The Case For Don Davis In NC-01

“Don Davis has a public servant’s heart, a resolute work ethic, and a fighting spirit that will serve North Carolina families well in Congress. As an Air Force officer, small-town mayor, and minister, Don has dedicated his life to serving his neighbors, and he’s delivered on everything from expanding rural health care to investing in our kids’ educations. There’s no better voice for eastern North Carolinians than Don and he’ll be a true champion for them in Washington.” – DCCC Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney

—

To: Interested Parties
From: Monica Robinson, DCCC Regional Press Secretary
Date: May 17, 2022
Subject: The Case For Don Davis in NC-01

As a veteran, minister, small-town mayor, and state senator representing eastern North Carolina, Don Davis always rolled up his sleeves to get to work for North Carolinians – and he’s never shied away from a tough fight. Now, he’s stepping up once again to be a champion for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

Born here in eastern North Carolina, Don Davis was raised by a single mother before becoming an officer in the Air Force. Don worked hard and served our country for eight years. He became an educator and then served as the youngest mayor of Snow Hill, where he focused on the work that mattered: filling potholes, expanding internet access in rural North Carolina, and boosting his community’s local economy. Don continued that work as a senator in the North Carolina State Legislature, where he worked with both parties to pass bills that helped North Carolina families, including to raise teacher pay and invest in state universities. Because of his work, he was named the North Carolina Sheriffs Association’s “Defender of Public Safety” for 2021 – their top award for state legislators – and earned the Champion for Children award from the North Carolina Association of School Administrators.

Don earned the endorsement of Congressman G.K. Butterfield — who represented NC-01 for nearly two decades before his retirement this year — because he’s the best person to fight for eastern North Carolina and get things done for working families in Washington.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. Running against Don Davis this November is MAGA Republican Sandy Smith, a far-right extremist who has been credibly accused of a pattern of domestic violence toward her family. Even if voters could overlook the disturbing allegations of abuse, Smith’s extremist views and bizarre conspiracy theories are enough to make any North Carolinian sprint in the other direction. In addition to repeatedly promoting the unfounded conspiracy that the 2020 election was rigged (and even marching on the Capitol on January 6th), Smith has come out on the wrong side of every issue — including supporting a total abortion ban with no exceptions, vehemently opposing fixing our roads and bridges, gambling with essential programs like Social Security, and opposing affordable and accessible health care.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING:

“Having served in Congress for 18 years, I know what the people of the first district expect from their representative. Don has the legislative experience and is prepared to fight for the Democratic agenda of empowering America’s families and communities.” [Rep. G.K. Butterfield, 04/25/22]

HEADLINE: Saying he’ll ‘uplift’ Americans, retiring US Rep. Butterfield backs Davis as successor [Associated Press, 04/25/22]

“Republican U.S. House candidate Sandy Smith took to Twitter on Friday to publicly deny allegations that she struck one ex-husband with a frying pan and beat another with a clock radio.” [Wilson Times, 05/07/22]

“The Sandy vs Sandy Republican primary race just went nuclear amid accusations of domestic violence.” [The Carolina Journal, 05/10/22]

HEADLINE: Sandy Smith denies domestic violence claims in heated GOP congressional primary [Wilson Times, 05/07/22]

“Roberson’s campaign may be going ‘nuclear’ with the primary election less than two weeks away, releasing a trove of documents that they allege show Smith is unfit to be the GOP nominee. The accusations include spousal abuse, bankruptcy, running scams, and owning a business that sells sexual clothing.” [The Carolina Journal, 05/10/22]

“Attempts to reach Smith have been unsuccessful. Her campaign has not returned phone calls or emails and she did not participate in a survey conducted by The Daily Reflector and other APG-ENC newspapers last month. Neither she nor Roberson attended a candidate forum conducted in Greenville on Saturday by the 1st Congressional District GOP organization.” [Daily Reflector, 05/06/22]

SANDY SMITH IS UNTRUSTWORTHY, UNPREDICTABLE, AND EXTREME

SERIOUS ACCUSATIONS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE TOWARDS HER FAMILY

Sandy Smith is facing serious and disturbing accusations of a long-established pattern of domestic violence toward her family, including that she “struck one ex-husband with a frying pan and beat another with a clock radio” and “an accusation that she punched and slapped her teenage daughter a decade ago.”

