Sandy Roberson, the two-term Republican Mayor of Rocky Mount, announced Wednesday that he is running again for Congress in NC-01, North Carolina’s only true swing district.
He ran for the office in the May 2022 Republican primary but lost to Sandy Smith. She would go on to lose to Democrat Don Davis in the November 2022 General Election.
“I’m running for Congress because North Carolinians deserve a representative who isn’t afraid to take on the tough issues,” Roberson said in a press release. “In Congress, I’ll stand with President Trump to secure our border, stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into our region, and unleash the American economy to benefit the citizens of North Carolina’s First District.”
The lifelong Rocky Mount resident was first elected mayor in 2019, the only Republican in the city’s history. In the release, he said he has tackled tough issues head-on, including improving public safety, revitalizing the local economy, increasing government transparency, and advocating for working families.
As mayor, Roberson led the passage of a local ethics transparency law, championed job training initiatives, formed partnerships to fight crime, and supported small businesses.
He is also the CEO of HealthView Capital Partners, one of the Carolinas’ largest hospice and healthcare companies, which he built over the past four decades.
Roberson is investing $2 million of his own money to help jumpstart his campaign.
He also garnered his first endorsement from Laurie Buckhout, the Republican nominee who lost to Davis in 2024’s general election.
“I am thrilled to endorse Mayor Sandy Roberson for Congress in North Carolina’s First Congressional District,” Buckhout said in the release. “Sandy has been a friend and fellow conservative for years. I’ve seen firsthand what a warrior he is for our district, and I know he’s the best and only candidate to stop the far-left in Washington. I encourage every Republican to rally behind Mayor Roberson so we can take this seat back from a Democrat party that has forgotten the citizens of Eastern North Carolina.”
The First Congressional District comprises 18 whole counties and one partial county in the rural northeast of the state: Bertie, Chowan, Edgecombe, Franklin, Gates, Greene, Halifax, Hertford, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Pitt (partial), Tyrrell, Vance, Warren, Washington, and Wilson counties.
If Roberson were to win the primary, what would his chances look like to beat Davis in the November 2026 General Election?
“The First is North Carolina’s only toss-up congressional district,” Andy Jackson, director of the Civitas Center for Public Integrity at the John Locke Foundation told Carolina Journal. “Our analysis rated it D+0 in 2024, meaning that a Democrat has less than half a percentage point advantage in a generic race. Davis won the district by less than two percentage points last time around, and northeastern North Carolina is trending Republican, so Roberson would have a real chance to win next year.”
However, Jackson said there are two potential obstacles for Roberson.
“The first is that he may have to face a bruising primary that drains his resources and divides Republicans, even if he wins,” Jackson told CJ. “The second is that the president’s party traditionally does poorly in midterm elections. He will have to overcome both headwinds to beat Davis.”
Roberson and his wife, Jennifer, live in Rocky Mount. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and a member of First Baptist Church Rocky Mount.
The post Republican Rocky Mount Mayor Roberson announces second run for NC-01 first appeared on Carolina Journal.