Earl LeRoy "Buddy" Carter (born September 6, 1957)[1] is an American pharmacist and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Georgia's 1st congressional district since 2015.

He earned an associate degree from Young Harris College in 1977 and a Bachelor of Science in pharmacy from the University of Georgia in 1980.

Carter was conferred the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Young Harris College at its 2024 commencement ceremony.

As he is the owner of three pharmacies that would see increased profits as a result of the bill, many considered his vote in violation of the Senate's ethical guidelines.

[9] In the general election, he defeated the Democratic nominee, Brian Reese, with 60.9% of the vote, carrying all but two counties in the district.

[citation needed] Carter has considered running against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff in the 2026 United States Senate election in Georgia.

On April 1, 2022, Carter voted against the MORE Act, which would have decriminalized cannabis at the federal level, allowing states to set their own policies.

[25][26] Carter voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,[27] saying he believed it would make businesses in his district more competitive in a global market.

[30] Carter supported Trump's 2017 executive order to temporarily curtail immigration from seven countries until better screening methods are devised.

He said, "While I believe there needs to be thoughtful clarifications on the executive actions similar to Secretary Kelly’s announcement about lawful permanent residents, the number one priority of the federal government is to provide for the common defense.

[citation needed] When asked by a constituent during a town hall in Savannah whether he had concerns about restricting access to birth control when rape is so common on college campuses, Carter replied, "I'm not going to vote for any bill that endorses abortion.

[43] In December 2020, Carter was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania (2020), a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated[44] Trump.

The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.

[45][46][47] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement that called signing the amicus brief an act of "election subversion.