In a political climate that wasn’t good nationally for Democrats, (D) Rep. Don Davis was able to win re-election in North Carolina’s only toss-up U.S. House race this election.

Davis beat his Republican challenger, Laurie Buckhout, 49.5% to 47.8%.

“To be able to stay in this fight, it means the world to me, I’m grateful to the people of eastern North Carolina,” Davis told Spectrum News during an interview in his Capitol Hill office last week.

Republican state lawmakers redrew North Carolina’s congressional map last year following a redistricting process. The new map resulted in three Democratic lawmakers not seeking re-election because more Republicans were in their new districts, making the path to victory extremely difficult.

In 2025, the state’s congressional delegation will go from seven Republicans and seven Democrats to 10 Republicans and four Democrats.

“We knew with redistricting that this was a different district, but at the end of the day the message was the same in the east, the journeys, the experiences are the same,” Davis said.

Davis said during the election he heard about many of the same issues that were a focus nationally for voters: the economy, immigration and reproductive care.

“There is frustration on all sides right now, people in many ways frustrated with the process. And I think it’s so important to acknowledge that frustration and my takeaway is no matter that we walked away with a victory, is how do we embrace everyone, listen, hear the concerns and be a fighter, doesn’t matter Democrat, Republican, unaffiliated,” Davis said.

Davis is considered one of the most moderate Democrats in Congress. He sided with Republicans on a number of votes in Congress and while he endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president; he was one of just six Democrats who voted for a resolution condemning Harris’s role in the Biden Administration’s handling of the U.S. border with Mexico.

And while Davis won re-election, Democrats weren’t able to take control of the U.S. House, and they lost control of the Senate and White House.

In North Carolina, Harris fell short of flipping the state blue for the first time since 2008. That’s despite Democrats putting in place robust campaign that was well funded and included a large amount of paid staff and volunteers aimed at reaching voters in all parts of the state.

“You can literally reach out to individuals but it’s not just reaching out, it’s connecting with them. And when I say meet them where they are, it’s meeting individuals and families based on what they’re dealing in their daily lives. And for them to feel they have the confidence and trust that someone is listening and really fighting for them,” Davis said.