Cawthorn Ousted as North Carolinians Pick Their November Nominees
RALEIGH, N.C. — Matchups for North Carolina’s general elections were revealed late on Tuesday as the state’s primary results rolled in. Perhaps the biggest election night surprise came as incumbent GOP Rep. Madison Cawthorn conceded the 11th Congressional District race to state Sen. Chuck Edwards.
The outcomes of the races have drastic implications for both parties as Democrats seek to retain their thin majorities in the House and Senate. Meanwhile, Republicans are trying to flip both chambers before vaulting a candidate to the presidency in 2024.
Candidates in North Carolina need to carry 30% of the vote or more in order to steer clear of runoff elections in July, according to state election law. Just under 20% of the state’s over 7.2 million registered voters cast a ballot on Tuesday following a strong early turnout, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
In the Cawthorn race, Edwards defeated the embattled freshman lawmaker and six other candidates with 33.4% of the vote, setting the stage for a November showdown with Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach-Ferrara who easily took her party’s nomination.
Cawthorn’s tenure in Congress became overshadowed by negative publicity following a series of controversies that were previously detailed by The Well News. Even the endorsement of former President Donald Trump was not enough to sway voters to Cawthorn’s side in the wake of his public turmoil.
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., endorsed Edwards over Cawthorn and characterized him as the “embodiment of mountain values” in a written statement following his victory. The Cook Political Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside elections each rated the district as solidly Republican.
Republican entrepreneur and real estate investor Sandy Smith avoided a runoff election against nursing home administrator Sandy Roberson by just over 2,000 votes in the GOP primary for the 1st Congressional District. Smith will face state Sen. Donald Davis in November, who handily won the Democratic primary with 63.2% of the vote.
Democratic state Sen. Valerie Foushee is advancing to the November election for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District after beating Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam by just under ten percentage points. Nurse Courtney Geels beat previous district nominee Robert Thomas for the Republican Party nomination, meaning she and Foushee will square off to replace retiring U.S. Rep. David Price, D-N.C., in the Democratic stronghold.
Former North Carolina State University football player Bo Hines defeated small business owner DeVan Barbour and obtained the Republican party’s nomination for the vacant 13th Congressional District with 32.1% of the vote. He will face Democratic nominee Wiley Nickel, a state senator, who outperformed four other candidates to advance to the November election.
The Cook Political Report rated North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District a tossup with only a slight Republican advantage for the 2022 cycle. U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., the district’s present officeholder, decided not to run for another term in his current position and successfully obtained his party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Budd bested former Gov. Pat McCrory and former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker with just under 60% of the vote margin to win the nomination. Budd will now seek to replace retiring incumbent Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C, in November.
Budd’s opponent will be former state Supreme Court Justice Cheri Beasley, whose strong election night performance carried her to the Democratic Party’s Senate nomination over 10 other candidates on the ballot. Beasley was projected to trail Budd by seven percentage points in polling conducted by Emerson College, The Well News previously reported.
The full list of unofficial primary election results can be found on the state Board of Elections website.