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Sanford, Lee County

Sanford: Barringer leads Knott in unofficial 13th District returns

Unofficial State Board tallies with all 140 precincts in put Democrat Paul Barringer ahead of Republican Rep. Brad Knott, 159,981 to 152,329. Not certified.

DevelopingOfficials are still releasing information. We update this story as facts are confirmed.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published

A downtown street in Sanford, N.C.

File photo: Indy beetle (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Unofficial North Carolina State Board of Elections tallies for the Nov. 3, 2026, general election, with all 140 precincts reporting, listed Democrat Paul Barringer with 159,981 votes (50.50%), Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Knott with 152,329 votes (48.09%), and Libertarian Steven Swinton with 4,479 votes (1.41%) in the 13th Congressional District.Confirmed by North Carolina State Board of Elections unofficial statewide results file (results_0.txt), accessed Nov. 5, 2026
  • The News & Observer independently reported the same unofficial Barringer and Knott percentages and the 7,652-vote margin with all precincts reporting, calling the figures unofficial but complete election-night results.Confirmed by The News & Observer (Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, Nov. 4, 2026)
  • North State Journal independently reported Barringer at 50.50% and Knott at 48.09% with an unofficial difference of 7,652 votes, and said all race results remain unofficial until the Nov. 13 canvass is complete.Confirmed by North State Journal (Nov. 4, 2026)
  • WRAL independently reported that Barringer appeared to defeat Knott by about 2.4 points with all precincts reporting, that Libertarian Steven Swinton took 1.4% of the vote, and that the district curls around Wake County from Caswell County along the state's northern border through Franklin, Johnston and Harnett counties, then through southern Wake County and ends in Lee County.Confirmed by WRAL (Brian Murphy and Paul Specht, updated Nov. 4, 2026)
  • The News & Observer described Barringer as a healthcare consultant and former lawyer, and noted that Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball had rated the race "likely Republican."Confirmed by The News & Observer (Nov. 4, 2026)
  • North State Journal said Barringer grew up on a farm in Lee County, where he currently lives and manages the farm, and that Knott was seeking a second term after winning in 2024 and had been a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for Eastern North Carolina.Confirmed by North State Journal (Nov. 4, 2026)

Still unknown

  • Final certified district totals after provisional ballots and the county canvasses
  • Any recount request

What this means for you

Instructions from North Carolina State Board of Elections

This site is not an elections office. Unofficial results are on the State Board's election-results site. Certified results come later from the county canvasses. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

What happened

In Sanford and across the 13th Congressional District, Democrat Paul Barringer is leading Republican U.S. Rep. Brad Knott in unofficial returns after the Nov. 3 election.

Unofficial North Carolina State Board of Elections tallies with all 140 precincts reporting listed Barringer with 159,981 votes (50.50%), Knott with 152,329 (48.09%), and Libertarian Steven Swinton with 4,479 (1.41%). Those figures are not certified.

The News & Observer independently reported the same Barringer and Knott percentages and the 7,652-vote margin with every precinct in. North State Journal matched those unofficial totals and said results remain unofficial until the Nov. 13 canvass is complete.

WRAL separately described a roughly 2.4-point unofficial Barringer lead and mapped the district from Caswell County along the state's northern border through Franklin, Johnston and Harnett counties, then through southern Wake County into Lee County. Candidate backgrounds in the Raleigh newspaper and the weekly put Barringer as a healthcare consultant and former lawyer who grew up on a Lee County farm he still manages, and Knott as seeking a second term after service as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball had rated the race "likely Republican," the newspaper noted.

This site is not an elections office. Certified results come later from the county canvasses. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Related coverage

Why it matters

The 13th District includes Lee County and Sanford. Unofficial State Board tallies put Barringer ahead of Knott before certification.

Updates

  1. Nov 5, 2026, 6:05 AM

    First file from unofficial NCSBE 13th District tallies (159,981–152,329–4,479; 140 of 140 precincts) plus The News & Observer, North State Journal and WRAL on the unofficial lead, district map and candidate backgrounds.

Sources

  1. Unofficial NCSBE statewide results file (er.ncsbe.gov/enr/20261103/data/results_0.txt: US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DISTRICT 13; Paul Barringer DEM 159,981 / 50.50%; Brad Knott REP 152,329 / 48.09%; Steven Swinton LIB 4,479 / 1.41%; 140 of 140 precincts. Accessed Nov. 5, 2026. Text-only.)

    Official sourcePublished by North Carolina State Board of Elections · Checked Nov 5, 2026, 6:11 AM

  2. Democrat Paul Barringer unseats Rep. Brad Knott in once-safe GOP seat near Raleigh (The News & Observer / Luciana Perez Uribe Guinassi, updated Nov. 4, 2026: unofficial but complete election-night results; Barringer 50.50%, Knott 48.09%, margin 7,652 with all precincts; healthcare consultant and former lawyer; Cook and Sabato 'likely Republican.' Text-only; no N&O photos used.)

    Published by The News & Observer · Checked Nov 5, 2026, 6:10 AM

  3. Democrat Barringer unseats Knott for NC's 13th Congressional District (North State Journal, Nov. 4, 2026: Barringer 50.50%, Knott 48.09%, unofficial difference 7,652; unofficial until Nov. 13 canvass; Barringer Lee County farm; Knott seeking second term, former Eastern District federal prosecutor. Text-only; no NSJ photos used.)

    Published by North State Journal · Checked Nov 5, 2026, 6:09 AM

  4. Davis beats Buckhout as Dems poised to flip up to five U.S. House seats in NC (WRAL / Brian Murphy and Paul Specht, updated Nov. 4, 2026: Barringer appeared to defeat Knott by about 2.4 points with all precincts; Swinton 1.4%; district map from Caswell through Franklin, Johnston, Harnett and southern Wake into Lee County. Text-only; no WRAL photos used.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Nov 5, 2026, 6:11 AM

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