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North Carolina's 1st Congressional District
North Carolina's 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives is represented by Donald Davis (D).
As of the 2020 Census, North Carolina representatives represented an average of 746,711 residents. After the 2010 Census, each member represented 735,829 residents.
Elections
2024
See also: North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2024
North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Incumbent Donald Davis defeated Laurie Buckhout and Tom Bailey in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Donald Davis (D) | 49.5 | 186,341 |
 | Laurie Buckhout (R) | 47.8 | 180,034 | |
 | Tom Bailey (L) | 2.6 | 9,949 | |
| Total votes: 376,324 | |||
 = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- John Schaffer (Independent)
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Donald Davis advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Brian Moutoux (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Laurie Buckhout defeated Sandy Smith in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Laurie Buckhout | 53.5 | 33,893 |
 | Sandy Smith | 46.5 | 29,471 | |
| Total votes: 63,364 | |||
| = 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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Libertarian primary election
The Libertarian primary election was canceled. Tom Bailey advanced from the Libertarian primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1.
2022
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Donald Davis defeated Sandy Smith in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Donald Davis (D) | 52.4 | 134,996 |
| Sandy Smith (R) | 47.6 | 122,780 | |
| Total votes: 257,776 | |||
| = 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
- Eshan Patel (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Donald Davis defeated Erica Smith, Jason Spriggs, and Jullian Bishop Sr. in the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Donald Davis | 63.2 | 42,693 |
 | Erica Smith | 31.1 | 21,012 | |
 | Jason Spriggs | 3.1 | 2,123 | |
 | Jullian Bishop Sr. | 2.6 | 1,752 | |
| Total votes: 67,580 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
The following candidates ran in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on May 17, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sandy Smith | 31.4 | 13,621 |
 | Sandy Roberson | 26.7 | 11,603 | |
 | Billy Strickland | 13.9 | 6,050 | |
 | Brent Roberson | 13.8 | 5,992 | |
 | Brad Murphy | 9.5 | 4,128 | |
 | Will Aiken | 3.0 | 1,285 | |
 | Ernest Reeves | 1.2 | 523 | |
| Henry Williams | 0.5 | 202 | ||
| Total votes: 43,404 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2020
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Incumbent G.K. Butterfield defeated Sandy Smith in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | G.K. Butterfield (D) | 54.2 | 188,870 |
| Sandy Smith (R) | 45.8 | 159,748 | |
| Total votes: 348,618 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent G.K. Butterfield advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Deandre Carter (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Sandy Smith defeated Michele Nix, James Glisson (Unofficially withdrew), and Ethan Baca in the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on March 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Sandy Smith | 77.3 | 31,490 |
 | Michele Nix | 9.9 | 4,030 | |
| James Glisson (Unofficially withdrew) | 7.4 | 3,031 | ||
 | Ethan Baca | 5.4 | 2,206 | |
| Total votes: 40,757 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Incumbent G.K. Butterfield defeated Roger Allison in the general election for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | G.K. Butterfield (D) | 69.8 | 190,457 |
 | Roger Allison (R) | 30.2 | 82,218 | |
| Total votes: 272,675 (100.00% precincts reporting) | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Incumbent G.K. Butterfield advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | G.K. Butterfield |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1
Roger Allison advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House North Carolina District 1 on May 8, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Roger Allison |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Democratic. Incumbent G.K. Butterfield (D) defeated H. Powell Dew Jr. (R) and J. J. Summerell (L) in the general election on November 8, 2016. No candidate faced a primary opponent on June 7, 2016.[1]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  G.K. Butterfield Incumbent |
68.6% | 240,661 | |
| Republican | H. Powell Dew Jr. | 29% | 101,567 | |
| Libertarian | J. J. Summerell | 2.4% | 8,471 | |
| Total Votes | 350,699 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
2014
The 1st Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Incumbent G.K. Butterfield (D) defeated Arthur Rich (R) in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | G.K. Butterfield Incumbent |
73.4% | 154,333 | |
| Republican | Arthur Rich | 26.6% | 55,990 | |
| Total Votes | 210,323 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
2012
The 1st Congressional District of North Carolina held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012, in which incumbent G.K. Butterfield (D) won re-election. He defeated Pete DiLauro (R) and Darryl Holloman (L) in the general election.[2]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | G.K. Butterfield Incumbent |
75.3% | 254,644 | |
| Republican | Pete DiLauro | 22.9% | 77,288 | |
| Libertarian | Darryl Holloman | 1.8% | 6,134 | |
| Total Votes | 338,066 | |||
| Source: North Carolina State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election" | ||||
2010
On November 2, 2010, G.K. Butterfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Ashley Woolard in the general election.[3]
| United States House, North Carolina General Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | G.K. Butterfield incumbent |
59.3% | 103,294 | |
| Republican | Ashley Woolard | 40.7% | 70,867 | |
| Total Votes | 174,161 | |||
2008
On November 4, 2008, G.K. Butterfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Dean Stephens in the general election.[4]
| United States House, North Carolina General Election, 2008 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | G.K. Butterfield incumbent |
70.3% | 192,765 | |
| Republican | Dean Stephens | 29.7% | 81,506 | |
| Total Votes | 274,271 | |||
2006
G.K. Butterfield (D) ran unopposed for re-election in 2006.
