(The Center Square) – Laurie Buckhout leads Asa Buck 26%-22% in a poll for the Republican primary in the 1st Congressional District of North Carolina.
The five-candidate field also includes state Sen. Bobby Hanig (11%), Eric Rouse (5%) and Ashley-Nicole Russell (1%). The sampling Friday through Sunday of this past weekend measured 500 likely Republican voters and carries a +/- 4.3% margin of error.
Candidates are hoping to advance to a November matchup with incumbent Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C. In the fall, lawmakers in Raleigh redrew two of 14 congressional districts with an eye on picking up the seat.
Beaufort, Hyde, Dare, Craven, Pamlico and Carteret counties changed from the 3rd Congressional District to the 1st; Wilson, Wayne, Greene and Lenoir counties changed from the 1st to the 3rd.
“Women voters support Buckhout by a nine-point margin, 26% to 17%, while men are split: 27% support Buck and 26% Buckhout,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Registered Republicans are split between Buckhout and Buck, at 26% and 25% respectively, while unaffiliated voters break for Buckhout by 10 points, 26% to 16%, while Hanig also pulls 16% from this group.”
All five were in a candidate forum the night before the polling began, hosted by two CBS affiliates and Inner Banks Media. Nexstar Media, owner of WNCT and CBS17, sponsored the poll conducted by Emerson College Polling.
Absentee voting has been ongoing since requested ballots were mailed out Jan. 12, in-person early voting started Thursday, and the 51-day voting window closes with primary Election Day on March 3.
The northeastern part of the state has not had a Republican win since the 1882 election. Buckhout’s challenge to Davis in 2024 – she lost 49.5%-47.8% – was the only one of 14 congressional races in the state closer than 13%.
Differentiations due to court orders have been applied to each map used for four of the last five congressional elections – 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022. The Legislature drew it in 2024, and this year’s map has already survived litigation.
Davis and Libertarian Tom Bailey do not face primary opponents.
