In eastern NC battleground, Davis and Smith tangle over country's direction

Democratic state Sen. Don Davis is running on a more moderate message, while his Republican opponent, businesswoman Sandy Smith, is seeking to take the district further right and halt President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda.

Both are speaking to voters' economic frustrations, citing the need for expanded broadband internet access and reduced prices at the gas pump and grocery store. But their campaign styles and ways of going about bringing change to Washington, D.C., couldn’t be further apart.

The contest in the 1st Congressional District, which has long been represented by retiring Democratic U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, hasn't attracted as wide of national or statewide interest as other North Carolina races, but it is just as important in both parties’ efforts to seize control of the chamber.

The area includes rural communities and urban hubs, notably outside the city of Greenville. The historically agricultural area is also grappling with growth spilling over from the Triangle.

In interviews in Pitt County last week, Smith and Davis felt confident about their chances.

“I feel very strongly — not overconfident, but confident — that there will be strong support for us and that we will walk away the winner of this election,” Davis said.

Smith took the outside spending against her as a sign that the race is tighter than some might have expected.

“If they were leading in the polls and winning, do you think they would be spending that kind of money?” Smith asked. “They’ve got too many other races to fight for and to put money in. They know when I win this seat on Nov. 8 that we're not giving it back."

Davis said he’d work to ensure that existing state and recently passed federal infrastructure spending increasingly goes to underserved communities in eastern North Carolina — a part of the state he thinks often goes ignored.

“As we see those dollars move, we need to continue to make those types of investments in our roads and in microenterprise,” Davis said. “Those things are important to send the signal that business is open here in the east.”

Smith agreed more federal money needs to go to the district, but said Republicans would be more likely to get the economy on a better track as Democrats have had control of the White House and Congress since January 2021.

“We can see the destruction one-party leadership across all our branches will do to our country and what a devastated state it's taken our country,” Smith said.

Smith said she’d work to implement the halted Keystone XL Pipeline to ramp up oil production and bring down gasoline prices. She also wants to take back money allocated in the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to the Internal Revenue Service to bolster tax enforcement capabilities.

During his time in the state Senate, Davis has supported measures limiting access to abortion, to fill the seat of retiring U.S. Rep G.K. Butterfield.

North Carolinians support 20-week abortion ban, split on further restrictions, WRAL News Poll shows

In 2019, he backed a bill that would have made it a felony with the possibility of prison time for health care practitioners to not treat a baby born in the course of a late-term abortion as a person.

The Presbyterian minister and former Air Force officer was among two Democrats who supported the so-called “born-alive” legislation and the only Democrat to vote in favor of overriding a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper. The measure didn’t have enough votes to become law.

Primary battle to replace U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield becomes a barometer for NC Democrats

Since declaring his congressional bid, Davis has softened his position, insisting he can separate his personal religious views from how he’d govern.

“While I do have personal beliefs, I believe as an elected official, you go through the election process,” Davis said. “We're going through this interview process because it is important to understand your district and to listen to your constituents. Not only have I heard from our constituents on this issue, I've heard from constituents on so many issues.”

He said he’d vote in Congress to codify Roe v. Wade. The since-overturned U.S. Supreme Court decision held that governments couldn’t regulate abortion decisions during first trimester but could impose restrictions in the second trimester and ban the procedure altogether in the third trimester, so long as the mother’s health or life is not in danger.

"Don Davis is in a tough spot,” said Chris Cooper, a Western Carolina University political scientist. “He has not been a champion of pro-choice causes in his legislative career and he's been a little out of step within his own party."

Sandy Smith appears to have softened her position on the issue. She’s vocally critical of abortion on the campaign trail and believes life begins at conception.

Even so, told WRAL she believes the issue of abortion ought to be left to states. “It’s not a federal issue,” she said. “Period.”

But she also didn’t rule out supporting federal legislation limiting access to the medical procedure. “If a bill came across my desk and it had a exceptions for rape, incest or protecting the life of the mother, absolutely I would support that.”

