Candidate · November 3, 2026
Colby Watson
On the ballot for U.S. House · North Carolina's 8th District
- raised through Oct 14, 2026
- $58K
- cash on hand
- $4,158
- issues with public statements
- 16
§1On the ballot
Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.
| Office | U.S. House · North Carolina's 8th District1, |
|---|---|
| Party on the ballot | Democratic Party1, |
| Status | Challenger |
| Also on the ballot |
|
§2Who they are
Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
His campaign website says he has been a small business owner for more than a decade and earlier worked in construction and farming, starting in masonry.4 It says he earned his high school diploma through homeschooling.4
Why they say they're running
His campaign website's About page says he decided to run after watching families struggle despite hard work, homeownership slip out of reach, health care costs climb, and small businesses and family farms get squeezed by large corporations he says hold too much power, and that he wants to rebuild trust and opportunity and help government work for the people again.4
Websites and accounts
- Campaign websitecolbyforcongress.com5
- Facebookfacebook.com/colbyforcongress5
- Instagraminstagram.com/colbyforcongress5
- TikToktiktok.com/@colbyforcongress5
§3What they've said on the issues
Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.
Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.
Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.
Housing
His campaign website's Housing page says he would stop large investment firms and institutional investors from buying up neighborhoods.6
His campaign website's Housing page says he would remove needless red tape that holds back home building and would work with the market to add more starter homes.6
His campaign website's Housing page says he supports first-time homebuyer programs.6
Elections and Government Reform
His campaign website's Corruption page says he would bar members of Congress from trading individual stocks during their time in office, and its home page says he will never trade stocks himself while holding office.5,
- Ban members and their spouses and dependent children from owning or trading individual stocks
- Ban members themselves from trading individual stocks
- No ban; keep the reporting rules, with stronger penalties for late reports
His campaign website's Corruption page says he backs a constitutional amendment to undo the effects of Citizens United, wants campaign finance reform that curbs the sway of special-interest money, and wants more openness in campaign finance and lobbying. Its home page says he will turn down money from lobbyists for corporate or foreign interests.5,
- Limit spending by outside groups, including by amending the Constitution to overturn Citizens United
- Keep spending unlimited but require groups to name their major donors
- Keep current rules
- Raise or remove limits on donations to candidates and parties
Education
His campaign website's Education page says education decisions should stay with parents and local communities rather than officials in Washington, and that he would fully fund special education and strengthen Title I support for high-need schools.8
His campaign website's Education page says he supports strong public schools and parents' right to choose the educational path they think best for their family, noting that he was homeschooled.8
Technology, Privacy and AI
His campaign website's Education page says he would bar social media companies from gathering data about anyone under 18.8
His campaign website's Data Centers & AI page says he would set clear, enforceable guardrails around AI and protect workers from AI-driven job displacement.9
Crime, Policing and Prisons
His campaign website's Safe Communities page says local police should be funded, trained and backed.10
Veterans
His campaign website's Veterans page says he would make it easy for veterans to get the benefits they earned, and would carry out the PACT Act in full so that veterans exposed to toxic substances get the care and benefits owed to them.11
Immigration
His campaign website's Border & Immigration page says he would direct enforcement toward violent offenders and people who pose real threats to public safety.12
His campaign website's Border & Immigration page says he would provide efficient case processing so that asylum claims and other immigration cases are resolved quickly.12
His campaign website's Border & Immigration page says many longtime residents of local communities have worked, paid taxes and raised families, that every situation differs, and that immigration should be handled with common sense and humanity rather than a single approach for everyone.12
Foreign Policy and Defense
His campaign website's Foreign Policy page says that if the country goes to war, Congress should debate and vote on it, and that he wants to give Congress more say over war powers and to repeal old war authorizations.13
- Let the president order military action without needing Congress's approval
- Let the president act first, but enforce the 60-day limit and end any action Congress doesn't approve
- Require Congress to approve military action in advance, except to defend against an attack
Energy and Climate
His campaign website's Data Centers & AI page says local communities should have a real say over new data centers, and that he would back moratoriums on new data centers when needed, require disclosure of their water and electricity needs, and end taxpayer subsidies for them.9
- Encourage new data centers with tax breaks and faster approvals
- Require data centers to pay the full cost of the power plants and lines they need
- Pause or limit new data centers
§4Money
Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left. Outside groups that spend on their own, without coordinating with the campaign, report that too.
Reported to the Federal Election Commission for the 2025–2026 election cycle, through October 14, 2026.14
| Raised | $57,590 |
|---|---|
| Spent | $53,437 |
| Cash on hand | $4,158 |
Where the money came from
§5Financial disclosures
Why this matters: Federal candidates and members of Congress must report their assets, income, debts and outside jobs, and members must report stock trades. These filings show possible conflicts of interest.
- Candidate financial disclosure report15filed Jan 9, 2026