A former Army colonel seeking to flip a House seat in North Carolina from blue to red has slammed his Democratic opponent as a “career politician” who is “beholden to” President Biden and his policies that continue to wreak havoc. says. in her district.
Laurie Buckhout is the Republican candidate running against Congressman Don Davis (North Carolina) to represent North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives. She spoke to Fox News Digital about her candidacy in the race. Ranked as a “Democratic Tossup” This was reported by Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analyst.
“We have to acknowledge that Mr. Davis is just Mr. Biden’s agent on the ground. He is Mr. Biden’s agent, he is his subordinate, and he does what Mr. Biden tells him to do,” Buckhout said. I’m voting for Biden.” “He’s benefiting from people like Hakeem Jeffries in Congress. He’s benefiting from Biden.”
Unlike Davis, Buckhout claimed he is “beholden to no one but his constituents and the voters of Eastern North Carolina.”
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Laurie Buckhout is a former Army colonel and Republican candidate seeking to defeat Congressman Don Davis (North Carolina) to represent North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in the House of Representatives. (Raleigh Backout Campaign)
Buckhout called Davis, a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in the North Carolina Senate for 14 years before being elected to the House of Representatives in November 2022, “a career politician who has never done anything like that in his life. ‘. I run a business. “
“He’s never created jobs. He’s had a career in politics,” she said.
“If you look at everything he’s done, he’s gone to the border and it’s all for photo ops,” he added of Davis, who also served as mayor of Snow Hill, North Carolina, in the early 2000s. “Did he make any changes or introduce any legislation to stop the invasion? No. Did he do anything to stop the illegal aliens? [from] Bringing fentanyl into the state and into his district? no. “
Buckhout, who is touring the district to speak to voters about their concerns ahead of the election, said there are a number of issues he would like to tackle, including poverty, if elected.
“GK Butterfield, who personally handpicked Don Davis to replace him, often boasted that this was the poorest district in North Carolina. And it was. After 141 years of Democratic control, perhaps “That’s the reason,” she said.
In an interview with FOX News Digital, Laurie Buckhout criticized incumbent U.S. Rep. Don Davis (North Carolina) for being a “career politician.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Buckhout said two issues are top of mind in her district: border security and the economy.
“I think border security is probably number one. The economy is terrible, of course, but even the poorest people will tell you they’re just scared of the border,” she said. “We captured a guy on the terrorist watch list about three weeks ago in a county that borders the one where I live, and we still haven’t heard from Biden about why this guy is here. So border security is massive. And of course, the economy, economic revitalization, job creation is number two. And frankly, they’re evenly matched. We need to address these issues now. We need to tackle it head on.”
Buckhout also noted that residents in the area are “very concerned” about crime and opioid use in the neighborhood.
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“They’re concerned that the people who are coming in are not being held accountable. They don’t know who they are.” [or] “Where did they come from?” she said. “I received a call from a couple who were very concerned about the illegal aliens living next door. They were renting their house and [there’s] Drug activity, all kinds of activities day and night. They’re worried about drug dealers coming into the area, they’re worried about fentanyl, they’re worried about their children. So I think crime and fentanyl are a big problem. ”
“Those of us who are now adults, we grew up in a very different America than the one Joe Biden is shaping, and we must stop the progress he is making to destroy this country. .Don Davis is one of them.” Backout added.
Before running for Congress, Mr. Buckhout served in the U.S. Army for 26 years, reaching the rank of colonel before retiring in 2010.
A graduate of James Madison University with a master’s degree in national military strategy and information management, Mr. Buckhout began his career in the Army in 1984, going on to lead 800 troops as part of the first spearhead strike against Middle Eastern forces. commanded a battalion attack task force. Iraq in 2003.
“I am fortunate to come from an Army veteran and Army Air Corps background. My mother served in the Army Air Corps in World War II, and my father served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam,” she said. . “I grew up with that military ethic. My father used to say, ‘At the end of the day, you’ve got to look yourself in the eye and know you did the right thing. ’ So the idea of serving the country and duty is really important to me.”
Mr. Buckhout began his career in the Army in 1984 and later commanded an 800-man battalion assault task force as part of the first spearhead attack into Iraq in 2003. (Raleigh Backout Campaign)
“That feeling of standing up when you felt your country was in danger never went away,” Buckhout added. “Part of the reason I decided to run is because as a mother, as a citizen, and perhaps as a lifelong soldier, I don’t think I can just walk away and watch my country burn. “I feel like I have to stand up for myself,” and try to change that. ”
After serving in the military, Mr. Buckhout started a strategic consulting and services group specializing in electronic warfare and cyberspace operations.
“When I came back from Iraq, we worked on a great program to protect our soldiers from being blown up with IEDs,” she said. “When I retired from the Army in 2010 after going to Iraq and then being assigned to the Pentagon, I did the same thing as a business because it was something that still needed to be done. Soldiers were still injured in Iraq. or killed by improvised explosive devices” in Iraq and Afghanistan. And of course, now they have spread all over the world and we have found them even within our borders. ”
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Aside from the support Buckhout has received from several states, her “most valuable” support has been from Chowan County Sheriff Edward Basnight, Lenoir County Sheriff Jackie Rogers, Gates County Sheriff She said it came from people she said she knows best in the district, including Commissioner Ray Campbell. , District Attorney Jeff Cruden.
In October 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly adopts new congressional district boundaries, adding the remaining counties of Chowan, Franklin, Greene, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell, and Vance to the state’s 1st Congressional District did. The newly redrawn district no longer includes Wayne County.
Mr. Buckhout was elected as the district’s Republican candidate in last month’s Republican primary and will face Mr. Davis in the state’s general election on November 5th.
