- Johnston County Attorney Kelly Daughtry, who came in first place in the Republican primary for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District on March 5th, withdrew from the runoff, effectively defeating her opponent Brad Knott. He handed over the party’s seat nomination to him.
- Daughtry suspended his campaign after Knott received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, saying on social media that “it has become clear that our path to victory is no longer viable.” Ta.
- The 13th Congressional District was recently redrawn to favor Republicans, forcing incumbent Democrat Wiley Nickel from Congress, making it very likely that Knott will be elected to represent it in November. expensive.
A candidate seeking the Republican nomination for the North Carolina House of Representatives announced Thursday that he is suspending his campaign because of former President Donald Trump’s support for his rival in the upcoming runoff election.
Johnston County attorney Kelly Daughtry placed first out of 14 candidates in the Republican primary for the Central District of North Carolina on March 5th. However, he did not receive more than the 30% of votes needed to avoid a runoff. She and the second-place finisher, former federal prosecutor Brad Knott, had advanced to the scheduled May 14 runoff election.
Daughtry said in a social media post that President Trump’s formal endorsement of Knott last month “made it clear that our path to victory was no longer viable.”
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“I believe in the democratic process and respect the support of the president,” Daughtry added.
Knott also received the support of Fred von Cannon, who finished third in the primary.
“The time has come to end my campaign,” Daughtry added. “Brad has my full support and I want him to know that I’m here to support him, not against him.”
Democratic North Carolina Congressman Wiley Nickel speaks to reporters at the Capitol on Monday, November 14, 2022 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Seneta, File)
However, her announcement does not mean she is no longer an official candidate. And her name will not be removed from the ballot — it’s too late for that. Early voting for the runoff election continues until May 11, with traditional absentee voting also taking place over several weeks.
Mr Knott accepted Mr Daughtry’s endorsement in his own statement, but warned supporters who believe he is the primary winner at this point. Daughtry, the daughter of former state Assembly leader Leo Daughtry, ran unsuccessfully for the House of Representatives in 2022.
“Mr. Kerry is done campaigning, but this election is not over,” Knott said. “I urge my supporters to go vote on May 14th.”
The reconstituted 13th District seat covers all or part of eight counties. The horseshoe-shaped border encompasses much of the state capital, Raleigh, and extends east and north from Lee County to the Virginia state line.
The 13th District is currently represented by first-term Democratic Congressman Wiley Nickell. But Mr. Nickell rejected his re-election, citing last fall’s redistricting in North Carolina’s state legislature that shifted his district politically to the right. Two other Democratic incumbents, Rep. Jeff Jackson and Rep. Kathy Manning, also did not run, saying the Republican bias made winning in November impossible.
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The Republican runoff winner in the 13th District still has his Democratic rival in the fall, Frank Pierce. Still, a Democratic withdrawal could make a big difference in whether Republicans retain their slim U.S. House majority into 2025.
