Former VP Mike Pence to visit North Carolina for Budd campaign
Former Vice President Mike Pence plans to visit Raleigh on Wednesday to campaign for fellow Republican Rep. Ted Budd in North Carolina’s Senate race.
“There will be a luncheon fundraiser followed up by a Family First Forum,” said Jonathan Felts, senior adviser to Budd. “It focuses on education and economic growth policies.”
Felts had few details he could share immediately about the event but said the campaign plans to release more information later Tuesday afternoon.
Budd also received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party’s leader, whose relationship with Pence has deteriorated since Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump’s supporters breached the U.S. Capitol and chanted threats to “hang Mike Pence.”
Budd faces off against Democrat Cheri Beasley, the state’s former Supreme Court chief justice, for the seat currently held by retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
“Congressman Budd is showing North Carolinians his priorities by campaigning with Mike Pence who wants to ban abortion nationwide and make it “unthinkable” for women to make decisions for their own bodies,” said Dory MacMillan, campaign spokeswoman for Beasley. “Ted Budd is too extreme for North Carolina and that’s why voters are going to reject him at the ballot box in seven short days.”
Budd or Beasley’s election could help to shape the direction of the country in coming years as Republicans desperately want to gain control of the Senate. Currently, Democrats maintain control with the help of two independents who caucus along with the party.
North Carolina hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. If Beasley wins, she’ll not only break that losing streak for the party but also become the first African American elected from North Carolina and the 12th in the country to serve in the U.S. Senate.
The race has been close. North Carolina is a purple state with the largest number of its voters registered as unaffiliated with any party.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8.
This story was originally published November 1, 2022 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Former VP Mike Pence to visit North Carolina for Budd campaign."
