An Army veteran backed by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s Women’s Candidate Recruiting PAC told Fox News Digital this week that he believes he can make history in North Carolina.
Retired Colonel Laurie Buckhout said her district is the poorest in North Carolina, and while the economy and jobs are top priorities for her voters, immigration is the No. 1 issue raised against her.
Buckhout said a combination of poverty, an influx of drugs from south of the border and a general lack of progress during the Biden administration has left her potential voters clamoring for change.
She noted that her district, which stretches nearly 200 miles from the outskirts of Rocky Mount to the small Outer Banks tourist towns of Duck and Corolla, hasn’t elected a Republican since Chester Arthur was president.
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Republican candidate Laurie Buckhout walks with voters in her precinct in eastern North Carolina. (Congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout)
“We’ve been led by Democrats for 141 years, and that speaks to why North Carolina is the poorest state,” she told a packed audience at an event Wednesday hosted by Stefanik and dubbed “E-PAC.” “Now we have a real opportunity to turn that around … Democrats are afraid.”
“My opponent is [Rep.] Don Davis [D-N.C.] “One of the nicest guys in Congress, he’s been hiding out every time Biden comes to the state, which is spending $850,000 on positive ads in May alone.”
Speaking to Fox News Digital after the shooting, Buckhout said it was heartbreaking to see signs of poverty and drug abuse in many of the towns where she lives.
“It’s about poverty, it’s about jobs, it’s about the economy. They’ve been struggling for years. Then Biden comes in and he’s just ruining it with his crazy spending and energy policies.” [eastern North Carolina] And my very agricultural district.”
But despite the economic strain, voters are telling Buckhout the border is their biggest issue.
“I’ve spoken to some of the poorest people in the district and they tell me they’re worried about the future of their children.”
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Sunrise in Duck, North Carolina, part of the Outer Banks. (Kevin Ferris/Fox News Digital)
He said in the eastern part of the district, tourist-filled seaside towns and inland villages have been hard hit by the Biden economy, with tourism revenues declining from thousands of vacationing northerners.
“People can’t afford to hop in their car and take long trips anymore, so you’re seeing businesses close, small hotels close, and that’s a big impact,” said Buckhout, whose hometown of Edenton is one of those soundfront communities.
In response to her criticism, Davis said her primary focus is on eastern North Carolina families and explained why she is a “recognized bipartisan leader in Congress.”
“I have also vocally challenged the White House on issues such as CEDAW, the menthol ban, reductions in staffing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base and the border crisis. I have personally visited eastern counties over 200 times, traveled to Israel and Ukraine and made multiple trips to the southern border,” Davis said.
North Carolina pollsters and election analysts also spoke to Fox News Digital about how confident Buckhout is of a historic Republican flip in his district.
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One of the pollsters, Professor Peter Francia of East Carolina University in Greenville, said the district went from being Democratic-dominated to shifting slightly to the right after the 2020 census redistricting.
“The race for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District will not only be the most competitive in the state, but potentially one of the most competitive in the nation,” Francia said.
