ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — Incumbent Democratic Rep. Don Davis and Republican challenger Laurie Buckhout are locked in a tight race for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. It’s the state’s only competitive race and one of the few toss-ups across the Southeast. Whoever wins in November could help determine control of the U.S. House. But candidates higher on the ticket, such as Vice President Kamala Harris and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, might have an effect on Davis and Buckhout’s performance. Robinson became enmeshed in controversy after CNN reported that he had made several explicit racist and sexual comments on an online pornography forum over a decade ago.
