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North
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| NORTH
CAROLINA |
Nov. 8,
2022 U.S.
Senate
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Plurality: 121,737 votes (3.23 percentage points). NC State
Board of Elections
Notes: Sen. Richard Burr (R), first elected in 2004, announced in July 2016 that he would not seek a fourth term in 2022. U.S. Rep. Ted Budd (R) defeated former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley (D), information security officer Shannon Bray (L), and former Marine and diplomat Matthew Hoh (G) to hold the seat for Republicans (>). In the general election both major campaigns made fairly predictable charges and countercharges. For example, on Sept. 6, Budd tweeted "Cheri Beasley would be a rubber stamp for the same reckless Biden policies. As your next US Senator, I will stop the Biden/Beasley agenda." On Aug. 23, Budd tweeted "Make no mistake, @CheriBeasleyNC is a far-left liberal who has fundraised with the fringe members of her party who want to Defund the Police." On July 28, the NCDP launched a "Too Extreme GOP" tour targeting Budd and other Republicans. The NCDP also accused Budd of "hosting private fundraisers instead of meeting with voters." Former President Donald Trump rallied with Budd and North Carolina Republicans at Aero Center at Wilmington International Airport in Wilmington on Sept. 23 (>), and former Vice President Mike Pence campaigned with Budd on Nov. 2. Former President Barack Obama endorsed Beasley in an ad released on Oct. 25 (>). Budd and Beasley debated in Raleigh, hosted by Spectrum News 1, on Oct. 7 (>). Bray, who ran for Congress in 2019 and was the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate in 2020, did not fare as well as he had in his previous Senate race. Hoh was the North Carolina Green Party's first-ever candidate for U.S. Senate. In 2009, he resigned from a State Department position in Afghanistan in protest over American escalation there. The Green Party qualified for new party ballot status in 2022, but only after a legal battle. For a Green candidate, Hoh ran a relatively well-funded campaign, raising $188,177 and spending $175,689 according to filings; it was still a small amount compared to the major party campaigns. The Beasley campaign enjoyed a significant financial advantage over the Budd campaign, but outside groups leveled the playing field for the Republican. The Beasley campaign reported $38.4 million raised, $38.3 million spent, and cash on hand of less than $100,000 compared to $14.0 million raised, $14.6 million spent, and cash on hand of $430,530 million for the Budd campaign (>). While much post-election attention focused on Trump-backed candidates who lost, Budd, along with JD Vance in Ohio, are examples of candidates who won because of Trump's backing in their primaries. May 17 Primaries Fourteen Republicans appeared on the May 17 Republican primary ballot. The leading candidates were Budd, veteran, author and entrepreneur Marjorie Eastman, former Gov. Pat McCrory, and former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker. Trump daughter-in-law Lara Trump had been mentioned as a possible candidate but ruled out a run on June 5, 2021. Budd is a gun store owner who was elected to represent NC-13 (central NC) in 2016. Trump unexpectedly endorsed him at the NCGOP convention in Greenville on June 5, 2021 (>). Trump also rallied with Budd and other endorsed candidates at The Farm at 95 in Selma on Apr. 9, 2022 (1, 2). Budd, billing his campaign as the "Biden Agenda Crusher," visited all 100 counties in advance of the primary. McCrory, a longtime fixture in North Carolina politics who lost his 2016 bid for re-election to Roy Cooper, was an early frontrunner but was pummeled by ads run by Club for Growth Action, which supported Budd and put more than $10 million into the primary contest. Eastman, running as an outsider, announced on Oct. 5, 2021 (>). Walker, a pastor, was elected to represent NC-6 in 2014, and served three terms. He opted not to run for re-election in 2020 and was the first major Republican to announce for Senate, in a Dec. 1, 2020 video (>). Walker resisted efforts by Trump to edge him out of the race. Major candidates engaged in several debates including Feb. 26, Apr. 20, and Apr. 26, but Budd declined all invitations. Early on, a runoff was seen as a possibility. This happens if no candidate obtains at least 30% of the vote. However, Budd won the primary with a surprisingly strong 58.6% of the vote to 24.6% for McCrory and 9.2% for Walker. Former State Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley was the overwhelming favorite in the Democratic field of 11 candidates. Another leading candidate, state Sen. Jeff Jackson, ended his campaign on Dec. 16, 2021, endorsed Beasley, and did not appear on the ballot. When the votes were tallied, Beasley finished with 81.1% of the vote, while others finished in single digits. Campaign Managers: Ted Budd: ? senior advisor Jonathan Felts Cheri Beasley: Travis Brimm (Sept. 2021) [Earlier in 2021 Brimm briefly worked for Connecticut Democrats and a couple of news reports named him as Ned Lamont's "campaign manager in waiting."] Campaign manager on Ben Ray Luján for Senate from Mar. 2020. North Carolina state director on Biden for President, Dec. 2019-Mar. 2020. Senior advisor on McCready for Congress (NC-09), June-Oct. 2019. Campaign manager on Richard Bew for Congress (NC-03), Feb.-May 2019. Southern candidate fundraising director at the DCCC, Apr. 2017-Jan. 2019. Finance director on Julia Brownley for Congress (CA), Aug. 2015-Mar. 2017. Client manager/candidate committee coordinator at Evans & Katz LLC, Mar. 2013-Aug. 2015. Campaign manager on Linda Fondren for Mayor (Vicksburg, MS), Jan.-Mar. 2013. Deputy finance director on Lampson for Congress (TX), Apr. 2012-Jan. 2013. B.A. in history, business, English from University of Mississippi. See also: Kevin Maurer. "A Budd-Beasley Debrief." The Assembly, Nov. 20, 2022. Tessa Stuart. "Cheri Beasley Is Running for More Than a Senate Seat In North Carolina." Rolling Stone, Nov. 4, 2022. Marianne Levine. "Dems agonize over N.C. spending debacle as Senate race tightens." Politico, Oct. 4, 2022. Gary D. Robertson and Steve Peoples. "Budd embraces Trump, abortion opposition in NC Senate race." Associated Press, Sept. 23, 2022. Dan Merica and Michael Warren. "North Carolina Democrats hope former judge can halt Senate losing streak in pro-GOP environment." CNN, Sept. 23, 2022. Kevin Maurer. "Paper Elephant." The Assembly, Sept. 1, 2022. Ned Barnett. "Where's Ted? The Budd Senate campaign quietly rides on Trump's endorsement." The News & Observer, Aug. 25, 2022. "Danielle Battaglia. "Who is Cheri Beasley? Get to know NC Democrats' likely nominee for US Senate." The News & Observer, Apr. 21, 2022. Natalie Allison. "Tide turns for Trump favorite in key Senate race." Politico, Apr. 11, 2022. PolitiFact. "The race for North Carolina's U.S. Senate: a guide." |
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