Brad Knott Bio
John Bradford Knott (born April 17, 1986) is an American attorney and politician serving as the U.S. representative for North Carolina’s 13th congressional district. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Knott is a member of the Republican Party and was sworn into the 119th Congress on January 3, 2025. Before entering Congress, he spent more than seven years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
Knott’s career has combined courtroom work in federal prosecution with conservative policy advocacy on issues ranging from immigration enforcement to gun rights. His election to Congress followed a contested Republican primary in 2024 that drew statewide attention and significant outside spending from a political action committee connected to his family.
Early Life and Background
John Bradford Knott was born on April 17, 1986, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he continues to reside. He is one of six siblings and grew up in a family with deep ties to North Carolina public life. His father, Joseph Thomas Knott III, was an assistant United States attorney and also served on the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. His paternal grandfather, Joseph Thomas Knott Jr., served in the U.S. Army during World War II and spent twelve years on the Wake County Board of Commissioners.
Knott’s brother Tucker Knott has also pursued a career in government, working as chief of staff for U.S. Senator Ted Budd and previously as chief of staff for U.S. Congressman George Holding. The brothers’ combined experience in federal and state-level government shaped Knott’s early understanding of legal practice and public service.
For his early education, Knott attended St. David’s School, a private Episcopal day school in Raleigh. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, before returning to North Carolina to attend law school.
Path to US Politics
After completing his undergraduate studies at Baylor University, Knott earned his Juris Doctor degree from the Wake Forest University School of Law. His legal training prepared him for a career in federal prosecution rather than private practice. In 2016, he was hired as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, beginning a long tenure handling federal criminal matters in the state.
During his seven years as a federal prosecutor, Knott developed a reputation for conservative legal views that aligned with the Republican platform. He continued in the role until November 2023, when he transitioned toward a run for public office. His prosecutorial experience became a central feature of his political identity as he prepared to enter the 2024 congressional race.
His decision to seek elected office reflected a desire to apply his legal background to national policy debates, particularly on issues such as immigration, criminal justice, and the size of the federal government.
Brad Knott Career
Early Career (2016-2023)
Knott began his legal career in earnest in 2016 when he was hired as a federal prosecutor in the office of the United States attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina. The district covers a large portion of eastern North Carolina, including military installations, coastal areas, and several mid-sized cities. In this role, he handled federal criminal cases and worked alongside other assistant U.S. attorneys on prosecutions involving drugs, firearms, fraud, and other federal offenses.
He continued serving as a federal prosecutor until November 2023, when he departed the office to focus on his congressional campaign. His nearly eight-year tenure gave him extensive courtroom experience and a thorough understanding of federal law enforcement priorities, which he would later emphasize on the campaign trail.
Breakthrough (2024)
In 2024, Knott launched his campaign for the United States House of Representatives seat representing North Carolina’s 13th congressional district. The Republican primary was crowded, and one of Knott’s brothers, Thomas Knott, donated over $700,000 to the American Foundations Committee, a super PAC that supported his congressional bid. In the initial primary, Kelly Daughtry finished first with roughly 27% of the vote, while Knott placed second with about 19%, sending the race to a runoff.
After receiving endorsements from President Donald Trump and from Americans for Prosperity, Daughtry withdrew from the runoff, leaving Knott as the Republican nominee for the seat. He went on to win the November 2024 general election and was sworn into the 119th United States Congress on January 3, 2025. During the campaign, he drew criticism for being registered to vote at his father’s Raleigh address despite living in his own residence in the same city, an issue he described as an oversight.
Republican Era (2025-Present)
Now serving in the 119th Congress, Knott has aligned himself with the conservative wing of the Republican Party on a range of issues. He supports gun rights and the Second Amendment, opposes transgender women competing in women’s sports, and has voiced opposition to sanctuary policies that protect undocumented immigrants. In 2025, he introduced the Tren de Aragua Border Security Threat Assessment Act, which would require the United States Department of Homeland Security to conduct formal threat assessments on the Tren de Aragua transnational organized crime syndicate in Venezuela.
On foreign policy, Knott has expressed support for Israel during the Gaza war and has stated his opposition to providing aid to Ukraine in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War. He has also called for reducing the size of the federal workforce, arguing that some federal employees do not adequately serve taxpayers and add unnecessary costs to both the public and private sectors.
Notable Events and Milestones
One of the defining moments of Knott’s political career came during the 2024 Republican primary, when high-profile endorsements and a last-minute withdrawal by his closest competitor cleared his path to the nomination. His subsequent general election victory marked his transition from federal prosecutor to member of Congress, a shift he accomplished in less than two years after leaving the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Brad Knott Career Wins
Knott’s most significant political victory came in November 2024, when he won election to the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina’s 13th congressional district. He also secured the Republican nomination earlier that year after a competitive primary and a high-profile endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Congressional Election Highlights
Knott’s path to Congress included a competitive Republican primary in which he finished second to attorney Kelly Daughtry, advancing to a runoff that Daughtry ultimately conceded. His November 2024 general election win made him the first member of his immediate family to serve in Congress, building on the legacy of his grandfather, who served on the Wake County Board of Commissioners, and his father, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney.
Other Wins & Achievements
Before entering politics, Knott built a long record of service as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of North Carolina from 2016 to November 2023. His nearly eight years in that role represent the most extensive professional achievement of his pre-congressional career.
Brad Knott Family
Family Background and Political Lineage
Knott comes from a family with longstanding ties to North Carolina government and law. His father, Joseph Thomas Knott III, was an assistant United States attorney and a member of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. His grandfather, Joseph Thomas Knott Jr., served in the U.S. Army during World War II and spent twelve years on the Wake County Board of Commissioners. His brother Tucker Knott has served as chief of staff for U.S. Senator Ted Budd and previously for U.S. Congressman George Holding, while another brother, Thomas Knott, contributed significantly to a super PAC supporting his 2024 campaign. His mother is Sarah Tucker.
Personal Life
Knott is married to Joanne Saleeby, a former golfer at North Carolina State University and the owner of Monkee’s of Raleigh, a boutique located in the North Hills district of Raleigh. Knott and Saleeby have two daughters. The family resides in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Knott is a Southern Baptist.