The Story:
An incumbent U.S. Senator from North Carolina, Richard Burr (R), is retiring. The campaign to replace him is well underway. Former President Donald Trump (R) has made his own preference clear. He recently shook up the crowded Republican primary field with an endorsement for Ted Budd.
Background:
Budd currently serves in the House of Representatives representing the state’s 13th congressional district, in the interior of the state stretching from the northern suburbs of Charlotte to Greensboro and the Virginia border.
The 45th President’s nod is one of two Budd has received from the Trump family tree. Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who considered launching a campaign of her own, has bowed out, in Budd’s favor. Trump acknowledged having put “a little pressure” on his daughter-in law (the wife of his second son, Eric) to make this decision because “we have to pick somebody.”
The Thing to Know:
Although the mood in the Republican Party in North Carolina is very pro-Trump, the endorsement alone won’t seal the party nomination for him. The other candidates, some likely to be formidable, show no inclination to step aside. One of them is a former Governor of the state, Pat McCrory.
