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.
Kalshi announced the suspension on Monday, saying Buckhout had violated the platform’s rules for placing a bet on her own campaign after announcing her candidacy. The platform noted that Buckhout cooperated with its inquiry into the trading activity.
“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.”
Buckhout is running to unseat vulnerable incumbent Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) for the second time, having narrowly lost to him in 2024 by roughly 6,300 votes. Buckhout is hoping for a different outcome in 2026 after redistricting left Davis in a district that President Donald Trump would have won by 12 points in 2024.
A retired Army colonel, Buckhout has Trump’s backing in the general election after winning a crowded primary race, securing 40% of the vote over four GOP opponents.
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Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman Madison Andrus said in a statement that the announcement from Kalshi makes it appear Buckhout is “getting a jump-start on her insider trading aspirations.”
“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.