According to court records, Smith’s teenage daughter “applied for a domestic violence protective order in July 2012,” and wrote that Smith “pushed and shoved me, she slapped me, pulled my hair, pulled me to the ground and sat on me […] She held me down by my hair and punched me in the face with a closed fist.” Her then-husband corroborated the allegations of physical abuse toward her daughter, and also accused Smith of assault against him in his motion for a temporary restraining order against her, saying:

“I was awoken abruptly when I felt a severe head pain […] [Smith] had hit me across the left side of my face with our radio/alarm clock. She continued a barrage of physical assaults against me, using her hands, the clock and a broom. Still in a daze, I ran into the bathroom and locked the door. She proceeded to break through the door and continue her crazed attack.” [The Enterprise, 05/07/22]

According to a 66-page summary of investigators’ findings, Smith also was physically violent toward her first ex-husband Randall Edward Auman, with the document stating that she “tried to run over Mr. Auman [and] hit him in the head with a frying pan.” The allegations are deeply disturbing, and demonstrate Sandy Smith is completely unfit for public office.

REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

In the wake of alarming reports that the Supreme Court of the United States is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, Sandy Smith would spell disaster for North Carolina women. She advocates for a total ban on abortion with no exceptions — including to save the life of the mother — and described abortion as “murder.”

WANTS TO GAMBLE WITH NORTH CAROLINIANS’ RETIREMENTS

More than 1.5 million retired workers in North Carolina rely on the Social Security payments they’ve paid into their entire lives. But if it were up to Sandy Smith, Social Security as we know it could be gutted – and with it, North Carolinians’ chances of a dignified retirement. Smith supported privatizing Social Security, risking American seniors’ guaranteed retirement benefits on the stock market.

SHAMELESSLY SPREADING CONSPIRACY THEORIES

To Sandy Smith, democracy, law, and order are merely suggestions to be thrown away if they get in between her and her political ambitions. On January 6th, as armed insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol, Sandy Smith posted pictures of herself marching toward the Capitol building “fighting for Trump.” In 2020, Smith showed she was willing to shamelessly lie and cheat to get elected. She has repeatedly publicly questioned the 2020 election results in North Carolina, falsely claiming that voter fraud with Dominion voting machines cost her her own election — despite the fact that North Carolina does not use Dominion Voting Systems.

INFRASTRUCTURE: ONLY A PIPE DREAM ON SMITH’S WATCH

Thanks to the House Democrats’ infrastructure plan, eastern North Carolina is soon to see a once-in-a-lifetime investment in roads, bridges, pipes, ports, and broadband. But that economic boost and investment in North Carolina’s aging infrastructure would have been nothing but a pipe dream if Sandy Smith had her way. More than 200 Republicans voted against it – and among them would have been Smith, who slammed the few Republicans who voted for the infrastructure investment as “communist RINOs.” Opposing jobs, bridges, internet, and roads for North Carolina: Not the winning issue Smith thinks it is.

PUTTING HEALTH CARE FOR NORTH CAROLINIANS ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK

In North Carolina, 500,000 adults would gain access to health insurance if the state expands Medicaid. Instead, Republicans like Sandy Smith have refused to expand access to affordable, life-saving health care. Smith opposes expanding Medicaid, and asserted that the Affordable Care Act — which protected patients with pre-existing conditions — was unconstitutional.

PATH TO VICTORY

The path to victory for Don Davis in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District is clear. NC-01 reaches from the Raleigh suburbs to the northern border with Virginia, stretching south to include the City of Greenville. Registered Democrats comprise almost 50% of registered voters, and more than 40% of registered voters here are African American, per the North Carolina voter file.

Even under new district lines, voters in NC-01 have consistently supported Democratic candidates up and down the ballot in both state and federal races. 2020 Democratic congressional performance in NC-01 under the new mapping configuration is 53.5%, less than a point difference from what Democratic incumbent Rep. GK Butterfield received in 2020 (54.2%). Under the new lines President Biden received 53.7% of the two-way vote share, and Governor Cooper received 56.4%.

Don Davis, who has a strong record of results from his time in the state legislature and is endorsed by Congressman G.K. Butterfield, is the perfect candidate to hold this seat. State Senator Don Davis has been a strong voice for his neighbors in eastern North Carolina and will be a great representative for the people of North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

###