In the most competitive congressional district in North Carolina, U.S. Representative Don Davis, NC-01, is vying for reelection.
The Democrat’s affiliation with the Forward Party is another example of centrism.
“Parties aren’t the point. The labels don’t matter. It has to do with the policy. During a North Carolina Forward Party virtual meeting last Thursday, Davis stated, “It’s about the principles, about how we can help families.”
The website GovTrack, which tracks legislative conduct, claims that Davis is the most conservative Democrat in the House. According to GovTrack, Davis is more ideologically conservative than one-third of House Republicans.
Only 13 Democrats, including the Snow Hill native, won a district where voters also chose Donald Trump to be president in 2024. He claimed that collaborating with Republicans inspires disenchanted voters.
“My experiences now you see the far left, the far right, and a lot of times you have the silent majority that’s just in the middle,” said Davis.
According to state chair of the Forward Party Patrick Newton, Davis is “what we lovingly call a Forward Democrat.” Two months prior to his 2024 reelection, the congressman pledged to uphold the principles of the Forward Party.
“A new model is required. This is transparent to the public. “Our politics need to be more genuine,” Davis stated. “So many people have felt left out of the process because they see the parties just throwing bombs at each other, just attacking each other nonstop.”
The Forward Party wants to force cooperation between Republicans and Democrats by becoming a centrist force in American politics. Former New Jersey governor and George W. Bush administration U.S. EPA administrator Christine Todd Whitman, a retired Republican politician, and Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who participated in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, cofounded it.
By 2026, the party hopes to have the ability to put candidates on the North Carolina ballot.
“North Carolina is going to be one of the major battlegrounds, and I believe the Forward Party North Carolina could be pivotal players in what happens next year, which is going to have national implications,” Yang stated during the meeting on Thursday.
Republicans are already investing heavily in attacks because they think they can defeat Davis in 2026. Sandy Roberson, the mayor of Rocky Mount, declared his intention to participate in the Republican primary.
In 2024, Davis narrowly defeated Laurie Buckhout, a Republican opponent. Given that Tom Bailey, the Libertarian candidate, received 9,949 votes—more than the 6,307 that Davis received—he might have had some influence.
