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North Carolina's 6th Congressional District election, 2026

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2024
North Carolina's 6th Congressional District
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General election
Election details
Filing deadline: December 19, 2025
Primary: Pending
Primary runoff: Pending
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in North Carolina

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Solid Republican
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
North Carolina's 6th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th12th13th14th
North Carolina elections, 2026
U.S. Congress elections, 2026
U.S. Senate elections, 2026
U.S. House elections, 2026

All U.S. House districts, including the 6th Congressional District of North Carolina, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

  • Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
  • Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Incumbent Addison McDowell, Beau Blair, Keith Davenport, Cyril Jefferson, and Joshua Hager are running in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on November 3, 2026.


Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Image of Keith Davenport

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am an Air Force veteran with over 50 years of public service. I am a former police officer, former city council member and former mayor. The best way to describe me would be simply... "you won't find a more committed public servant than me". I guess you could say I got my calling into public service at the age of 8. Of course, I didn't know it then. Living in Washington DC in those days (early 60's) one of the perks was taking field trips to government buildings. One of those buildings, for me, was the White House. I'll never forget being taken from room to room and the usher describing the history of that ornate mansion. As we were walking down the main hallway, I remember the thick red ropes on either side of the hallway. On the far end were two young children watching us, watch them. We met John John and Caroline Kennedy. At the age of about 8, I was introduced to politics in a different way."


Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.


The most important message would be, it's important to do the right thing for the right reasons. It's easy to do what you perceive to be right but it's only right when the cameras are on and everyone is watching. But, it's an altogether different and most meaningful thing, to do the right thing, when nobody is watching... just for the sake of doing the right thing.


You won't find a more committed public servant than me.


For me, it's not about money or power or position. It's about service. To me, that means giving of yourself for a season... offering your ideas... working to make our community and our nation better than when I arrived. Public service is only supposed to be a temp job... not a career, but an opportunity to serve.

Voting information

See also: Voting in North Carolina

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

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The most important message would be, it's important to do the right thing for the right reasons. It's easy to do what you perceive to be right but it's only right when the cameras are on and everyone is watching. But, it's an altogether different and most meaningful thing, to do the right thing, when nobody is watching... just for the sake of doing the right thing.

You won't find a more committed public servant than me.

