Rep. Don Davis will seek reelection in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, which he currently represents.

The Democratic congressman’s decision, first reported by Punchbowl News and confirmed Monday by Davis’ spokeswoman, Hannah Spengler, answers a months-long question and could determine decisions by other candidates seeking a congressional seat.

Davis, lives Greene County’s Snow Hill — which under a newly drawn map will be located outside the 1st district. Spengler told McClatchy that Davis plans to move into the redrawn district, though laws do not require him to do so.

“Many feel Washington D.C., isn’t serving their needs, and the redistricting battle clearly proves it,” Davis said in a statement. “I’m running in NC-01 to ensure everyone, from the northeast to the coast, has a powerful voice in Congress. We’re in this fight together!”

Davis has represented North Carolina’s only true swing district, meaning his constituents are known for choosing candidates from both major parties.

That has made Davis a target of Republicans for years, and in October, at the request of President Donald Trump, state lawmakers redrew North Carolina’s 1st and 3rd congressional districts in an attempt to give Republicans an extra seat in Congress. The new map dilutes the voting strength of Democrats and Black voters in the 1st district.

North Carolina, despite being a purple state, is represented by 10 Republicans and 4 Democrats in Congress, due in part to the way state lawmakers have politically gerrymandered the districts to give Republicans more seats.

Last week, federal judges allowed changes lawmakers made to the districts to take effect for the 2026 election.

The redrawn 1st Congressional District, in the state’s far northeast, will include Beaufort, Craven, Carteret, Pamlico, Hyde and Dare counties, which had previously been in the 3rd Congressional District, represented by Greg Murphy, a Republican from Pitt County. Four other counties — Wilson, Wayne, Lenoir and Davis’ home of Greene — will go from Davis’ district to Murphy’s, which sits just south of the 1st.

The changes left both Davis and Murphy scrambling to figure out where to run.

For Davis, his district was ranked as a toss-up by The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, but is now considered “likely Republican” by the center. Had he run in Murphy’s district, he would have faced a Republican incumbent in a Republican district without most of his constituents.

Davis has often voted with Republicans instead of with his own party.

Murphy, who has made coastal issues a priority in Congress, lost a large portion of North Carolina’s beaches from his district. He briefly considered running in the 1st district, saying he owned a beach house there, but chose to stay in District 3.

Both men are facing several opponents in their elections.

State Sen. Bobby Hanig, of Currituck County; Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson; Lenoir County Board of Commissioners Vice Chairman Eric Rouse; and Carteret County Sheriff Asa Buck all plan to run in District 1, though Rouse’s home is now located in District 3 under the new map.

Democrats George Papastrat and Christopher Schulte and independent Austin Ayers planned to file against Murphy. Both Papastrat and Schulte live in Onslow County. Ayers told McClatchy his address is not publicly available because he survived domestic violence.

Candidate filing for the 2026 election started at noon Monday in North Carolina and goes through Dec. 19.

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