Davis previously said he planned to seek reelection, but he hadn’t said which district; members of Congress don't have to live in the districts they represent. Davis said in a statement Monday that he plans to live in the new 1st district, which includes 25 counties primarily in the northeast and along the coast.

"Our community deserves leaders who prioritize them over politics or national agendas, and I remain committed to such," Davis said in a statement. "I stand on my record, and together, we will ensure the voices of our families regardless of political affiliation are heard in D.C."

The 1st district has been the state’s most closely contested district in recent years. Davis, a moderate Democrat and Air Force veteran, won the competitive version of the seat in 2024 even though voters in that election also supported Republican President Donald Trump for president by a slim margin that year. The new map turns it into a district that would have supported Trump by double digits.

 It’s unclear whether Davis will face a challenger for the Democratic nomination for the seat, although party insiders likely see him as their best shot, even if it's a long shot, at holding onto the district. Yet his history of siding with Republicans on certain issues, such as immigration, has earned Davis detractors on the more progressive wing of the party who could wish to challenge him.

The candidate filing period began Monday and ends Dec. 19. 

The Republican primary for the seat is expected to be crowded. State Sen. Bobby Hanig, a military veteran and small business owner who represents the Outer Banks in the state legislature, was the only Republican to file for the seat on Monday. Eric Rouse, a businessman and Lenoir County commissioner, on Tuesday filed to run for the Republican nomination in the district. Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Robeson is another potential candidate.

"What we need in eastern North Carolina is a strong someone that's really going to push the America First agenda," Hanig said in an interview. "We've been long overdue for some representation in eastern North Carolina."

Republican President Donald Trump has yet to make an endorsement. If and when he does, it'll likely be after talks with U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson, a Southern Pines Republican who also chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee. Hudson filed for reelection to his 9th Congressional District Seat Monday. He spoke with reporters after filing candidacy paperwork about what it might take for a candidate to get Trump's endorsement.

"You're looking for a candidate that's going to be able to get crossover votes from Democrats and unaffiliated voters," Hudson said. "You're looking for a candidate with life experience, so they can be not just a good candidate but a good member of Congress. I have lots of conversations with the president about races around the country, and we're staying in contact as candidates emerge in the 1st district. We'll see. He might decide not to endorse."

Candidate filing statewide

Davis wasn't the only candidate to make his intentions known Monday. Dozens of North Carolina politicians and political hopefuls flocked to the state fairgrounds in Raleigh Monday for the start of the 2026 candidate filing period.

Over the next two-plus weeks even more candidates will throw their hat in the ring, as next year’s midterm elections will offer voters the chance to elect offices ranging from Congress to state courts, county commissions, the state legislature, sheriffs’ offices and more.

Two of the most-watched races nationally are expected to be in North Carolina: Davis' reelection fight, and the U.S. Senate race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis. On Monday two candidates, Republicans Elizabeth Temple and Don Brown, filed to enter that race. But more names are expected on both sides of the aisle in the days to come including for Republican National Committee boss Michael Whatley, and former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper.

At the national level, Democratic and Republican members of Congress used interviews Monday to paint opposing pictures of what’s at stake for their parties next year.

The 2026 elections are expected to give Democrats the chance to flip back control of the U.S. House of Representatives from the GOP.

For Hudson, keeping control of the House will allow his party to continue its focus on immigration and the economy.

"Over the last four years, our country has really suffered high inflation, open borders, crime — and two years ago, voters returned Republicans to power and put President Trump back in the White House to solve these problems," Hudson said. "We're in the process of solving these problems, but it takes time."

For U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee, a Hillsborough Democrat, flipping the House will allow her party to focus on bringing down rising health care costs, and undoing the cuts the Trump administration has made to federal programs and grants.

Foushee's Triangle-area congressional district includes Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill, a formerly large Environmental Protection Agency office and many other nonprofits and businesses that were hit hard by the cuts.

But her main focus was on keeping prices low for the Affordable Care Act that insures about 1 million North Carolinians.

"We need to keep health care affordable," she said. "We know that with the expiring ACA tax credits, a lot of people are going to see increases in their premiums. Many people will not be able to hold on to healthcare insurance. And of course, what is happening as it relates to the spending cuts, as it relates to Medicaid, child nutrition, you name it. There's so much work to be done."