With the recommendation that the 2022 primary be postponed several months, there is growing uncertainty about just how that election is going to be held.
However, what may be causing anxiety in other candidates is not having any effect on the campaign of former 6th District Congressman Mark Walker.
Walker announced he was running for the open North Carolina US Senate seat in 2022 on Dec. 1, 2020. At the time Walker still had to finish out his term in Congress. Walker chose not to run for reelection to a fourth term in Congress in 2020 after the 6th District was redrawn making it a heavily Democratic district and the current Democratic 6th District Congresswoman Kathy Manning easily won election to her first term in 2020.
Once Walker finished out his term in January, he started campaigning full time and says he plans to continue to campaign full time through November 2022. Of course, he has to make it through the Republican primary first, which will either be held in March 2022 or, if the recommendation of the North Carolina State Board of Elections Executive Director Karen Brinson Bell is followed, May 2022.
Walker said that all indications are it will be a crowded Republican primary whenever it is held, and when asked how many, he said, “My guess is five to seven.”
So far Walker is the only declared Republican candidate, but the list of those who might run is long and includes Lara Trump, 13th District Congressman Ted Budd, former Gov. Pat McCrory, state House Speaker Tim Moore and North Carolina Republican Party Chair Michael Whatley. With Republican Sen. Richard Burr not running for reelection, the lure of the open seat and the fact that Republicans have won the last four Senate elections in North Carolina could attract even more candidates.
But Walker said regardless of who files or how many file, he is going to keep crisscrossing the state for at least the next year.
Walker said this week that he had been in Atlantic Beach speaking to a group and was headed for Asheville to speak to another.
He said, “I’m locked in full time. It’s full time, full blast.”
He said he was traveling around the state, “Listening to concerns of the people and what they want in a US senator.”
Walker said that one concern he keeps hearing is “the expanding ideology of socialism” and “the fact that the rights we have been enjoying for decades are being attacked.”
Walker said that 40 or 50 years of history has shown that socialism can’t compete with the free market system, which is why those in favor of big government controlling everything were attacking the free market.
Walker also said that one thing he was learning was just how long North Carolina is from east to west and he’s realizing that when you’re running a statewide campaign, it’s a big advantage to live in Greensboro in the middle of the state.
Was is funding this effort?
Vote for Lara Trump, should she file to run for Burr’s seat.
I support LARA trump/… and Mark WALKER .. LETS DO THIS !
I won’t be voting for Walker as he ran out on our 6th District because he was afraid of losing it now that it was heavily Democratic. That was no excuse for leaving behind his constituents that had loyally voted for conservatives since they’d been represented by Coble. There’ll be plenty of other conservatives running to choose from. Walker can stay home and ponder on things that scaredy cats ponder on.
Walker turned his back on us- now it is my turn to turn my back on him!
I’d prefer to replace Tillis and Burr with Walker and Budd, but who knows what other extremes the Dems will go to beyond redrawing precinct lines and mail in voting. I suspect that internet voting is next along with the acceptance of many more undocumented voters. So sad !
Mark would be a great senator for this time. My concern is and will be ,how can the Democrats vote the way they are voting.First they say that all conservatives are Terrorist.Then they want to vote to change all facets of our election system so that they might win time after time.They want to remain in power from today until Christ returns .Stop HR-1.Look it up and call your congressperson to tell that to vote against it.
The DEMOCRATS SHAL LOOSE BIG TIME IN 2022.. JUST WATCH .. i am High POINT CITIZEN .. CANT WAIT TO Drain the SWAMP.. 2022—— 2024 !
Seemingly, Walker while professing to be “listening to the ideology of socialism” isn’t up to mentioning a specific example that goes past this fuzzy and meaningless comment. At its core, the function of government is to govern.
No matter ones political leanings, we have this collective need for the likes of Walker to put aside these old and tired appeals to base emotions and put forth specific, workable and needed plans to better address our collective governing needs.
Dan J Butler