Laurie Buckhout officially entered the race for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Wednesday, Dec. 17 2025, announcing her candidacy during a morning appearance on Henry Hinton’s Talk of the Town radio show and setting up what promises to be a competitive Republican primary in one of the state’s most closely watched political battlegrounds.

The retired U.S. Army colonel and Republican is making her second consecutive run for the seat, having narrowly lost to Democratic incumbent Rep. Don Davis in the 2024 general election by just 1.6 percentage points.

“After spending most of the last year in the Trump administration as a political appointee and a proud one, I’m coming back home to run for the 1st Congressional District Seat,” Buckhout told Hinton. “We’re going to win it.”

From Pentagon to Primary

Buckhout’s announcement comes after she spent much of 2025 serving as Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy in the Trump administration, a senior federal role focused on cyber defense and national security strategy. In that position, she worked on critical cyber threats facing the nation and collaborated regularly with Congress, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the White House.

While she stepped down from the full-time Pentagon role in September due to health issues related to her military service, Buckhout says she’s now “feeling like a million bucks” after receiving proper treatment for kidney dysfunction linked to burn pit exposure during her deployment in Iraq.

“I think I speak for a lot of combat veterans,” Buckhout explained during the radio interview. “When we came back from Iraq, they had burn pits active over there, burning a lot of things like heavy metals and dangerous chemicals.” She revealed that the VA had her on incorrect medication for years, but after switching to different medical care, her condition has improved dramatically.

The experience, she says, has given her a unique perspective on healthcare challenges facing veterans and a determination to advocate for reforms to the VA system.

Military Background and Credentials

Buckhout brings an extensive military resume to the race. She served 26 years in the U.S. Army, specializing in communications, electronic warfare, and cyber operations, including a year in combat in Iraq leading approximately 800 personnel. A native of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, she grew up on a cattle farm as the daughter of two World War II veterans.

After attending James Madison University on an ROTC scholarship, she built a career that took her around the world before retiring from the Pentagon. Following her military service, she started her own business, which she grew and sold in 2019. She and her husband Paul, an Army Ranger and Delta Force veteran, eventually settled in Edenton, a small town in northeastern North Carolina that Buckhout describes as “heaven” and “small town Southern USA.”

“I’m a Reagan girl back in the day,” Buckhout said. “I’ve been a Republican my entire life, conservative my entire life. Worked my entire life.”

A Redrawn District Creates New Opportunities

Buckhout’s decision to run again comes as the 1st Congressional District has undergone significant redistricting since her 2024 campaign. The newly drawn boundaries are considered more favorable to Republicans, spanning from Granville County near the Virginia border all the way down to Carteret County on the coast.

When asked whether the redistricting influenced her decision, Buckhout acknowledged it played a role. “I was entertaining the idea even when (the distsrict map) wasn’t [favorable toward Republicans],” she said, “just having seen the need in this district. But yeah, that certainly had a piece of it.”

During the radio interview, Buckhout addressed her initial reluctance to enter the race, explaining that she had been focused on her Pentagon duties.

“When I’m in a job, I focus on the job,” she said. “Coming back though, seeing the district, it just brought back the old feelings of seeing a district that has been underrepresented for literally over a century.”

Campaign Platform Focuses on Rural Economic Struggles

Buckhout’s campaign messaging emphasizes the economic and social challenges facing the largely rural 1st Congressional District, where many counties rank near the bottom statewide in income, health outcomes, and educational attainment. Agriculture remains a major economic driver, but farmers face rising costs, market uncertainty, and regulatory pressures.

“The working families of Eastern North Carolina need representation,” Buckhout said. “Farmers need representation. Fishermen, people who need jobs, people who need healthcare, people who need to know that somebody up in DC cares about them.”

She pledged to continue the economic progress made under the Trump administration, support veterans, reform healthcare access in rural areas, and maintain conservative values in Congress.

“We’ve got to flip this district red and we have to keep the House,” she emphasized. “If we don’t keep the House, all the progress that we’ve made so far is in big trouble.”

A Crowded Republican Field

Buckhout enters a competitive Republican primary that already includes several declared candidates. The filing deadline is Friday, December 19, 2025, with the primary scheduled for March 3, 2026.

Republican candidates who have filed or announced their intention to run include:

• Laurie Buckhout – Retired U.S. Army Colonel, former Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy, 2024 Republican nominee
• Bobby Hanig – State Senator representing parts of the district
• Asa Buck – Carteret County Sheriff, popular law enforcement figure in coastal counties
• Eric Rouse – Lenoir County Commissioner (does not currently live in the district)
• Ashley-Nicole Russell – Attorney with offices in Carteret County and Greenville

Sandy Robertson, the mayor of Rocky Mount, initially announced plans to file but withdrew from consideration last week, leaving the field at five declared or expected candidates.

When asked about the competitive field, Buckhout expressed confidence in her advantages.

“I think there are a bunch of good folks in this field,” she said. “I think I’m the one with the most experience. I think I’m ready to lead the strongest. I think I’ve got good name recognition. And nobody outworks me.”

Fundraising and National Support

Despite entering the race later than some opponents, Buckhout expressed confidence about her fundraising prospects, citing outreach from prominent conservative donors during her time in the Trump administration.

“I’ve had a bunch of folks reaching out to me over this last year,” she said, mentioning that businessman Ross Perot Jr. has offered to host a fundraiser for her at his Texas ranch. “I think I’m going to outraise everybody in the race very, very quickly.”

She also noted continued support from House Republican leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who backed her 2024 campaign. “I think they’ll see me as a solid teammate, a strong supporter of the president,” she said.

The winner of the Republican primary would likely face Davis again in the general election. The Democratic incumbent officially filed earlier this week to seek another term, confirming his intent to defend the seat he narrowly held in 2024.

A Key Race for Both Parties

The outcome in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District could have implications beyond eastern North Carolina. With closely divided control of the U.S. House, races like this one can influence legislative priorities and the balance of power in Washington. Both parties are expected to invest significant resources in the district over the coming months.

For Buckhout, the race represents unfinished political business and an opportunity to build on lessons learned from her previous campaign.

“The additional experience up in the White House, up serving with the president, dealing with congressional issues every day has given me all that more impetus to get in the race, flip this district red for the first time,” she said.

As filing closes this Friday and campaigns intensify heading toward the March primary, North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is once again positioned to become one of the most closely watched races in the state in the 2026 election cycle.