Davis tallied nearly 63 percent of the vote in the district, now represented by longtime Sen. John Kerr of Goldsboro.
Taft of Greenville, a State Board of Education member, carried the vote in her home county of Pitt, but Davis had the advantage in Greene and Wayne counties, which make up a larger part of the district.
Turnout across the district was close to 20 percent.
Davis will now face Republican Louis Pate in the Nov. 4 election. Pate, a former Mount Olive mayor, is now a member of the N.C. House.