<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Laurie Buckhout, the Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, has been suspended from the prediction market platform Kalshi for three years and fined over $2,500 after betting on her own race.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Kalshi announced the suspension on Monday, stating that Buckhout had violated the platform’s rules by placing a bet on her own campaign after announcing her candidacy. The platform noted that Buckhout cooperated with its inquiry into the trading activity.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“I bet on myself. Literally,” Buckhout said in a statement. “It was a dumb mistake, and as soon as I learned there was an issue, I worked to make it right. Safe to say my career as a Kalshi trader was short-lived.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Buckhout is running to unseat incumbent Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) for the second time, having narrowly lost to him in 2024 by approximately 6,300 votes. Buckhout is aiming for a different outcome in 2026 after redistricting placed Davis in a district that President Donald Trump would have won by 12 points in 2024.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">A retired Army colonel, Buckhout has the backing of Trump in the general election after winning a crowded primary race, securing 40% of the vote over four GOP opponents.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Madison Andrus stated that the announcement from Kalshi suggests Buckhout is “getting a jump-start on her insider trading aspirations.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“If Buckhout can’t be trusted to follow the most basic prediction market rules, there is no chance she can be trusted as an ethical representative for North Carolina families,” Andrus wrote.</p>