The GOP Seeks a Comeback in North Carolina

North Carolina will be a key state on a number of levels in the 2024 election as the Republican Party looks to make a comeback in what is a light-red state.

The effort to do so begins March 5, Super Tuesday—the day that has the most primaries in the presidential election cycle.

Former President Donald Trump is expected to win the North Carolina GOP primary, and President Joe Biden is set to win the Democrat primary. President Trump won the state in 2020 by 74,483 votes or 49.93 percent of the vote to President Biden’s 48.59 percent.

Nonetheless, looking at Super Tuesday, one of the biggest races in the Tar Heel State is the one for governor.

On the GOP side, the favorite is Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who faces State Treasurer Dale Folwell and attorney Bill Graham. Mr. Robinson has been dominating the polls and is endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

He is not without controversy, however, having drawn criticism for comments seen as antisemitic and bigoted.

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For the Democrats, the gubernatorial primary candidates include Attorney General Josh Stein, former North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Michael Morgan, former Princeville police chief Gary Foxx, Town of Tryon Council member Chrelle Booker, and attorney Marcus Williams.

Another major race is for attorney general, where the only GOP nominee will be Rep. Dan Bishop (R-N.C.). The Democrat primary includes Rep. Jeff Jackson (R-N.C.), and Marine Corps veteran Tim Dunn, Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry.

Additionally, there are key congressional races. Redistricting has resulted in 10 GOP districts and four Democrat districts. Seven Democrats and seven Republicans currently represent the state.

“Republicans drew very favorable maps for themselves with their veto-proof supermajorities, so unless there’s a successful legal challenge to those new maps, it looks like they’ll win at least two or three more congressional races than they’d have likely won under the previous district lines,” Duke University political science professor Jon Green told The Epoch Times.

Along with Mr. Jackson and Mr. Bishop leaving the House, redistricting has led to the retirements of Reps. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) and Wiley Nickel (D-N.C.).

Mr. Jackson, who has represented North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District since January 2023, cited his decision to run for North Carolina attorney general to his district being redrawn to favor the GOP.

Democrats looking to succeed Mr. Jackson include Army veteran Pamela Genant and Marine Corps veteran Brendan Maginnis.

“Republicans have blatantly rigged the map against Democrats by splitting the City of Greensboro into three pieces and combining each piece with far-flung rural counties, with the majority of Greensboro being drawn into a district that goes all the way to the border with Tennessee,” Ms. Manning said.

“The maps separate the heart of Greensboro from High Point and Winston-Salem, destroying a Triad District, a community of interest that deserves representation,” she said. The Triad consists of those cities.

Ms. Manning’s redrawn district will significantly advantage the GOP.

Republicans looking to flip the district include six candidates, notably former Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.); Christian Castelli, who lost to Ms. Manning in 2022, when he got 45 percent of the vote to Ms. Manning’s 53.9 percent; and former college football player Bo Hines, who lost to Mr. Nickel in 2022, 48.4 percent to 51.6 percent.

No Democrats are running.

The only Democrat in the race to succeed Mr. Nickel is small business owner Frank Pierce, while there are 14 Republicans, including businessman DeVan Barbour IV and attorney Kelly Daughtry. Both of them lost the 2022 GOP primary to Mr. Hines in 2022.

However, Rep. Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), who has represented North Carolina’s 2nd Congressional District since January 2021, is running for reelection as she will remain in a safe Democrat district.

Nonetheless, she also lamented the redrawn congressional district map.

“It was a fair map. We ended up with a 7–7 delegation, which represents the purple nature of North Carolina,” she told local CBS affiliate WNCN. “We are not a bright blue or a bright red state.”

Furthermore, Rep. Don Davis (D-N.C.), a moderate who has represented North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District since January 2023, will be running for reelection in a swing district.

Moreover, another significant race is the one for the state legislature, where the GOP has a veto-proof majority in both the state House of Representatives and Senate.

Therefore, said Mr. Green, “In terms of high-leverage races it’ll be interesting to see whether Democrats can win some legislative seats back to break those supermajorities and keep the governorship. One won’t be as significant without the other.”

However, due to redistricting, that will be a tough task, he said.

Republicans looking to take on Mr. Davis are Army veteran and consultant Laurie Buckhout and businesswoman Sandy Smith, who lost to Mr. Davis in 2022 when she got 47.6 percent of the vote to Mr. Davis’s 52.4 percent. She also ran for the seat in 2020, losing to Rep. G.K. Butterfield, 45.8 percent to 54.2 percent respectively. Ms. Smith has been endorsed by House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good (R-Va.) and Veterans for America First.

Outside of the races, the chairman of the North Carolina GOP, Michael Whatley, looks set to take the post of chairman of the Republican National Committee.

A veteran of the U.S. Senate and the George W. Bush administration, Mr. Whatley was endorsed by former President Donald Trump to succeed Ronna McDaniel. Under her leadership, the GOP lost the House in 2018, the White House in 2020, the Senate in 2021, and underperformed in the 2022 midterms, where the GOP barely won back the House while failing to take back the Senate.

The RNC is operating with just over $8 million in the bank, according to the Federal Election Commission. That is significantly less than its Democratic National Committee counterpart.

However, Mr. Whatley is not known for his fundraising chops.

Moreover, the North Carolina GOP has been operating with $72,000 in debt, per its financial disclosure.

Mr. Whatley did not respond to a request for an interview.