House Speaker Johnson stumps for Buckhout in NC 1st District race
RALEIGH — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) stumped for retired Army Col. Laurie Buckhout at a campaign stop in Greenville on Tuesday.
Buckhout is the Republican challenging Rep. Don Davis for the seat. Davis, a Democrat, is in his second term.
The previous bid by Buckhout to unseat Davis in 2024 came up short by around 6,700 votes. In 2025, the state legislature redistricted Davis’ seat to have more of a Republican lean.
Johnson characterized Buckhout’s candidacy in the state’s 1st Congressional District as a “top priority” for Republicans in holding a majority by defending 18-20 pivotal seats that will decide House control.
“She is one of our star recruits to run for Congress this fall, and she is going to flip a blue seat to red,” Johnson said of Buckhout. “North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is an essential part of the strategy to ensure the Republicans maintain the majority in Congress.”
Johnson framed the race and the national midterms as a sharp “contrast election”…