By Amanda Raymond
amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Ted Budd, who framed himself during his campaign as an outsider when it comes to politics, won the 13th congressional district election on Tuesday night.

The new 13^th District stretches from Greensboro to Iredell County and includes all of Salisbury and the northwestern part of the county. The district was created after a three-judge panel in the state’s Middle District Court declared that the 1st and 12th congressional districts were racially gerrymandered and therefore unconstitutional.

For the 13^th District, Republican candidate Budd had a slight lead over Democrat Bruce Davis at the beginning of the night. Budd had 52.1 percent of the vote while Davis had 47.9 percent.

Though the race stayed close, Budd ended up on top with 196,551 votes, for 56.1 percent of the vote. Davis ended up with 153,91 votes, for 43.9 percent.

In Rowan County, Budd and Davis started with an even closer race with Budd at 50.6 percent and Davis at 49.4 percent. By the end of the night Budd won the county, but not by much. Budd won 12,076 votes for 52.8 percent, and Davis received 10,791 for 47.2 percent.

Budd also won Iredell County with 68.2 percent of the vote, Davie County with 78.1 percent and Davidson County with 75.4 percent.

“It’s been a spirited campaign and I want to thank my opponent, Bruce Davis, for his willingness to run,” Budd said in an emailed statement. “Bruce is a Marine veteran and I am grateful for his service to our country as well as to our community and I know he will continue to seek out public service opportunities.”

He also thanked his wife and three children for their support.

Budd, 45, owns a gun shop in Davie County and used his lack of experience in office to his advantage during his campaign.

He previously said the most important issues facing the 13^th District were national security, simplifying the tax code and reducing government regulation.

“The 13^th District represents some of the best that North Carolina has to offer. But we need more and better jobs,” Budd said. “The government strangles business with overregulation. And we risk stopping future innovators before he or she can even get their idea off the ground if we continue to saddle our children with $20 trillion in debt.”

Budd went on to say that he ran to work with those in Washington to remedy those problems and get more people back into the workforce.

Davis, 59, who has served as a Guilford County commissioner for 12 years, won Guilford County with 60.2 percent of the vote. He believed improving the quality of education was the most important issue facing the 13^th District, along with criminal justice reform and increasing the use of clean energy.

In his concession speech, Davis said he called Budd on the phone and congratulated him on his win. He also thanked his staff and volunteers for their hard work.

“I wish Tedd Budd luck in office, and sincerely hope he will act as a symbol of political cohesion in Congress, that we so desperately need, by hearing out and working together with those in office with whom he may not agree, by leading with benevolent compassion and by striving to be a representative who represents everyone in the 13^th District of the great state of North Carolina,” Davis said.

He urged for people to set aside their differences and work together for the greater good.

“Moving forward from tonight we all need to come together as North Carolinians, as Americans and as human beings,” Davis said. “We need to spend more time focusing on how we are similar than how we are different. … Be you Democrat, Republican, independent or what have you, we are all Americans first and foremost.”

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.