Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON

U.S. Senate hopeful Ted Budd is benefitting from President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a super PAC’s commitment to flood airwaves and mailboxes to help him as the May 17 Republican primary approaches. But rival and former Gov. Pat McCrory still has managed to stick close to Budd when it comes to head-to-head fundraising.

Campaign finance reports for the first quarter show McCrory, the former governor, and current U.S. House member Budd collecting essentially the same level of contributions and other funds.

McCrory’s campaign said it raised $1.13 million through March 31, compared to $1.125 million raised by Budd., according to reports due Friday with the Federal Election Commission. McCrory also reported having more cash in his campaign coffers entering April — $2.2 million compared to $1.9 million for Budd.

Since early 2021 — before either candidate had entered the race — Budd has raised slightly more overall, FEC reports show. Budd has raised $4.24 million compared to $4.16 million for McCrory. Budd’s overall total contains $275,000 that he loaned his campaign.

McCrory — with a high name recognition from his time as governor from 2013 through in 2016 — had outraised Budd in the second quarter of 2021. As word of Trump’s June 2021 endorsement spread, Budd and McCrory’s numbers were about even in the third quarter, and Budd outraised McCrory by about $220,000 in the fourth quarter.

The candidates’ fundraising may shrink in comparison to Club for Growth Action, a super PAC that has said it plans to spend $14 million on activity in the North Carolina primary, praising Budd and attacking McCrory. An FEC filing by the group said it had already incurred $4.7 million in independent expenditures in the race through February. The super PAC and Budd’s campaign are barred from coordinating activities.

Among other Republican Senate hopefuls, former Rep. Mark Walker’s campaign totals remain well behind those of Budd and McCrory. He was also outraised in the first quarter by first-time political candidate Marjorie Eastman of Cary, FEC reports show.

Walker reported collecting $105,000 in the first quarter and had $509,000 in cash available. Eastman, a combat veteran, raised $372,000 — of which $160,000 were in a personal loan — and had $441,000 in cash on hand, according to reports.

The four candidates are among 14 seeking the GOP nomination. The top vote-getter must receive more than 30% of the vote to avoid a late July runoff with the second-place finisher.

Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley — the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in an 11-candidate field — raised $3.66 million in the first quarter and had $5.1 million on hand entering April, according to her FEC report. Beasley’s campaign had announced those totals earlier in the month, showing she is the most prolific fundraiser in the field to date.

All of the candidates, including Libertarian Party nominee Shannon Bray, are seeking to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr.

Budd has said Trump’s endorsement — which was on full display during a rally by the former president in Johnston County on April 9 — has contributed to his recent surge in polls.

McCrory has accused Washington-based Club for Growth of essentially buying support for Budd. The head of another Club for Growth affiliate that endorsed Budd calls him a “principled and proven conservative,” and said McCrory is too liberal.

The ex-governor and other primary rivals have also criticized Budd for declining so far to participate in televised debates. Eastman, McCrory and Walker will attend a live GOP debate Wednesday evening sponsored by Spectrum News 1, the cable channel said Monday.

Carolina Senate Fund, a super PAC supporting McCrory and opposing Budd, reported last week that it had collected $478,500 in the first quarter and had $752,000 entering April. In a separate filing, the organization said it had spent $117,000 on campaign mailers.

 

Photo via AP Photo/Chris Seward.

 

Related Stories
‹
Democrats Spend $4M More Aiding Beasley in NC Senate Race
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON National Democrats getting outspent by rival Republican groups in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race sought to narrow the gap Tuesday by running a new commercial criticizing GOP nominee Ted Budd on his abortion views. Senate Majority PAC, aligned with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said it’s spending over $4 million […]
Beasley, McCrory on Top in Latest Senate Fundraising Haul
Written by BRYAN ANDERSON Former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley and ex-Gov. Pat McCrory brought in the most money in their respective Democratic and Republican primary bids for an open 2022 U.S. Senate seat, new campaign finance reports show. The more than $1.2 million each candidate raised in the latest reporting period […]
Candidate Intros: U.S. Senate (North Carolina)
During this local election season, 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro spoke with candidates for races in Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Hillsborough — as well as the race for a North Carolina seat in the U.S. Senate. Each candidate answered the same set of questions regarding their decision to run for elected office, their backgrounds and […]
Obama Endorses Beasley in Crucial Senate Race for Democrats
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM Former President Barack Obama endorsed North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley on Tuesday in a new campaign ad as Democrats target the Southern swing state as one of the few where they have a strong shot at flipping a seat in the evenly split chamber. North Carolina, which Obama narrowly won in […]
Budd Embraces Trump, Abortion Opposition in NC Senate Race
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON and STEVE PEOPLES In competitive races across the U.S., Republican candidates are distancing themselves from their party’s most controversial policies and people — namely, abortion and former President Donald Trump — as Election Day approaches. Not Ted Budd. The North Carolina GOP Senate nominee is leaning into support for abortion restrictions […]
NC Senate Hopefuls Budd, Beasley Agree to Debate Next Month
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS North Carolina’s two major-party U.S. Senate candidates have agreed to participate in a televised debate next month. Spokespeople for the campaigns of Democrat Cheri Beasley and Republican Ted Budd said on Wednesday they would participate in an Oct. 7 debate that will be aired on Spectrum News 1. The cable […]
Beasley Touts Sheriff Support, Opposes ‘Defund the Police’
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM North Carolina U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley pitched herself Monday as a bridge between law enforcement and the Democratic party, appealing to moderate voters in one of the nation’s most competitive races for a seat in the narrowly divided chamber. Joined by more than a dozen current and former law enforcement […]
Democrats Bareknuckle Green Party off North Carolina Ballot
Written by HANNAH SCHOENBAUM A day after Connor Harney received anonymous text messages asking him to retract his signature from a petition to qualify Green Party candidates for the November ballot in North Carolina, he said unidentified canvassers brought their “attempts to interfere with democracy” to his doorstep. A woman claiming to represent the state […]
NC Senate Hopeful Beasley Says $7.4M Raised in Last 3 Months
Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley will report raising more than $7.42 million during the entire second quarter, her campaign said, a robust figure to close out her primary victory and build up her coffers for a general election campaign against Republican Ted Budd. Beasley’s campaign said Tuesday that her next […]
McCrory, Budd Still Close In NC Senate Campaign Fundraising
Written by GARY D. ROBERTSON U.S. Senate hopeful Ted Budd is benefitting from President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a super PAC’s commitment to flood airwaves and mailboxes to help him as the May 17 Republican primary approaches. But rival and former Gov. Pat McCrory still has managed to stick close to Budd when it comes to head-to-head […]
›