2004
On November 2, 2004, G.K. Butterfield won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Greg Dority in the general election.[5]
| United States House, North Carolina General Election, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | G.K. Butterfield incumbent |
64% | 137,667 | |
| Republican | Greg Dority | 36% | 77,508 | |
| Total Votes | 215,175 | |||
2004 special
On July 20, 2004, G.K. Butterfield won election to the United States House. He defeated two candidates in the special general election.
| U.S. House, North Carolina District 1 Special election, 2004 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | G.K. Butterfield |
71.2% | 48,567 | |
| Republican | Greg Dority | 27.1% | 18,491 | |
| Libertarian | Thomas I. Eisenmenger | 1.8% | 1,201 | |
| Total Votes | 68,259 | |||
| Source: Results via North Carolina State Board of Elections | ||||
2002
On November 5, 2002, Frank W. Wallance, Jr. won election to the United States House. He defeated Greg Dority (R) and Mike Ruff (L) in the general election.[6]
| U.S. House, North Carolina District 1 General Election, 2002 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Frank W. Wallace, Jr. |
63.7% | 93,157 | |
| Republican | Greg Dority | 34.8% | 50,907 | |
| Libertarian | Mike Ruff | 1.4% | 2,093 | |
| Total Votes | 146,157 | |||
2000
On November 7, 2000, Eva M. Clayton won re-election to the United States House. She defeated Duane E. Kratzer, Jr. (R) and Christopher Sean Delaney (L) in the general election.[7]
| U.S. House, North Carolina District 1 General Election, 2000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Eva M. Clayton incumbent |
65.6% | 124,171 | |
| Republican | Duane E. Kratzer, Jr. | 32.9% | 62,198 | |
| Libertarian | Christopher Sean Delaney | 1.5% | 2,799 | |
| Total Votes | 189,168 | |||
District map
Redistricting
2020-2023
On October 25, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted new congressional district boundaries.[8] The legislation adopting the new maps passed the state Senate by a vote of 28-18 and the State House by a vote of 64-40.[9] Both votes were strictly along party lines with all votes in favor by Republicans and all votes against by Democrats.[10][11]
The New York Times' Maggie Astor wrote, "The map creates 10 solidly Republican districts, three solidly Democratic districts and one competitive district. Currently, under the lines drawn by a court for the 2022 election, each party holds seven seats. The Democratic incumbents who have been essentially drawn off the map are Representatives Jeff Jackson in the Charlotte area, Kathy Manning in the Greensboro area and Wiley Nickel in the Raleigh area. A seat held by a fourth Democrat, Representative Don Davis, is expected to be competitive."[8]
How does redistricting in North Carolina work? In North Carolina, the state legislature is responsible for drawing both congressional and state legislative district lines. District maps cannot be vetoed by the governor. State legislative redistricting must take place in the first regular legislative session following the United States Census. There are no explicit deadlines in place for congressional redistricting.[12]
State law establishes the following requirements for state legislative districts:[12]
- Districts must be contiguous and compact.
- Districts "must cross county lines as little as possible." If counties are grouped together, the group should include as few counties as possible.
- Communities of interest should be taken into account.
There are no similar restrictions in place regarding congressional districts.[12]
Below are the congressional maps in effect before and after the 2020 redistricting cycle. The map on the right was in effect for North Carolina’s 2024 congressional elections.
North Carolina District 1
before 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
North Carolina District 1
after 2020 redistricting cycle
Click a district to compare boundaries.
North Carolina's congressional district plan was subject to litigation following its adoption in 2011. Two challenges to the plan were heard by the Supreme Court of the United States: Cooper v. Harris, which was decided in 2017, and Rucho v. Common Cause, which decided on June 27, 2019. As a result of Rucho, North Carolina's congressional district plan was upheld. For more complete information, see this article.
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
2026
Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made North Carolina's 1st the 215th most Democratic district nationally.[13]
2024
Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made North Carolina's 1st the 220th most Republican district nationally.[14]
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 50.4%-48.8%.[15]
2022
Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+2. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 2 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made North Carolina's 1st the 194th most Democratic district nationally.[16]
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 53.2% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 45.9%.[17]
2018
Heading into the 2018 elections, based on results from the 2016 and 2012 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+5. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 5 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made North Carolina's 1st Congressional District the 171st most Democratic nationally.[18]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.96. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.96 points toward that party.[19]
See also
- Redistricting in North Carolina
- North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2024
- North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2022
- North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2020
- North Carolina's 1st Congressional District election, 2018
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Carolina State Board of Elections, "June Primary Candidates," accessed March 27, 2016
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, North Carolina," accessed November 7, 2012
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 2008," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2004," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 5, 2002," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk, "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 7, 2000," accessed March 28, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 The New York Times, "North Carolina Republicans Approve House Map That Flips at Least Three Seats," October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Bill 757 / SL 2023-145," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "House Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #613," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ North Caroliina General Assembly, "Senate Roll Call Vote Transcript for Roll Call #492," accessed October 26, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 All About Redistricting, "North Carolina," accessed April 20, 2015
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed February 6, 2023
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
