By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Democratic freshman Rep. Don Davis has won reelection, defending his seat from a challenge by Republican opponent Laurie Buckhout in North Carolina’s only toss-up congressional race.

Davis faced an uphill battle this year compared to 2022, when he first won the 1st Congressional District, largely because redistricting by the GOP-controlled state legislature last year left the district less blue than it once was. The race attracted millions of advertising dollars from both parties.

Davis’ seat was a crucial one for Democrats to keep in order to have a chance of controlling the U.S. House.

The freshman representative, who serves on the Agriculture and House Armed Services committees, has earned a reputation as one of the more moderate House Democrats, which may have won favor with some independents in his district. He has voted with Republicans a few times during his first term, including to condemn Vice President Kamala Harris’ work at the U.S.-Mexico border. The day after that vote in July, however, he endorsed her presidential run. And last month, he spoke at a rally for Harris in Greenville.

Buckhout’s campaign worked hard to tie Davis to Harris’ platform in hopes of winning over some voters disillusioned with the Biden-Harris administration. Buckhout focused primarily on connecting Davis to Harris’ economic and immigration policies.

Democratic groups, meanwhile, tried to connect Buckhout to Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, whose gubernatorial campaign was thrown into disarray after CNN reported that he made graphic sexual and racist comments on a pornography website’s message board about a decade ago. Robinson denied those claims, and The Associated Press has not independently verified them.

Groups supporting Davis, such as the Democratic Legislative Congressional Committee, ran ads in the district also tying Buckhout to Robinson’s shifting stance on abortion. The group used photos in which Buckhout and Robinson appeared together to draw the connection.

Both candidates touted their military experience throughout the campaign. Veterans make up about 7% of the district’s population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Davis spent several years in the Air Force, while Buckhout served in the U.S. Army for over 25 years before retiring in 2010.