Outside money backing 2 women over better-known men in crowded Republican primary

[Acuña’s Bat Flip]

Two first-time candidates, both Republican women, have attracted the majority of outside spending support in the crowded special election in Eastern North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.

Celeste Cairns, an accountant from Emerald Isle, and Kinston pediatrician Joan Perry are among 17 Republican candidates vying to replace the late Rep. Walter Jones, who died in February. And despite their lack of name recognition or political experience in a field that includes six elected officials, Cairns and Perry have lapped the field in outside money.

The April 30 primary for Republicans, Democrats and Libertarians is expected to be a low-turnout contest. As of April 23, 13,515 votes had been cast in the primaries. Primary runoffs can be held if the top vote-getter does not eclipse 30 percent of the vote. The district, won by President Donald Trump with 60.5 percent of the vote in 2016 according to a Daily Kos analysis, is considered a safe Republican seat.

Cairns, 52, earned the endorsement of the Club for Growth, whose political action committee has backed her campaign with $58,643 in independent expenditures, according to the Federal Election Commission. Awake Carolina, a newly established PAC headed by individuals who worked for President Donald Trump, also poured in more than $104,000 on Carins’ behalf, most of it on advertising.

“Frankly, I’ve been disgusted with what I’ve seen mostly from the Democrats, but also some Republicans who seem to be a little squishy sometimes,” said Cairns, who touts herself as “the conservative choice.”

“I’m trying to be the conservative female voice that stands up to these radical policies. ... I’m looking forward to having (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi) swear me in. I enjoy imagining that picture.”

Club for Growth and its Action Fund were instrumental in propelling Rep. Ted Budd to victory in a 17-way primary in North Carolina’s 13th District in 2016, investing $500,000 in TV ads on his behalf. Budd is now in his second term in the U.S. House.

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[Acuña’s Bat Flip]

Two doctors will go to a runoff in the Republican primary election to replace Rep. Walter Jones in the U.S. House.

With all precincts in North Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District reporting unofficial results, urologist and state Rep. Greg Murphy topped the 17-candidate Republican field with 22.5 percent of the vote — short of the 30-percent threshold needed to avoid a run-off. Pediatrician Joan Perry, a first-time candidate, was second at 15.4 percent.

The winner of the primary runoff between Murphy and Perry on July 9 will join Democratic primary winner Allen Thomas, Libertarian winner Tim Harris and Constitution Party candidate Greg Holt in the general election Sept. 10.

The seat is considered a safe Republican one.

“They know I’m in it for the right reasons. They’re thirsty for someone to vote for, not necessarily just someone to vote against,” Murphy, who lives in Greenville, said in a phone interview Tuesday.

Perry, who received outside support from the anti-abortion Susan B. Anthony List and Winning for Women, said she had widespread support throughout the sprawling district that includes parts or all of 17 counties. Perry confirmed Tuesday night that she would request a runoff in the race.

“I definitely will and I will because that means 75 percent have not voted for Greg Murphy. We won a considerable number of counties,” Perry told The News & Observer Tuesday. “I think I know these people and really care about them. I think many people have said we’re ready for fresh faces in Washington.”

State Rep. Phil Shepard, buoyed by a strong performance in Onslow County, finished third at 12 percent, the only other Republican candidate to receive more than 10 percent of the vote. Another state House member, Michael Speciale, was in fourth place with 9.5 percent.

Former Greenville mayor Thomas, who most recently served as executive director of the North Carolina Global TransPark, won the Democratic nomination with 50 percent of the vote. Retired Marine Richard Bew finished second in the six-candidate field with 25.3 percent, and New Bern mayor Dana E. Outlaw was third at 12.6 percent.

“We felt confident that we had great support,” Thomas said in an interview. “It’s really exhilarating to know we were the top vote getter among all 26 candidates.”

Thomas got 12,912 votes. Murphy received 9,507, but in a field with many more candidates.

Libertarian Harris defeated Shannon W. Bray 75-59.

A Republican who often clashed with party leadership, Jones represented the district from 1995 until his death on Feb. 10 following an illness. Jones’ father — Walter B. Jones, Sr. — represented much of the area in Congress from 1966 until his death in 1992.

Without a Jones on the ballot, the special election attracted a huge field.

Jones won a three-way Republican primary in 2018 and ran unopposed in the general election. He earned 187,901 votes in the general election in 2018, running unopposed in a year without a presidential, gubernatorial or Senate race. President Donald Trump won the district by nearly 24 percentage points in 2016. He won North Carolina by 3.6 percentage points.

The 3rd district is one of two vacant House seats in North Carolina and one of three in the nation. The state board called for a new election in North Carolina’s 9th district after finding evidence of election fraud in the 2018 general election. The primary in the 9th is May 14.

CANDIDATES
Republicans (results as of 10:20 p.m.):

Greg Murphy 22.54%

Joan Perry 15.44%

Phil Shepard 12.05%

Michael Speciale 9.51%

Phil Law 8.73%

Eric Rouse 7.71%

Jeff Moore 5.40%

Francis X. De Luca 3.94%

Celeste Cairns 3.47%

Chimer Davis Clark, Jr. 2.58%

Michele Nix 2.16%

Graham Boyd 2.12%

Paul Beaumont 1.84%

Mike Payment 1.27%

Don Cox 0.59%

Kevin Baiko 0.40%

Gary Ceres 0.25%

Democrats:

Allen Thomas 50.02%

Richard Bew 25.22%

Dana E. Outlaw 12.62%

Ike Johnson 6.83%

Gregory Humphrey 2.67%

Ernest T. Reeves 2.64%

Libertarians:

Tim Harris 55.97%

Shannon W. Bray 44.03%

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