Colby Lawrence Watson

Colby Watson is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District in the 2026 election. He advanced from a contested Democratic primary on March 3, 2026, defeating Kevin Clark (37.1%) and Jesse Oppenheim (14.9%) with 47.9% of the vote (18,205 votes) and will face incumbent Republican Mark Harris in the November 3, 2026 general election ¹.

Born in Indian Trail and raised in Union County, North Carolina, Watson was homeschooled and earned a high‑school diploma without attending college. He later took courses at Central Piedmont Community College and has described himself as a lifelong learner despite not holding a formal degree ⁸¹⁰.

Watson’s professional background is rooted in small‑business ownership. At age 25 he and his brother launched a construction and federal‑contracting firm that grew to employ more than 50 workers, handling projects for federal, state, and local infrastructure. He describes himself as a “small business owner (federal contractor)” and has spent the past decade running that enterprise, giving him firsthand experience with job creation, supply‑chain challenges, and the impact of government procurement on local economies ¹⁰¹⁶.

His campaign platform focuses on five broad areas. In housing, he pledges to curb institutional investors’ dominance of the market to preserve homeownership for families ¹⁹. On labor and farming, he emphasizes antitrust enforcement against monopolies that squeeze farmers and small businesses, drawing on his own experience as a business owner ¹⁹. Healthcare policy centers on eliminating medical‑debt burdens and moving toward a system that prioritizes patients over profit, including support for the Medical Debt Relief Act ¹⁹. Education priorities include protecting parents’ rights to homeschool, increasing teacher pay, and expanding funding for special‑education and Title I schools ¹⁹. Infrastructure investment is framed as a job‑creating, climate‑smart priority, while anti‑corruption measures include refusing lobbyist money, banning stock trades while in office, and rejecting special‑interest contributions ¹⁹¹⁶.

Watson’s campaign has already generated modest fundraising, reporting $29,101.80 in total receipts and $27,271.31 in expenditures to date, according to Federal Election Commission filings for his principal campaign committee, “COLBY WATSON FOR CONGRESS” ²³. He has also undertaken a high‑visibility “walk across the district” campaign, planning to trek roughly 25 miles per day for a week‑long journey from Lumberton to the Charlotte suburbs, a stunt he says is meant to demonstrate commitment and connect directly with voters ¹⁶.

While he has no prior elected office, Watson’s background as a Union County native, husband, father of two, and longtime small‑business operator positions him as a candidate who argues he understands the everyday challenges of constituents in the district. His campaign website outlines a pledge to refuse lobbyist money, avoid stock trading while in office, and place loyalty to the American people above personal gain ⁷¹⁵.

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