They Didn't See Him Coming: New NC Congressman Paul Barringer

 

Barringer

First-term Republican Congressman Brad Knott was also defeated last night by first-time candidate Paul Barringer. The winning margin was over 7,600 votes. Knott earned his law degree from Wake Forest University in 2012. During law school, he clerked for North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby and subsequently worked briefly in the administration of Republican Governor Pat McCrory. He also got his DJT endorsement in 2024 and was probably settling into what he imagined would be a safe and secure seat to last him into his dotage.

Paul Barringer, a healthcare consultant, attorney, entrepreneur, and Lee County tree farmer, grew up on a farm and attended local public schools before graduating from Episcopal High School in 1985. He earned a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Davidson College in 1990, a law degree from the University of North Carolina in 1995, and a master's degree in public affairs from Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, also in 1995. He has spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of healthcare, law, technology, and government, with particular emphasis on improving Medicaid and other public programs. His professional experience includes work as a healthcare attorney, consultant, entrepreneur, and business executive. He also manages his family's timberland, developed a Made-in-America clothing brand called Mill & Mountain, and provides pro bono legal representation to people with disabilities seeking Social Security benefits. An Eagle Scout and Appalachian Trail thru-hiker, Barringer has also been active in prison literacy and reentry efforts. In his campaign, he emphasized healthcare affordability, fiscal responsibility, government accountability, public education, and the need for an independent Congress willing to exercise its constitutional oversight responsibilities. He presented himself as a practical problem-solver interested in bipartisan cooperation rather than partisan confrontation. Barringer lives in Lee County with his wife, Marcea, and their two children.