With more than percent of precincts reporting, Democrat and Lee County native Paul Barringer declared victory Tuesday night over Republican Congressional Representative Bradd Knott

If the lead holds, Barringer would become the next representative from North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District – and likely the first member of Congress from Lee County. NBC called the race in Barringer’s favor around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Vote totals aren’t official until canvassed.

“I’m honored that the folks here in District 13 have placed their trust in me to represent our community,” Barringer said. “Even with such an uphill battle, this campaign and our supporters stood up and made it clear that our community wants a representative who will fight to lower costs, stand up to corruption, and help protect access to health care. I’m excited to get to work on strengthening our district, and deliver real results. I will always make sure our community is heard in Washington, and I’m so thankful for every voter, volunteer, and supporter who helped us achieve this win.”

Barringer and his family live in Lee County on a farm his family has owned since the 1800s.

With 134 of 140 precincts reporting, Barringer had 156,941 votes, or about 50.71 percent of the vote, to Knott’s 148,567. District 13 covers all of Lee, Harnett, Johnston, Franklin, Person, and Caswell counties, and parts of Wake and Granville. The district is heavily Republican – Knott won it in 2024 with almost 59 percent of the vote.

Barringer won his home county, taking 11,032 votes to Knott’s 9,793.

Read more about Barringer’s background here.