Ted Budd, Trump’s Senate pick in North Carolina, wins GOP primary
Rep. Ted Budd won the Republican primary for Senate in North Carolina, edging out competitors in a 14-way race with a boost from powerful endorsements from Donald Trump and his fitful ally, the Club for Growth.
Mr. Budd will face Cheri Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice who won the Democratic nomination, in a state where Republicans have won the last four Senate races and the past three presidential contests. The two candidates are seeking to fill the seat of Sen. Richard Burr, one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict Trump of inciting an insurrection at the Capitol.
Mr. Budd’s victory, called by The Associated Press on Tuesday night, illustrated what can happen when Mr. Trump and the Club for Growth, an influential antitax group, team up. The group has spent much of the money it poured into federal races this year targeting many candidates Mr. Trump has endorsed. But in North Carolina, the Club poured $11 million into an advertising campaign for Mr. Budd that mostly centered on the former president’s endorsement.
That appeared to make all the difference, giving him a clear lead — by as much as 27 percentage points in at least one poll — weeks ahead of the race.
“The story about the rise of Ted Budd is less about Ted Budd and more about these other figures,” said Christopher Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, referring to Mr. Trump and the group.
Early on in the contest, Mr. Budd had struggled to distinguish himself from a main contender, former Rep. Mark Walker. Mr. Budd, 50, and Mr. Walker, 52, have each served three terms in Congress, are close in age and have staunchly conservative voting records closely aligned with Mr. Trump’s wing of the party.
But Mr. Trump’s endorsement helped set Mr. Budd apart.
Ms. Beasley, a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, won her state’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate, clearing out competitors in a 10-way race with an emphasis on her judicial credentials and her ability to work with law enforcement and apply the law fairly.
The win puts Ms. Beasley, 56, a former public defender who climbed the judicial ranks and made history as North Carolina’s first Black Supreme Court chief justice, closer to becoming its first Black senator.
The Associated Press called the race Tuesday night. Ms. Beasley intends to charge forward with a strict focus on North Carolina issues and voters, according to her campaign.
First-term U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn has conceded to North Carolina state Sen. Chuck Edwards in the Republican congressional primary.
Luke Ball, a spokesperson for Mr. Cawthorn’s campaign, told The Associated Press late Tuesday that Mr. Cawthorn had conceded the race. A fastfood franchise owner, Mr. Edwards advances to the November election against Democrat Jasmine Beach-Ferrara.
Kentucky
Republican U. S. Sen. Rand Paul won his party’s nomination in his quest for a third term.
The libertarian-leaning Mr. Paul coasted to victory over five little-known challengers in the GOP Senate primary.
Mr. Paul is a former presidential candidate who has gained a national voice in supporting limited government and a restrained foreign policy.
Mr. Paul will face Charles Booker, who won the Democratic primary election. Mr. Booker defeated three opponents in the Democratic primary.