Brad Knott | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Carolina's13th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Wiley Nickel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | John Bradford Knott (1986-04-17)April 17, 1986 (age 39) Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Joanna Saleeby |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | J. T. Knott (grandfather) |
| Education | Baylor University (BA) Wake Forest University (JD) |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
John Bradford Knott (born April 17, 1986) is an American attorney and politician. He is the member for theUnited States House of Representatives inNorth Carolina's 13th congressional district. Prior to taking office in 2025, he worked as afederal prosecutor in the office of theUnited States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
John Bradford Knott was born on April 17, 1986, inRaleigh, North Carolina.[1][2][3] He is one of five siblings.[4] His father, Joseph Thomas Knott III, was an assistant U.S. attorney and served on theUniversity of North Carolina Board of Governors.[5][6] Knott's grandfather,Joseph Thomas Knott Jr., served in theU.S. Army duringWorld War II and was a member of theWake County Board of Commissioners for twelve years.[7] Knott's brother, Tucker Knott, is chief of staff for U.S. SenatorTed Budd and the former chief of staff for U.S. CongressmanGeorge Holding.[6][4]
He attendedSt. David's School, anEpiscopal day school in Raleigh.[8] Knott earned hisbachelor's degree fromBaylor University and hisJuris Doctor degree from theWake Forest University School of Law.[9]
Knott was hired as a federal prosecutor in the office of theUnited States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina in 2016.[9][6] He worked as a federal prosecutor until November 2023.[6]
He ran for theUnited States House of Representatives seat forNorth Carolina's 13th congressional district in the2024 elections. One of Knott's brothers, Thomas Knott, donated over $700,000 to the American Foundations Committee, asuper PAC that supported his congressional campaign.[6] He advanced to a runoff election against Kelly Daughtry, who finished in first place with 27% of the vote, while Knott obtained about 19%.[10][11] AfterDonald Trump andAmericans for Prosperity endorsed Knott,[12][13] Daughtry dropped out of the race, leaving Knott to become theRepublican nominee.[14] He won the November election.[15] He received criticism during the election for voting while registered at his father's Raleigh address despite living at his own residence in Raleigh.[16] Knott referred to the incident as an "oversight".[16]
Rep. Knott was sworn in to the119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025.
For the 119th Congress:[17]
Knott supportsgun rights and supports theSecond Amendment.[18]
Knott supportsIsrael in theGaza war.[19] He opposes providing aid toUkraine in theRusso-Ukrainian War.[4]
Knott stated that the federal government employs too many people and that some employees, who he claims do not serve taxpayers well, add unnecessary costs to both the public and private sector.[20]
Knott opposessanctuary policies inacted by local governments to protect undocumented immigrants.[21] He called for more criminal deportations, stating in 2024 that immigrants who commit crimes ranging from a "DUI all the way up to serious drug trafficking or violent felonies" need to be expelled from the country.[4] Knott wants more local police officers to be cross-deputized with federal credentials in order to assist in increasing criminal deportations.[4] He also opposes the concept ofopen borders and calls for a more secureMexico–United States border.[20]
Knott opposestransgender women competing in women's sports.[18]
Knott, who identifies aspro-life, opposes the legalization ofabortion and voiced support for theU.S. Supreme Court's overturning ofRoe v. Wade inDobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.[19] He claimed that religiously-operatedcrisis pregnancy centers were under attack from "pro-abortion extremists and left-wing politicians."[19]
Knott is married toJoanne Saleeby, a former golfer atNorth Carolina State University and the owner of Monkee's of Raleigh boutique inNorth Hills.[7][22] They have two children.[7]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Kelly Daughtry | 22,978 | 27.4 | |
| Republican | Brad Knott | 15,664 | 18.7 | |
| Republican | Fred Von Canon | 14,344 | 17.1 | |
| Republican | DeVan Barbour | 12,892 | 15.4 | |
| Republican | Josh McConkey | 5,926 | 7.1 | |
| Republican | Kenny Xu | 3,604 | 4.3 | |
| Republican | David Dixon | 2,146 | 2.6 | |
| Republican | Matt Shoemaker | 2,003 | 2.4 | |
| Republican | Chris Baker | 1,089 | 1.3 | |
| Republican | Eric Stevenson | 844 | 1.0 | |
| Republican | Marcus Dellinger | 798 | 1.0 | |
| Republican | Siddhanth Sharma | 614 | 0.7 | |
| Republican | James Phillips | 565 | 0.7 | |
| Republican | Steve Von Loor | 427 | 0.5 | |
| Total votes | 83,894 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brad Knott | 19,632 | 90.8 | |
| Republican | Kelly Daughtry(withdrawn) | 1,998 | 9.2 | |
| Total votes | 21,630 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Brad Knott | 243,655 | 58.6 | |
| Democratic | Frank Pierce | 171,835 | 41.4 | |
| Total votes | 415,490 | 100.0 | ||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | ||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromNorth Carolina's 13th congressional district 2025–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 401st | Succeeded by |