Daughtry leads GOP primary for Triangle-area congressional seat

Kelly Daughtry led a crowded field of candidates Tuesday night in a hotly contested GOP primary for a Triangle-area congressional seat.

With nearly 75% of precincts reporting, Daughtry had 28% of the vote in the Republican primary for the 13th Congressional District seat. Brad Knott had 18%, Fred Von Canon had 16%, and DeVan Barbour had 15%.

A candidate must earn more than 30% of primary votes to win the nomination. If no candidate receives more than 30%, the second-place finisher can request a runoff election against the top vote-getter. Run-off elections take place May 14.

The winner would face Democrat Frank Pierce in November. Pierce is running unopposed and therefore didn’t appear on primary ballots.

More than a dozen candidates are vying for the Republican nomination in a Triangle-area congressional district. Daughtry, Von Canon, Knott, and Barbour were considered favorites to emerge from the Republican primary in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District.

The district has drawn a crowd because it now leans heavily Republican. And Democratic U.S. Rep. Wiley Nickel, who won a tight race in 2022, isn’t seeking reelection. Whoever wins would almost assuredly go on to Congress.

North Carolina’s GOP-controlled General Assembly redrew the state’s election maps last year, reconfiguring the 13th District and giving Republicans a major advantage.

In 2022, the district was mostly confined to the southeastern regions of the Triangle in Wake, Johnston and Harnett Counties.

Now, it curls around Wake County like a fish hook. It starts in Caswell County and stretches eastward across the state’s northern border before dropping into Franklin, Johnston and Harnett counties. It then turns west again, capturing the south extremes of Wake County before ending southwest of the Triangle in Lee County.