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May 17, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Trump-endorsed Ted Budd wins N.C. GOP Senate primary

Lucille Sherman

Rep. Ted Budd. Photo: Allison Joyce/Getty Images

Rep. Ted Budd won the Republican nomination for North Carolina's open U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday, per the AP.

Why it matters: The outcome is a victory for former President Trump, who endorsed Budd and whose power as the GOP's kingmaker is being tested with every endorsement he’s made in primaries across the country.

  • Budd defeated former Gov. Pat McCrory in a long, expensive and brutal primary that saw nearly six months of attack ads and mailers and even had its own Waffle House hash browns controversy.
  • Budd benefited from an $11 million ad campaign from Club For Growth.

The big picture: The race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr is one of the most closely watched in the nation and could decide control of the chamber.

What's next: Budd will face Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley, a former chief justice of North Carolina’s Supreme Court, in November.

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