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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsNC-SEN: Don Davis (D) eyes open North Carolina Senate seat
Democratic Rep. Don Davis is exploring a run for the North Carolina Senate seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Thom Tillis, according to a spokesperson.
Davis is looking at all options and not ruling anything out, said the spokesperson, Hannah Spengler. But running for the Senate seat would mean giving up a competitive House seat in a district won by President Donald Trump last year. Davis narrowly won reelection last year, and Republicans have signaled theyll try to flip the seat again this cycle.
Former Rep. Wiley Nickel is already running on the Democratic side, and former Gov. Roy Cooper, who remains popular in North Carolina, also looms large over the race. Hes expected to make a decision this summer.
Among Republicans, Lara Trump the presidents daughter-in-law and a Wilmington native is looking at the race, as are RNC Chair Michael Whatley and Rep. Pat Harrigan.
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/07/congress/don-davis-senate-00441092

dsc
(53,037 posts)And he would not be my choice in a primary. On the plus side his office is well run and they respond to all contact but if a democrat votes the wrong way he is often doing so
Jersey Devil
(10,426 posts)Lost Nickel when they gerrymandered my district (again) and would hate to lose Davis as well. I am hoping for Cooper to jump in but I think Nickel would be a good choice if Cooper does not run.
Grins
(8,666 posts)I get hit EVERY DAY for money by Democrats. And I dont live in their states! And Im pissed.
Celerity
(51,179 posts)co-sponsor of a Republican-led bill by Representatives Greg Murphy and Brett Guthrie that would limit Medicare's ability to negotiate drug prices. In March 2024, Davis, Republican Representative August Pfluger, and a news reporter wrote an opinion piece in the RW Washington Examiner, which criticized the push by many members of Congress to condition U.S. aid to Israel.Also, in 2025, Davis was one of 46 House Democrats who joined all Republicans to vote for the horrid Laken Riley Act.
Davis was one of least 4 centrist, corporate-friendly Dems tried to scupper Biden's pharma cost reductions. These are the type of Dems who undercut our messaging and tried to reverse some of Biden's and most of the rest of our Party's good work. They worked with Rethugs to do Big Pharma's bidding.
https://www.statnews.com/2024/02/05/democrat-weaken-medicare-drug-price-negotiation/
WASHINGTON Two Republican lawmakers who introduced legislation to water down the Inflation Reduction Acts Medicare drug price negotiation program managed to find themselves a Democratic co-sponsor even though every single Democrat in Congress in 2022 voted for the legislation.
They found their perfect candidate in Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat representing a North Carolina district that includes parts of the states Research Triangle. He came to Washington in 2023, so didnt vote on the original law. He received donations in 2023 from the political action committees for Gilead, Astellas, Genentech, Bayer, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, GSK, Bristol Myers Squibb, BIO, Amgen, Boehringer Ingelheim, Merck, AbbVie, and Eli Lilly.
snip
All 4 are or were also in the moderate/centrist New Democrat Coalition, with Nickel and Gottheimer also in the conservative Blue Dog Coalition (Gottheimer still is, Nickel, as stated retired).
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5539/text?s=1&r=88
the Maintaining Investments in New Innovation (MINI) Act
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/5547
and the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures (EPIC) Act,
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7174/cosponsors?s=7&r=1
would delay or block the price reduction apparatus for many other drugs.
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/don-davis/industries?cid=N00049636&cycle=2024
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/josh-gottheimer/industries?cid=N00036944&cycle=2024
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/wiley-nickel/pacs?cid=N00049133&cycle=2024
https://www.opensecrets.org/members-of-congress/scott-peters/industries?cid=N00033591&cycle=2024
dsc
(53,037 posts)but both Nickel and Davis represent many drug manufacturing plants so they are representing the parochial interests of their districts.
mucholderthandirt
(1,623 posts)another No Labels Problem Solver 'centrist'
obamanut2012
(28,672 posts)Better chsnce of winning.