Davis has repeatedly supported increased border security, which he emphasizes is one element of comprehensive immigration reform. He issued public statements after the ICE shootings of civilians in Minnesota, first advocating for a “thorough and independent investigation” and then calling for the resignation of former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

In Congress, Davis has crossed party lines to support several Republican immigration initiatives, including the Laken Riley Act, a resolution criticizing the Biden administration's handling of the southern border, and another restricting certain federal aid to sanctuary cities. Most recently, she voted against the sweeping Republican border security and immigration enforcement package, which allocated nearly $70 billion to fund ICE, the Border Patrol, and other immigration enforcement activities.

Davis has consistently advocated for Medicaid expansion, dedicating her first floor address to the issue in 2023 and relaunching a legislative group urging states to expand the program. Rural health care has been central to many of her efforts, and Davis has emphasized Medicaid's role in supporting rural hospitals.

Last year, Davis voted against the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which introduced changes that experts predicted would substantially reduce Medicaid enrollment. He also strongly opposed the expiration of tax credits that helped many people pay for insurance on the federal marketplace.

Davis's campaign presents the economy from the perspective of rising gasoline, food, and healthcare costs. She has said she believes tariffs can be helpful in some cases, but that President Trump's approach has gone too far and that tariff policy should be overseen by Congress. She voted for the 2024 bipartisan bill to expand the Child Tax Credit and increase funding for affordable housing, but against the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which cut taxes for some of the wealthiest Americans.

Davis is a strong supporter of the federal government's role in public schools, particularly through Title I funding for schools serving low-income students. He has advocated for HBCUs and rural schools, but his position on school vouchers is unclear. In 2023, he voted against the Republican-sponsored Parents Bill of Rights, which would have imposed additional requirements on the information schools share with parents, including curriculum and bathroom designations. The Senate never considered it.

In Congress, Davis has supported federal measures to improve farm safety and recommended a heat protection standard for agricultural workers. He voted against the Secure the Border Act of 2023, arguing that mandating E-Verify would destabilize agriculture unless the H-2A visa system was reformed first, but later backed another version of the bill without the E-Verify provision.

In June, Davis co-sponsored a bipartisan bill that expands the H-2A visa program for agricultural workers to other year-round industries, such as dairy and aquaculture, modifies the wage structure, and strengthens worker protections. He has also previously sponsored legislation to make it easier for workers, including construction workers, to organize and bargain collectively. But he broke with the majority of Democrats in January 2024 by opposing a National Labor Relations Board rule that would have increased a company's responsibility for the working conditions of contractors and subcontractors.

Davis has described AI as one of the “opportunities that will define our era.” In that regard, he supports expanding the use of AI, particularly in agriculture and the military. He supported the federal Take It Down Act, which requires platforms to remove non-consensual explicit images, including deepfakes created with AI. Davis has rejected a blanket moratorium on data centers but has emphasized that communities should be involved in decision-making.

Davis has supported expanding access to affordable housing by building more homes, allocating federal funds to low-income communities, and taking steps to make it easier for people to become homeowners. He voted for the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, highlighted grants for North Carolina's public housing authorities, and supported tax legislation that would have increased funding for affordable rental housing.

Buckhout includes border security as a key issue in his campaign, calling for increased border enforcement to prevent drugs from entering the country. In previous interviews, he has repeatedly characterized immigration as an “invasion” and expressed support for the Trump administration’s efforts to complete the wall on the southern border and implement the “Remain in Mexico” policy. While Buckhout has indicated support for federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, he has not commented publicly on the ICE shootings of civilians.

Buckhout's campaign mentions his focus on reducing healthcare costs but offers no further details. He has said in interviews that he believes the system needs “competition, transparency, and choice, not more federal spending.” Along those lines, he wants states to be able to administer Medicaid themselves with work requirements and opposes extending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. He has criticized Davis's vote against the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” pointing to a small provision in the legislation that established a rural health fund.

Buckhout's campaign promises economic relief through "lower costs, better jobs, and a stronger economy," and she says she will fight to cut taxes. In an interview, she said the rising cost of living was one of the biggest problems facing North Carolinians and that, while she supports President Trump's economic policies, more needs to be done. She opposes increased federal spending and has said she believes tariffs are a temporary measure to "level the playing field" and that, over time, President Trump's approach will achieve that goal.

Buckhout is skeptical of the federal government's role in public education. “When it comes to telling parents how to educate their children, I think that's a bit problematic,” she said in July during a forum in New Bern. In a recent poll, she said she strongly supports school choice “for the poor and middle class,” so they have the same options already available to wealthy people, and that she would support eliminating the U.S. Department of Education.

Buckhout's campaign includes protecting farmers and fishermen from unnecessary regulations, but makes no mention of worker protections. She has generally supported President Donald Trump's agenda and that of the national Republican Party, both of which are more focused on supporting industry than the workforce by cutting costs and eliminating red tape.

Buckhout's campaign frames AI as a national security issue and a competition with China—one that can be won by drastically reducing regulations and increasing energy production to supply the tech sector. In the Republican primaries, Buckhout's campaign received the endorsement of a pro-AI super PAC; at the time, she rejected accusations that she would be beholden to industry interests. Her campaign did not respond to a request from Spectrum 1 News to say whether she would support a federal moratorium on data centers.

Buckhout's campaign has acknowledged that North Carolina families face a high cost of living, but has not identified any housing-related measures as a specific policy priority.

In a 2018 poll, Bailey indicated that he disagreed with building a wall on the southern border and supported sanctuary cities. On social media, he has criticized ICE operations and a proposed immigrant detention center in Greensboro, which he called a “concentration camp.”

In a 2018 candidate questionnaire, Bailey indicated that he did not believe it was the federal government's responsibility to provide health insurance for everyone. “If they want to provide health care, build hospitals and hire doctors,” he said. “If they want to enrich their corporate backers, make everyone buy their own health insurance. I believe the less government bureaucracy involved in health care, the cheaper it becomes.”

In a 2018 questionnaire, Bailey indicated that the federal government's primary role in boosting the economy was "prosecuting fraud and other criminal practices." He said he believed the best way to reduce unemployment was to cut regulations and restore the free market.

Bailey has made limited statements about public education. In a 2018 candidate questionnaireHe indicated that he did not agree that free public education should be guaranteed up to university.

Bailey has been identified in some profiles as a roofing contractor, so he has direct experience in construction. He has not made public statements regarding worker protections or unions, but his party has generally defended employees' freedom to decide whether or not to join a union.

Bailey made statements in 2018 in favor of reducing regulations and restoring the free market, but he has recently said nothing linking those principles to the current debate on AI use and data center regulation. His party platform advocates for personal privacy and limiting the sharing of sensitive information, as well as condemning warrantless surveillance.

Bailey has not presented a specific housing agenda, but his party platform has generally opposed zoning regulations and supported a supply-side approach that protects private property and relies on private markets and charity rather than federal housing programs.