# Don Davis (North Carolina politician)

Donald Gene Davis (born August 29, 1971) is an American politician and former Air Force officer serving as the United States representative for North Carolina's 1st congressional district since 2023. He was elected to a new term in 2024 in a closely contested race.
As a member of the Democratic Party, he represented the 5th district in the North Carolina Senate from 2013 to 2023. Davis was first elected to the post in 2008, representing Pitt, Wayne, and Greene counties. He was defeated for reelection in 2010, but ran and won a Senate seat for the newly redrawn 5th district in the 2012 election.

## Early life and education

Davis was born in Snow Hill in North Carolina. He also lived in Irving, Texas, for a period, attending MacArthur High School.
He attended the United States Air Force Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1994. After graduation, he was commissioned into the United States Air Force, serving for eight years and rising to the rank of captain. During his service, Davis was a coordinator of Air Force One operations at Joint Base Andrews.
Davis received a master of science degree from Central Michigan University. He then returned to North Carolina, where he taught and completed a master of arts in sociology and a doctorate in education at East Carolina University.

## Early career

Davis began his teaching career as an assistant professor of aerospace studies at the Air Force ROTC department at East Carolina University starting in 1998. He taught courses in military history, leadership, and national affairs. He was discharged from the Air Force in 2001.
In 2001, Davis was elected mayor of Snow Hill. He also served as the chair of the Democratic Party for North Carolina's 1st congressional district. In 2004, he briefly ran for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 1st district but withdrew before the primary. He was reelected as mayor in 2005.

## North Carolina Senate
### Elections
#### 2008–2010

In 2007, Davis announced his candidacy for the North Carolina's 5th Senate district seat. He was one of six Democratic candidates to compete for the position, which was being vacated by retiring senator John Kerr III. In the May 2008 primary election, Davis received 36% of the vote, the highest among the candidates. However, since he did not secure the 40% required to win outright, he advanced to a runoff against Kathy Taft.
In June 2008, Davis won the Democratic nomination with 63% of the vote in the runoff. He went on to face North Carolina representative Louis Pate, a Republican from Wayne County, in the general election. Davis defeated Pate, winning 53% of the vote in November 2008. His term as senator for District 5, representing Pitt, Wayne, and Greene counties, began on January 1, 2009. However, in 2010, Davis was defeated by Pate in a rematch of the 2008 election.

#### 2012–2022

After his defeat in 2010, Davis ran and won a Senate seat for the newly redrawn 5th district in the 2012 election. Davis ran unopposed in 2016. He defeated Pitt County district attorney Kimberly Robb in the 2018 election.

### Committee assignments

* Agriculture, Energy, and Environment
* Appropriations on Education/Higher Education
* Education/Higher Education
* Health Care
* Redistricting and Elections
* Rules and Operations of the Senate
* Select Committee on Nominations
* Select Committee on Storm Related River Debris and Damage in NC

## U.S. House of Representatives
### Elections
#### 2022

On December 1, 2021, Davis announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives to succeed retiring Democrat G. K. Butterfield. He won the Democratic primary for the 2022 election for North Carolina's 1st congressional district, defeating former state senator Erica D. Smith. In November 2022, Davis won the general election, defeating Republican nominee Sandy Smith.

#### 2024

Davis won reelection in 2024. He defeated Republican Laurie Buckhout by 1.5%.

### Tenure

In 2024, Davis invited 109-year-old Cassie Smith from Battleboro, North Carolina, to attend the State of the Union address. That year, he was also the lone Democratic co-sponsor of a bill introduced by Republican representatives Greg Murphy and Brett Guthrie that would limit Medicare's ability to negotiate prices.
Davis voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. He was among the House Democrats who voted to censure Representative Rashida Tlaib for her comments about the Israel–Hamas war. In March 2024, Davis, Representative August Pfluger, and a news reporter wrote an opinion piece in the Washington Examiner, which criticized the push by many members of Congress to condition U.S. aid to Israel.
In 2025, Davis was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the Laken Riley Act.

### Committee assignments

* Committee on Agriculture (vice ranking member):
** Agriculture Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development
** Agriculture Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities, Risk Management, and Credit
** Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy, & Poultry
* Armed Services Committee:
** Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness (vice ranking member)
** Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel

### Caucus memberships

* New Democrat Coalition
* Congressional Black Caucus
* Problem Solvers Caucus
* Rare Disease Caucus

## Personal life

Davis is married to Yuvonka. They live in Greene County, North Carolina, and have three sons. He is Presbyterian and a lay minister.