Smith has campaigned forcefully on the issue of illegal immigration. She wants to extend border wall construction between the United States and Mexico and limit immigrants’ ability to enter the country because they have loved ones who also live in the U.S.

She also wants to reduce health care costs by opening up competition across state lines and encouraging new medical providers to open small towns.

Davis wants to fill health coverage gaps in North Carolina with a federal expansion of Medicaid. North Carolina is one of a handful of states that have not expanded Medicaid. While the Republican-controlled state legislature has started to come around on the issue, the leaders of the state House and Senate passed competing bills this year but did not take up either chamber’s proposal.

“If we cannot expand Medicaid in North Carolina, I would love to see a federal alternative to bring in not only North Carolina, but the other states that have not expanded Medicaid,” Davis said. “Access to healthcare, wellness, all this is important to one's ability to show up and to work productively.”

Smith faced a hotly contested primary with seven Republican opponents. She edged out Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson by 5 percentage points and narrowly surpassed the 30% threshold needed to avoid a runoff election.

Smith has been criticized over allegations of domestic abuse in which she allegedly physically assaulted two of her ex-husbands and her then-teenage daughter, Tiffany Anderson.

In a July 2012 domestic violence protection order petition against her mother, Anderson described being hit by Smith “with a closed fist.”

NC GOP congressional candidate accused of domestic violence, lies

In a WRAL News interview last week, Smith said she and her daughter have an “awesome” relationship and described herself as a domestic abuse survivor, not perpetrator.

“You tell me how many 16- year- olds actually use that verbiage,” Smith said of the closed-fist description.

Attempts to reach Anderson for comment were unsuccessful. Smith declined to make her available.

Davis, Smith’s Democratic opponent, didn’t address specific allegations against the Republican but said violence is never acceptable. “As a society, [we] should not tolerate violence,” he said.

Records obtained by WRAL show Smith is currently married to her fourth husband. Asked by WRAL how many times she’d been married, Smith replied, “I’ve been married several times.” Asked if her current spouse is her fourth, she answered, “It’s my husband. That’s all.”

Cooper, the Western Carolina political scientist, said he found Smith’s answers odd.

“I don't understand why she won't be forthright about basic questions about how many times she's been divorced,” he said. “If she had been honest from the beginning, it wouldn't even be a story. I find much of her behavior puzzling.”

Central to Smith’s campaign is a fighting spirit and sense of being underestimated.

She said she met former President Donald Trump for the first time at a Wilmington rally in September. Despite Smith being a devout Trump supporter, the former president stayed away from a primary endorsement. Trump swiftly backed Smith after she secured the party’s nomination.

Smith attended Trump’s speech in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, 2021, but says she didn’t flock to the U.S. Capitol as other Trump supporters did.

Not only was she away from the violence that day, she was surprised last week when asked about Trump supporters advocating for the hanging of former Vice President Mike Pence that day.

“I’ve never seen that at all,” Smith said.

She remains adamant that Biden wasn’t properly elected, despite no evidence of fraudulent voting activities that would have changed the result of the 2020 presidential election. Smith said she’ll accept this year’s results “if they’re fair.”

“When I meet a lot of people, especially more moderates, the first thing they say is, ‘Gosh, you're not radical and crazy like they try to portray you. You are actually very smart.’”

Smith’s campaign website notes she’d eliminate universal mail-in ballots and limit absentee voting to senior citizens and active military members deployed or stationed overseas. She also wants to get rid of extended voting periods and require all absentee votes to arrive the day before the election.

As Smith embraces Trump, Davis distances himself from national Democrats and seeks to acknowledge voters’ frustrations.

He said he grew up cropping tobacco and saw people left behind as industrial changes emerged. He sees a parallel today as young adults leave the district for greater opportunity elsewhere.

“It's time for the next generation of young people, young adults, young entrepreneurs and leaders to step up to the plate to make sure that we get our fair share,” Davis said.