Kelly Daughtry is an American family law attorney and Republican politician from Smithfield, North Carolina. She has practiced law for nearly three decades and ran for Congress twice.
She comes from one of Johnston County’s most prominent political families.
Who is Kelly Daughtry?
Kelly Kathleen Daughtry is a board-certified family law attorney at Daughtry, Woodard, Lawrence & Starling in Smithfield, North Carolina. She has practiced law since 1995.
She is also known for two runs for the U.S. House of Representatives in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District.
Daughtry ran in the 2022 and 2024 Republican primaries. In 2024, she advanced to a primary runoff before withdrawing and endorsing her opponent.
Early Life of Kelly Daughtry
Kelly Daughtry is the daughter of Leo Daughtry, a longtime Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly. Her father served as state House Majority Leader and later Minority Leader.
Leo Daughtry has also served on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors.
Kelly Daughtry grew up around North Carolina Republican politics because of her father’s decades-long career in the state legislature. She later settled in Smithfield and Clayton, both in Johnston County.
Kelly Daughtry Education
Daughtry earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College in 1992. She then earned her Juris Doctor from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1995.
She was admitted to practice law before the North Carolina Supreme Court in 1995.
In 2006, she was also admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court. Her legal training focused heavily on family law.
Kelly Daughtry Career
Kelly Daughtry has spent most of her career as a family law attorney at Daughtry, Woodard, Lawrence & Starling in Smithfield. She is Board Certified in family law by the North Carolina State Bar.
Her practice covers divorce litigation, child custody, child support, alimony, and complex equitable distribution cases. Some of these cases have involved significant real estate and business assets.
She has been recognized by Best Lawyers in the family law category since 2020.
Legal Practice and Bar Involvement
Daughtry has served as a member of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Family Law Council. She has also served on the 11th Judicial District Domestic Rules Committee.
Her legal career spans nearly 30 years, beginning in 1995.
Political Career
Daughtry entered politics in 2022, running in the Republican primary for North Carolina’s newly redrawn 13th Congressional District. She largely self-funded her first campaign, contributing $2 million of her own money to the effort.
She did not advance out of that crowded primary field in 2022.
Daughtry ran again in 2024 for the same seat. She placed first in the March 5 Republican primary, ahead of former federal prosecutor Brad Knott, but did not clear the threshold needed to avoid a runoff.
2024 Runoff Withdrawal
Daughtry and Knott advanced to a May 14, 2024 primary runoff. Before the vote, Daughtry suspended her campaign and endorsed Knott.
In her withdrawal statement, she said she would continue conservative voter registration work instead. Knott went on to win the runoff and the general election in November 2024.
During the 2024 race, opponents criticized Daughtry over past donations to Democratic candidates, including North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein and U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley. Daughtry had also donated to Republican candidates during the same period.
Kelly Daughtry Net Worth
No verified net worth figure for Kelly Daughtry is available from reliable public sources. She disclosed contributing $2 million of her own money to her 2022 congressional campaign, but that figure reflects campaign spending, not personal net worth, and should not be treated as one.
Her income is understood to come primarily from her family law practice at Daughtry, Woodard, Lawrence & Starling.
Kelly Daughtry Social Media
Daughtry maintained a campaign presence on Facebook as Kelly Daughtry for Congress and on X as @KellyDaughtryNC. Her campaign website was kellyfornc.com.
The Bottom Line
Kelly Daughtry built a nearly three-decade career as a board-certified family law attorney in Smithfield, North Carolina, before entering politics in 2022.
She ran twice for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, placing first in the 2024 Republican primary before withdrawing ahead of the runoff and endorsing Brad Knott.
Daughtry continues to practice family law in Johnston County.
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