For me, it's not about money or power or position. It's about service. To me, that means giving of yourself for a season... offering your ideas... working to make our community and our nation better than when I arrived. Public service is only supposed to be a temp job... not a career, but an opportunity to serve.
Veterans Affairs, Homelessness and Poverty, Congressional Term Limits, Election Finance Reform and the promotion of quality and affordable healthcare. On the latter one, it's rare to hear the adjectives "quality" and "affordable" in the same breath, which is part of the problem. In an effective healthcare system, you cannot separate the two.
That is an interesting question and it goes back to my earlier comments about doing the right thing for the right reasons. Most of those that I have looked up to have already passed on including my Dad. Dad was a US Army veteran. Actually, he also served in the Air Corps and the Navy. I'm not sure how or when. I only learned of that a few years before he passed away. Dad was a man of honor and integrity. He taught me that character matters. Then there was my brother... he was my hero. Neil was the reason I joined the United States Air Force back in 1973 and became a police officer. There were others including two of my spiritual mentors... the late Pastor John Torres and the late Pastor Melvin Gillette who ordained me into the ministry back in the 80's.
I'm a conservative, or better said, I'm a moderate Democrat. When I ran for Congress in Oklahoma as a Democrat years ago, my campaign manager was a lifelong Republican who had never supported a Democrat for anything. Go figure... he was my campaign manager and he had a label for me that fits... he called me "a man without a party".
Character matters. I'm a no nonsense person. I will work overtime to get the job done. Integrity. I've been called articulate. I'm not afraid to confront wrong or to speak truth to the political class that Senator Coburn alluded to. I will work harder than my staff. Typically, people that work for me have a hard time keeping up with me.
I can sum that up in one word... no matter how you spin it... it's about "service"... old fashioned public service.
I would like my legacy to be, that I served well.
On Friday, November 22, 1963, my classmates and I were out on the playground when our teachers began to gather us up and usher us into the auditorium. After sitting there for awhile, the principal gathered with other teachers on the stage. I noticed some were crying. That's when they broke the news... John Fitzgeral Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States had been assassinated in Dallas. That evening, I could not sleep. Mom had to give me some warm milk because it shook me up so badly. That weekend, that's all that was on television. When they were moving Lee Harvey Oswald out of the Dallas Police Building, as a 9 year old, I saw a murder live on television. I remember my Dad jumping up out of chair and yelling "he shot him". The following Monday was the funeral. I saw little John John Kennedy salute his Daddy. It was his third birthday.
I worked at a local five and dime store called "Hested's". I do not recall how long I had it. I was all of 15 years old.
Azusa Revisited. The book was written by a gentleman who was a witness to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles California back around 1904. The first time I picked the book up, I couldn't put it down.
I don't recall. there was some stupid song that i happened to hear on television yesterday and it took hours to get that stupid song out of my head.
On May 7, 1974, while an off-duty police officer, I was beaten with a monkey wrench by three "guests" of the Retraining Group at Lowry AFB. The Retraining Group was one step before the federal penintentiary. They attacked me and nearly killed me. I suffered a traumatic brain injury which has resulted in slight stutter that shows up from time to time. I've struggled with it for 51 years.
Tradition. History. it's like a sceptre of sorts that is passed from one generation to another.
No. I think the only prerequisite to being effective in Congress is to have empathy for people's needs and the ability to comprehend those needs experientially.
We have many challenges facing us. Some of those challenges we have brought on ourselves and others have lingered for years. Those are some of those fixable problems that Senator Coburn alluded to. I guess the wisest way to look at it would to ask yourself and please pardon this analogy... I mean no disrespect... I love animals... what is the best way to eat an elephant? The answer is.. one bite at a time. Because of the depth and scope of the problems facing us we have to take care of a few housekeeping issues first and that will require passage of congressional term limits. Then we can get down to serious business. That business must include passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution and elimination of the debt ceiling which is nothing more than a negotiating tool that either party uses to force their agendas. It serves no other purpose today. Unless and until we implement those changes everything is moot.
I am a strong proponent of Congressional term limits. I have signed my pledge to propose and support Congressional term limits. I took it a step further and my pledge has already been released to the public... I indicated on the pledge that I will self limit. I will not seek to serve more than three 2-year terms in Congress. Career politicians serve only the needs of their party. The late Senator Tom Coburn, R-OK, once said, "WE HAVE FIXABLE PROBLEMS IN OUR COUNTRY, BUT WE HAVE A POLITICAL CLASS THAT DOESN'T WANT TO ADDRESS THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE MORE WORRIED ABOUT THE NEXT ELECTION CYCLE THAN THEY ARE ABOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEMS. " He went on to say this... and this is most weighty... "Americans are looking for leadership." The real truth is... Americans really are looking for leadership, not lordship. Those who are consumed with power don't know the difference.
I have talked to a lot of veterans who have shared their stories. The thing I hear most often has to do with either their ability to receive quality healthcare or housing. The stories have been strikingly similar which is demonstrative of the need Congress must address.
I don't have one. I'm not really a joke teller.
To an extent. I don't believe in compromise to the point where I surrender my principles or if that compromise is contradictory to good morals and integrity. But, in order to negotiate there usually has to be some sort of give in order for the compromise to be effective. There is no blanket yes or no to the question. Every situation is different.
This is a question I would need to give some thought to. I have studied our budgeting process and have talked extensively about our nation's out of control public debt, as well as paying down our deficit to be honest... I haven't given much thought to the concept of raising revenue.
Follow the United States Constitution... no one is above the law in America.
Budget, Foreign Affairs, Veterans Affairs, Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform
That's a big one for me. I don't believe we can serve our constituency if we're not also accountable to them, which of course requires transparency. That's one of the primary reasons why people don't trust politicians now. On the campaign trail, they'll promise the moon and couldn't deliver pizza. I'm a bit old fashioned and maybe a little late blooming but, my life's journey has taught me a few things. That includes the value of honor, of respect and of character. To me that means, I should be the same person in public, as I am when the doors are closed.


