In North Carolina, the stage is set not only for the gubernatorial and attorney general contests but also for congressional races in newly redrawn districts.
In the First Congressional District, incumbent Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.) easily won his primary, while Army veteran and consultant Laurie Buckhout defeated businesswoman Sandy Smith, who lost congressional races in 2020 and 2022, in the GOP primary. This is a swing district.
In the Tar Heel State’s Sixth Congressional District, to succeed Rep. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.), former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) and lobbyist Addison McDowell advanced to a May 14 runoff. Army veteran Christian Castelli and former college football player Bo Hines, along with two other Republicans, were eliminated from contention.
Mr. Walker does not seem fazed about the run-off.
In 2014, Mr. Walker defeated now-North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Phil Berger Jr. in a run-off and went on to win the general election.
“We’re looking forward to engage, and we don’t back down from a fight,” said Mr. Walker, a pastor, who was vice chair of the House GOP.
He seemed unfazed at Mr. McDowell being endorsed by former President Donald Trump, who easily won the state’s GOP presidential primary.
Mr. Walker told The Epoch Times he’s not sure if President Trump knew that Mr. McDowell, a hunting buddy of Donald Trump Jr., is a lobbyist.
During his speech to supporters and family members at Grace Baptist Church, Mr. Walker, remarked that a decade ago it was “the pastor versus the politician.”
“This time it’s going to be the pastor versus the lobbyist,” he said.
Mr. Walker said he has not yet been on the phone with fellow North Carolina Republican Richard Hudson, a congressman and the head of the House GOP’s campaign arm, the National Republican Congressional Campaign Committee.
No Democrats are running for the Sixth District seat, which is all but guaranteed to flip to the GOP due to redistricting, which Ms. Manning cited as the reason she didn’t run for reelection.
In the Eighth Congressional District, pastor Mark Harris, who won a 2018 GOP primary for Congress that ended up being tossed out over alleged ballot tampering by a campaign staffer of his, appears headed for victory over farmer and businessman Allan Baucom, Republican state Rep. John Bradford and three other Republicans.
Marine Corps veteran Justin Dues was the only Democrat in his primary but will likely lose due to this district being red. Mr. Harris, were he to hold on, is set to succeed Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.), the GOP nominee for attorney general.
In the Tar Heel State’s 10th Congressional District, businessman and Army veteran Pat Harrigan defeated four other Republicans. He was endorsed by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who won the GOP gubernatorial primary. Ralph Scott Jr. is the Democrat nominee. As the district is solidly red, Mr. Harrigan is set to succeed retiring Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.
In the state’s 13th Congressional District, out of the 14 Republicans in their party’s primary, attorneys Brad Knott and Kelly Daughtry appear headed for a May 14 run-off. Small business owner Frank Pierce won the Democrat primary as he was the only candidate running.
The run-off winner is all but guaranteed to win the race to succeed Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.) in the 13th District, who is retiring from Congress due to what he called “a self-serving, extreme partisan gerrymander of the state’s congressional map” by the North Carolina General Assembly.
In the state’s 14th Congressional District race to succeed Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C.), who is the Democrat nominee for attorney general, Army veteran Pamela Genant defeated Marine Corps veteran Brendan Maginnis in the Democrat primary.
In the GOP primary, North Carolina House Speaker Timothy Moore won over Air Force veteran Jeff Gregory and businesswoman Lillian Joseph. Mr. Moore was endorsed by President Trump.
