Trump endorses Ted Budd in North Carolina’s Senate race as Lara Trump declines to run
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North Carolina U.S. Senate race
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Former President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina’s 2022 Senate race, giving the three-term congressman a huge boost in a crowded Republican primary for the vacant seat.
Trump made his endorsement Saturday evening at the GOP state convention in Greenville. He notified Budd of his decision just minutes before telling the audience of about 1,200 at the Greenville Convention Center.
“This gentleman is going to be your next senator. He’s going to be somebody that you’re going to be so proud of. He will fight like hell,” Trump said. “He will fight like nobody fights.”
Budd, from Davie County, is one of five Republicans running to replace Sen. Richard Burr, who is not running for a fourth term in 2022. Former Gov. Pat McCrory, former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker, Brunswick County Commissioner Marty Cooke and former Department of Defense employee Jen Banwart are also running in the GOP primary, which is scheduled for March 8, 2022.
“Mr. President, this means the world. Thank you. We got a lot of hard work ahead,” Budd said after he was called on stage. “So let’s win this together. Let’s get back to making America great again.”
Trump made veiled comments that appeared to be about the other top-tier candidates — McCrory and Walker.
“You can’t pick people who have already lost two races,” Trump said. McCrory lost two races for governor sandwiched around his 2012 victory.
Lara Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law and a North Carolina native, announced Saturday night that she would not run for the seat in 2022. She said with two young children — ages 3 and 1 — it would be “very hard” for her to run for Senate at this point.
“I am saying no for now, not no forever,” said Trump, who grew up in Wilmington and graduated from N.C. State University.
Donald Trump said he put “a little pressure” on Lara Trump to make a final decision on the race “because we have to pick somebody.”
He called Budd “very special” and said Budd has always worked with former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and his wife, Deb. Budd is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, which was co-founded by Meadows and emerged as Trump’s staunchest supporters in the U.S. House.
“(Budd) hasn’t been pushing me at all, unlike some of the others that are running that won’t win. They won’t win,” Trump said, likely alluding to Walker.
Walker, like Budd, visited Trump in South Florida earlier this year. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis used a similar line about Walker, calling into question his ability to hold the seat for Republicans.
McCrory, Walker blame ‘bad advice’
McCrory said he was “disappointed” in Trump’s endorsement of Budd, calling the congressman “a Washington insider who has done more to oppose the Trump agenda than anyone in the race” in a statement.
“The president got some bad advice and you could tell by the immediate reaction of the audience, which was no reaction to the individual he endorsed.” McCrory told reporters in Greenville. “They selected a Washington insider and I assume a Washington insider around the president made this very poor decision.”
McCrory, who met with Trump after his 2016 election about a job in the administration, said that he “never sought an endorsement from anyone.” As for having lost elections, something he has in common with Trump, McCrory said, “We all live in glass houses.”
McCrory pointed to polls that show him with a large lead in the primary. He said North Carolina picks its own candidates.
“We’re going to win this election. We’re up 30 points,” McCrory said.
Walker won a straw poll at the state convention, his campaign said. All 1,200 delegates were eligible to vote in the non-binding poll, which was conducted before Trump endorsed Budd. Walker took 44% to Budd’s 29% and McCrory’s 18%.
“Our team is working harder, growing faster, focused on the people of North Carolina and determined to win this race and finally give our state a real conservative senator,” Walker said in a statement.
Walker attributed Trump’s pick to Meadows, who remains influential with the former president. Meadows is now a senior partner at the Conservative Partnership Institute, a Washington think tank for conservatives.
“I think President Trump just got some bad information from his former chief of staff. And it wouldn’t be the first time,” Walker told reporters in Greenville. “This is just going to make (winning) that much sweeter.”
State Democrats, who have five candidates in their primary as well, were quick to point out the GOP fight.
“One thing is clear: Republicans in the North Carolina Senate primary are in disarray, and this GOP intraparty fight is only escalating,” Bobbie Richardson, the party chairwoman, said in a news release.
Budd thanks Lara Trump
Before he entered the race, Budd spoke with Lara Trump about her potential candidacy. His campaign consultant said if Lara Trump ran, Budd would not have run — a position echoed by the Club for Growth, which endorsed Budd shortly after he got in the race.
“It would be best if they weren’t both running,” Club for Growth President David McIntosh said at the time.
Budd called Lara Trump “a heck of a teammate,” citing her work in the 2018 and 2020 elections.
“And you’d be a heck of a senator,” Budd said.
As he was planning his entry into the race, he also met with Donald Trump, who wasn’t ready to back him at that point while waiting for a decision from Lara Trump.
“He knows that I’ve been consistent on the America First principles. I’ve been a fighter. I’m not afraid to work hard. I think he likes that I’m a business guy from a small business background.” said Budd, who owns a gun shop and indoor shooting range in Winston-Salem.
“The Trump endorsement, absolutely, I’m grateful for it. But now it’s about letting North Carolinians know what I stand for.”
Despite his 2020 loss, Donald Trump remains the most popular — and influential — Republican in the country. The North Carolina state party, for example, censured Burr after he voted to convict Trump in February for his role inciting the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. And his presence at the annual convention turned it from a business meeting into a national affair, broadcast live in C-SPAN and attended by other networks.
Earlier this week, Trump endorsed U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx for a 10th term.
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at link.chtbl.com/underthedomenc or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published June 5, 2021 at 8:26 PM with the headline "Trump endorses Ted Budd in North Carolina’s Senate race as Lara Trump declines to run."
