The Republican primary for the North Carolina US Senate seat currently held by Sen. Richard Burr got a new official candidate with the announcement by former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory that he’s in the race.
Burr has announced he is not running for a fourth term in 2022.
Former 6th District Congressman Mark Walker launched his campaign for the Senate on Dec. 1, 2020, and although there has been a lot of speculation about other candidates, including President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, McCrory has ended the speculation about his intentions with the official announcement.
13th District Congressman Ted Budd sounds like he is planning to run but hasn’t made it official. Budd, unlike Walker and McCrory, would have to give up his seat in Congress to run for the Senate.
McCrory ran for governor three times and won once in 2012. He first ran for governor in 2008 and was defeated by Bev Perdue in a year when President Barack Obama carried the state. In 2012, when Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney carried North Carolina, McCrory defeated Democrat Walter Dalton for governor. In 2016, a year when Republicans won big in North Carolina – with Trump carrying the state, Burr being reelected, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest winning reelection, Republicans winning 10 of 13 congressional seats and winning majorities in both the NC state House and Senate – McCrory lost a close race to Gov. Roy Cooper.
But having run three statewide races gives McCrory a considerable advantage in running against Walker, Budd and Trump, if she enters the race. None of them have run a statewide race.
In the press release announcing his campaign, McCrory said, “The US Senate is split right down the middle… that puts Vice President Kamala Harris in charge, giving the Democrats everything they want to radically change America for generations to come. It’s time to join together and take back the Senate from Kamala Harris. So I’m in.”
McCrory also said, “I’m proud of my record of growing the economy, balancing budgets, cutting taxes, and creating jobs. Conservatives must hold this seat in 2022 to prevent Kamala Harris and Chuck Schumer from enacting radical liberal policies. I look forward to doing just that.”
McCrory grew up in Jamestown, graduated from Ragsdale High School and was mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009. More recently McCrory has been hosting a morning radio show on WBT in Charlotte, the Pat McCrory Show with Bo Thompson.
I welcome the candidacy of Mr. McCrory … had he not screwed up the “bathroom issue”, it’s likely he would still be in office, and we wouldn’t be stuck with the estimable, uncompromising ” coop “.
Plus — ANYONE who wants to bring about the demise of ” Kammie ” is a favorite of mine … she is unprepared, overbearing, incapable, and disgusting …
That screw up of his is why I won’t vote for him. If it weren’t for that, we would’ve had him instead of Roy Boy running this state like a fiefdom from the Middle Ages for over a year. McCrory would’ve been governor in March 2020 and not have shut the state down.
What a shame he stepped in it. Don’t wanna risk that in the 2022 Senate election and give a seat to the radical left.
So why support McCrory now? We literally have Cooper because of McCrory’s ill-timed signing of the hastily-crafted, well-intentioned but tone-deaf bathroom bill. And now we have Cooper again. No thanks, Pat – Mark Walker can handle Kamala just fine.
The bathroom thing wouldn’t have been big if it had not been for the current guy in office, then the AG, going to other states to prod big business into knee-capping his own state economically. The media then carried water for the whole operation.
It’s good to see you MrMcCoy I wish you the beat .
That’s about the only good political news we’ve had in North Carolina lately.
Now we have at least two candidates. Let’um hash it out. Keep it civil, boys.
The Dems are counting on their latest strategy just like you mentioned. They want conservatives to destroy each other and lose public trust.
We don’t need a Mitt Romney.
We need a Trump.
Gonna be a tough choice as so many other Republicans are running. Our distinguished Lt. Governor has accomplished so much during his extensive three month political career that he is considering running. And let’s not discount Laura Trump and her vast experience in public service.