Election 2026: Republican quintet focused to flip U.S. House seat

(The Center Square) – Five candidates bidding to be the first Republican since 1882 elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from the northeastern part of North Carolina professed allegiance and alliance with the president and had few differences Thursday while discussing their first priorities if elected, rural health care, and the country’s spending problems inside the Beltway.

In Thursday’s forum in Greenville, hosted by two CBS affiliates and Inner Banks Media, respective platforms for each trying to unseat Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., were laid out in a one-hour candidate forum. Evidenced by their choice of words, each seeks the endorsement of second-term Republican President Donald Trump in the 1st Congressional District race, where absentee voting has been ongoing since Jan. 12, and in-person early voting starts Thursday.

The 51-day voting window closes with primary Election Day on March 3.

Retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout of Edenton got Trump’s endorsement in the 2024 general election and worked the ...