You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Addison McDowell Republican Party $515,610 $258,367 $264,566 As of June 30, 2025
Beau Blair Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Keith Davenport Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Cyril Jefferson Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Joshua Hager Independent $0 $0 $0 Data not available***

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee."
** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election.
*** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[1]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[2][3][4]

Race ratings: North Carolina's 6th Congressional District election, 2026
Race trackerRace ratings
9/2/20258/26/20258/19/20258/12/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The HillPendingPendingPendingPending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: North Carolina's 6th Congressional District election, 2024

North Carolina's 6th Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Addison McDowell defeated Kevin E. Hayes in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Addison McDowell
Addison McDowell (R)
 
69.2
 
233,303
Image of Kevin E. Hayes
Kevin E. Hayes (Constitution Party)
 
30.8
 
104,017

Total votes: 337,320
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on March 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Addison McDowell
Addison McDowell
 
26.1
 
21,285
Image of Mark Walker
Mark Walker Candidate Connection
 
24.1
 
19,633
Image of Christian Castelli
Christian Castelli Candidate Connection
 
21.1
 
17,171
Image of Bo Hines
Bo Hines
 
14.4
 
11,746
Image of Jay Wagner
Jay Wagner
 
9.2
 
7,462
Image of Mary Ann Contogiannis
Mary Ann Contogiannis
 
5.1
 
4,195

Total votes: 81,492
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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2022

See also: North Carolina's 6th Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Incumbent Kathy Manning defeated Christian Castelli and Thomas Watercott in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kathy Manning
Kathy Manning (D)
 
53.9
 
139,553
Image of Christian Castelli
Christian Castelli (R)
 
45.0
 
116,635
Image of Thomas Watercott
Thomas Watercott (L)
 
1.1
 
2,810

Total votes: 258,998
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kathy Manning advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on May 17, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Christian Castelli
Christian Castelli
 
36.2
 
15,450
Image of Joseph Lee Haywood
Joseph Lee Haywood Candidate Connection
 
33.7
 
14,390
Image of Mary Ann Contogiannis
Mary Ann Contogiannis Candidate Connection
 
12.2
 
5,211
Image of Gerry Austin
Gerry Austin Candidate Connection
 
6.0
 
2,568
Image of Laura Pichardo
Laura Pichardo Candidate Connection
 
4.4
 
1,889
Image of Marvin Boguslawski
Marvin Boguslawski Candidate Connection
 
4.0
 
1,716
William Schuch
 
3.4
 
1,452

Total votes: 42,676
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Libertarian primary election

The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Thomas Watercott advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6.

2020

See also: North Carolina's 6th Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Kathy Manning defeated Joseph Lee Haywood in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kathy Manning
Kathy Manning (D)
 
62.3
 
253,531
Image of Joseph Lee Haywood
Joseph Lee Haywood (R) Candidate Connection
 
37.7
 
153,598

Total votes: 407,129
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Kathy Manning defeated Rhonda Foxx, Bruce Davis, Derwin Montgomery, and Edward Hanes Jr. in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Kathy Manning
Kathy Manning
 
48.3
 
56,986
Image of Rhonda Foxx
Rhonda Foxx Candidate Connection
 
19.9
 
23,506
Image of Bruce Davis
Bruce Davis
 
15.0
 
17,731
Image of Derwin Montgomery
Derwin Montgomery
 
12.5
 
14,705
Image of Edward Hanes Jr.
Edward Hanes Jr.
 
4.3
 
5,067

Total votes: 117,995
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6

Joseph Lee Haywood defeated Laura Pichardo in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 6 on March 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Joseph Lee Haywood
Joseph Lee Haywood Candidate Connection
 
73.3
 
28,842
Image of Laura Pichardo
Laura Pichardo Candidate Connection
 
26.7
 
10,529

Total votes: 39,371
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates



District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

North Carolina 2026 primaries 2026 U.S. Congress elections
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External links

Footnotes

  1. Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  2. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  3. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  4. Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018


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