Race in redrawn NC district is breaking national spending records, ranking says

Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, The News & Observer on Oct 28, 2026

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RALEIGH, N.C. — A congressional race in Eastern North Carolina is breaking spending records.

The contest for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District has drawn $52.9 million in total ad spending and reservations, making it the most expensive U.S. House general election on record, according to AdImpact, an advertising intelligence firm that tracks political ad spending across TV, radio and digital platforms. The figure includes both ads that have already aired and future reservations as of Oct. 27.

Democrats backing incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis account for $29.6 million of that total, while Republicans backing Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout account for $23.3 million.

That puts the district ahead of Florida’s 25th District, at $49.4 million, and Michigan’s 7th District, at $47.7 million, meaning the three most expensive House general elections on record have all come this year. Next on the list is New York’s 19th District, which drew $47.2 million in its 2024 general election.

Total ad spending and future reservations targeting House general elections this cycle has reached $1.6 billion as of Oct. 27, with Republicans leading Democrats $797.8 million to $775 million, according to AdImpact.

Once blue, then slightly red, now a toss up

The 1st District, which stretches across much of northeastern North Carolina and the Inner Banks, was once a solidly Democratic seat that had been represented by Democrats for more than a century. Multiple rounds of redistricting have changed that.

In the most recent round, last October, Republicans in the General Assembly approved a mid-decade redistricting plan after President Donald Trump urged GOP-controlled legislatures to redraw their maps. Trump’s push helped spark a nationwide redistricting fight, including in Democratic-led states such as California.

The revised map expanded the 1st District by pulling in more conservative territory from the neighboring 3rd District, represented by Republican Rep. Greg Murphy.

The redrawn district was expected to favor Republicans, giving them one more congressional seat in a purple state where voters regularly split between the parties, but where Republicans already hold 10 of the 14 House seats.

But with Trump’s approval ratings low, Democrats turning out in high numbers, and the national environment shifting toward Democrats, forecasters have moved the race in Davis’ direction. The Cook Political Report now rates it a toss-up, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates it as leaning Democratic, making it one of the most closely watched races in the fight for control of the U.S. House.