Beasley, Budd will battle for North Carolina U.S. Senate seat while Cawthorn loses re-election bid

(The Center Square) — Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd will face off against former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in November for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, according to The Associated Press.

incumbent U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn lost his bid for re-election in the 11th Congressional District in the GOP primary after a scandal-plagued first term in Congress.

The AP called the U.S. Senate primaries for Budd and Beasley shortly before 8 p.m. on Tuesday, after both had racked up sizable leads.

“I will never waiver when it comes to fighting for the forgotten men and women of this country,” Budd said in his victory speech.

With a little over a third of votes in, Budd led former Gov. Pat McCrory with nearly 58% of the vote among more than a dozen in the Republican primary, while Beasley collected nearly 83% of the vote among 11 Democratic contenders.

The results are a testament to former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Budd, who was also backed by the generous and influential Club for Growth. McCrory trailed Budd with about 25% of the vote as of 9 p.m.

In other closely watched races, Democrat Sen. Don Davis won his party’s endorsement for the 1st Congressional District, while the race was still too close to call for Republicans as of 10 p.m. Farmer and business executive Sandy Smith led Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Robertson 31.4% to 26.8% with less than half of the votes counted.

In the 11th Congressional District, minister Jasmine Beach-Ferrara led Katie Dean 60% to 26% in the Democratic primary with about 60% of votes cast, while Cawthorn conceded after trailing Sen. Chuck Edwards 32% to 34% with 99% of votes counted as of 10 p.m.

Sen. Wiley Nickel was ahead of former Sen. Sam Searcy 53% to 21% in the Democratic primary for the 13th Congressional district with about 85% of votes counted. On the Republican side, former college football player Bo Hines held a slight 31% to 28% advantage over farmer DeVan Barbour with about 80% of votes counted as of 10 p.m.

The Republican U.S. Senate primary was a relatively close race between Budd and McCrory until an April Trump rally and increased ad spending from the Club for Growth fueled a surge in recent weeks.

Jonathan Felts, a senior advisor to Budd, told NBC News he believes last month’s rally “was when the dam broke.”

“Anyone who had been kind of playing coy, kind of sitting on the sidelines, it was like time to get off the sidelines to kind of pick a side,” he said.

McCrory advisor Jordan Shaw told the news site he believes millions in spending from the Club for Growth’s PAC on misleading ads labeling the former governor a “RINO” — Republican in name only — was ultimately what swayed the results in Budd’s favor.

“When you have a group who has unlimited resources and is unencumbered by the bonds of truth, that can have a pretty powerful impact on a race,” he said. “They spend more than everybody else combined. And they have no problem lying to Republican voters to achieve their ends.”

Democrats largely coalesced around Beasley, the state Supreme Court’s first black woman chief justice who garnered the majority of her party’s key endorsements and enjoyed a huge fundraising lead over her competition. Beasley’s top opponent, Sen. Jeff Jackson, suspended his campaign last year to endorse Beasley.

“I’m proud to be your nominee for the U.S. Senate,” Beasley said in a statement. “Because while Washington is divided the people here are not. While Washington focuses on special interests and corporate cronies, the people of North Carolina focus on working for our families and nurturing our communities.

“While Washington focuses on pointing fingers and passing blame, the people of North Carolina focus on working hard and getting things done.”

Beasley and Budd will now face off in November in a race that could sway control of an upper chamber that’s currently split between Republicans and Democrats, with Vice President Kamala Harris giving the latter a slim advantage.

The Cook Political Report rates the race as leaning toward Republicans. President Joe Biden’s low approval rating, raging inflation and general voter discontent with the direction of the country also bodes well for Budd.

Beasley’s lack of serious competition in the primary, however, has left her with a significant financial advantage — $3.3 million on hand versus $1.1 million for Budd through the end of April — and the race is expected to become one of the most expensive and competitive in the country.

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