Laurie Buckhout fined, suspended for trading on market tied to her candidacy
Republican congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout has accepted a $2,589.96 financial penalty and a three-year suspension from the Kalshi prediction market after purchasing contracts related to her own candidacy.
Kalshi Exchange disclosed the disciplinary settlement Monday. The settlement took effect Aug. 28.
According to the settlement notice, Buckhout purchased less than $1,000 in contracts associated with a North Carolina congressional election in which she was listed as a possible outcome.
Kalshi Rule 5.17(z) prohibits a trader from participating in a market when that person is a decision-maker or has any direct or indirect influence over the event underlying the contract. The rule applies regardless of the extent of that influence.
Kalshi’s Compliance Department determined that Buckhout’s status as a candidate made her a direct decision-maker with influence over the election’s outcome. The company concluded that her purchases violated the trading prohibition.
The settlement notice does not disclose when Buckhout purchased the contracts, the specific election outcome on which she traded or whether the contracts generated a profit or loss.
Kalshi said Buckhout cooperated with its investigation and agreed to accept the company’s conclusions, pay the penalty and refrain from accessing the exchange directly or indirectly for three years.
“I bet on myself. Literally,” Buckhout said in a statement distributed to news organizations. “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 challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Davis in North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District. Federal Election Commission records identify her as the Republican challenger in the November election.
The northeastern North Carolina district is expected to be among the state’s most closely watched congressional contests. Davis defeated Buckhout in 2024 before lawmakers redrew the district’s boundaries for the 2026 election.
The Kalshi document identifies the matter as a disciplinary rule violation resolved through settlement. It does not accuse Buckhout of committing a crime, and the notice does not identify any action against her campaign.
Editor’s note:
This article was drafted with the assistance of artificial intelligence and was reviewed and fact-checked by a member of the NC Political News editorial team before publication.
