(The Center Square) – In the most competitive U.S. House race in North Carolina, Republican Laurie Buckhout has raised nearly $4 million in her attempt to unseat Democrat incumbent Don Davis.
Yet, Davis still out-fundraised Buckhout, bringing in over $5 million, making it one of the most expensive U.S. House races in the nation.
With Election Day just 18 days away, Davis is favored to win in a matchup that could shape whether the state goes from a 7-7 split of Republicans and Democrats to 10-4 or 11-3 Republicans.
Davis entered the last few weeks of the election with $2.5 million still on hand, while Buckhout had just under $1 million.
Up through the end of the third fundraising quarter, which ended on Sept. 30, Buckhout had spent nearly $3 million. Davis had actually spent less than Buckhout, at $2.6 million.
This is all according to the most up-to-date information from the Federal Election Commission.
Republicans believe the district could be a pick-up for them, with the National Republican Congressional Committee recently announcing plans to invest $1.45 million into Buckhout’s campaign.
The district is one of 37 congressional districts with a Democratic incumbent or an open seat that the National Republican Congressional Committee is targeting in 2024, according to Ballotpedia.
In 2022, Davis won by 5%, or just 12,000 votes. This was a much closer margin than in previous elections, when Democrats would regularly win by upward of 40%.
Yet, Davis is still favored to win. The Hill, in partnership with DecisionDesk HQ, predicts Davis has a 77% chance of winning the district. This prediction is updated daily and has remained steady for the last few months.
Both candidates remain hopeful going into Election Day, with Buckhout rallying voters to get out and vote during early voting, which began Thursday.
“The people of #NC01 are looking for a representative who will tackle skyrocketing inflation and our wide open border, and I’m ready to do just that! 19 days to go—LET’S GO,” Buckhout said on social media.
