Before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, Don Davis served two terms in the North Carolina Senate State Senate (2009 – 2011 and 2013 – 2023). Davis also served eight years in the Air Force. He earned an undergraduate degree from the Air Force Academy and advanced degrees from Central Michigan University and East Carolina University. Davis is married and has three sons, one of them is currently serving in the Army.
Candidate Q&A
NC Health News reached out to Don Davis’ campaign multiple times looking for answers to our list of questions and received one response where his campaign aide told us: “I hope you can understand how stretched we are bandwidth wise in the final stretch of the campaign.”
To give readers information, we combed the internet and social media for statements by Davis and material from his official website that could address the themes in our questions. Unfortunately, we were not able to find material to answer every question.
What do you see as the biggest financial and administrative challenge to implementing the work requirements for Medicaid that were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill?
Davis voted against H.R. 1, the Big Beautiful Bill, as did other Democrats. His campaign told WAVY-TV “as many as 330,000 North Carolinians are predicted to lose Medicaid coverage by 2028 due to cuts in the BBB, according to the Center for American Progress.”
“SNAP participant rolls have already shrunk by more than 110,000 between September 2025 and August 2026,” the campaign also said.
Davis co-sponsored H.R. 31 COVER Now Act, which would help find a federal alternative to states who have yet to expand Medicaid and relaunching the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus (SMEC) to advance solutions to expand Medicaid for those trapped in their state’s coverage gap.
What would be your plan for ensuring the future security/strength of Social Security and Medicare?
Could not discern from the public record.
What would you support in Congress as a plan to help control health care/ pharmaceutical costs?
“When I talk about fixing health care, it’s important that we are doing everything we can to make sure that health care is accessible, that it’s affordable and we’re talking quality health care,” ,” Davis told PBS NC’s Statelines. “That’s why all these issues are important to engage on, when we talk about making sure that there’s good regulatory balance and measured approaches, making a pathway to prescription medication.
“These are things that we are working on. I’ve been working on and will continue to work on and make sure that we’re keeping the American dream within reach.”
He told the Island Free Press that, “we must continue to lower the cost of prescription medications in the most measured way possible. We should reform and extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits to make health insurance more affordable.”
He voted to extend the premium tax credits that made ACA coverage cheaper for many policy holders.
What steps would you take to improve access to health care in rural areas? How do we make the Rural Health Transformation Program successful in North Carolina?
Davis mentions the need to strengthen rural health care throughout his social media feed, which lacks specifics, such as this post from early June: “Securing high-quality medical care for eastern NC remains a top priority. A recent visit to CarolinaEast Health System in New Bern focused on practical solutions to ease the pressures facing this vital rural hospital. Healthcare close to home saves lives.”
He is, however, the co-sponsor of the REACH Act that would give rural health care facilities a $10,000 tax credit for all employees.
Davis also introduced H.R. 4277, the Rural Emergency Hospital Financial Stability Act, which would bring Medicaid payments for Rural Emergency Hospitals to the outpatient hospital rate, which is what Medicare pays for care at these facilities.
He secured a million in funding for a critical access hospital in Plymouth, which was delivered in February. And also requested $25 million to reopen Martin General Hospital, and $150 million for a new bed tower at ECU Beaufort in a letter to President Trump in May.
He told the Island Free Press that, “We must keep rural hospitals open and financially viable. We must deliver on the need for additional bed capacity at ECU Beaufort. We should also expand the types of funding allowed under the Rural Health Transformation Program to include hard infrastructure.”
Davis also told the outlet that “we must also continue funding community health centers and telehealth services. In October 2025, I led a letter calling for continued support for our health centers, and just weeks later, I voted to extend that funding and end the government shutdown. In rural communities, audio-only telehealth can mean the difference between getting the care a patient needs and going without healthcare entirely.”
The rollout of AI is moving fast, including in health care, and leaders in that space are calling for things to slow down. What federal moves should be taken to regulate it, if at all?
In early October, Spectrum News reported that Davis supports regulation of AI.
Where do you stand on federal vaccine policy? What should be done to prevent future disease outbreaks?
Could not discern from the public record.
We’ve had some high-profile food contamination outbreaks, yet the federal government is pulling back on regulation of food, air and water. What level of federal regulation do you support and why?
Could not discern from the public record.
PFAS contamination is a nationwide issue; how do you address it while balancing public safety and business interests?
Could not discern from the public record.
The building and placement of data centers have become a big issue, particularly in many rural communities. What should be the federal government’s role, if any, in how these are developed?
During a September interview with Spectrum News, Davis said communities must be part of the decision-making process when it comes to building data centers. He told the outlet that data centers “should not prevent us from embracing the future.”
He also has co-sponsored H.R. 10448, Reverse the Big Ugly Tax Breaks for Data Centers Act, which would bar data centers from being able to take a 100 percent bonus depreciation tax deduction. .
Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know?
Davis co-sponsored bipartisan legislation which would create a Department of Veterans Affairs Pilot Program to pay for local dentists providing care to America’s rural veterans.
“I believe in capitalism, I also believe that we need laws. I don’t try to be extreme “ I would love to see more oversight, when we talk about trade, when we talk about conflict.”
“Oversight matters.” he said. “When I think about housing, decisions that we’re making, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, putting the American dream of owning a home and being able to live back within reach for people, especially those in eastern North Carolina.”
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