EDENTON, Nc. — Laurie Buckhout was greeted with hugs and words of encouragement from supporters late Tuesday night when she walked into her election night watch party.
She spent a few minutes with supporters, then left the room. A few minutes later, she appeared on a stage at the watch party to speak to the crowd there.
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In her speech, she thanked her family and members of her campaign, talked about the work her campaign did in what she says was the most expensive Congressional race in American history, and offered a message for Democratic incumbent, Rep. Don Davis.
“He said in an interview a few months ago that North Carolina One is a forgotten district. He can’t be doing that forgetting anymore. He is going to be accountable. We are going to be watching him. I don’t want this to be the forgotten district," Buckhout said. "We didn’t quite, probably, make the history, that I wanted to make tonight but we made them spend a lot of money and fight real hard to take this old soldier down, alright?”
Watch: Davis and Buckhout work to connect with OBX community in redrawn Congressional Race
Buckhout, a retired U.S. Army colonel, did not officially concede the race in her speech. Instead, she sent out a statement shortly after to concede.
In it, she said, in part, “Tonight the voters of eastern North Carolina made their choice, and I respect it.”
This was Buckshot’s second attempt to win the district. She previously ran, and lost to Davis, in 2024.
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