THREE’S A CROWD: Former Governor Pat McCrory to Launch Senate Bid This Week

CHARLOTTE – On the heels of last week’s reporting of likely new candidates, Politico reports that former Governor Pat McCrory will announce his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2022 U.S. Senate race in North Carolina.

The reporting came on the heels of a national media scoop that Congressman Ted Budd’s (R-NC) reported impending entry into the North Carolina race may have much to do with clearing a path for McCrory to clinch the nomination, by Budd splitting more conservative voters away from early entrant and supposed front runner former Congressman Mark Walker.

The announcement is expected to Wednesday morning via McCrory’s Charlotte-area radio show, according to reporting from former NCGOP executive director Dallas Woodhouse for the Carolina Journal. Woodhouse was the first to report on the Budd news as well.

The former governor and seven-term mayor of Charlotte has been widely expected to contend for the Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Richard Burr. While he’s stopped short of a concrete commitment on several occasions, his eventual candidacy was presumed by those close to him with knowledge of his plans.

In the flood of reports and rumors over these last several days, Mark Walker came out swinging at his presumptive opponent on Monday.

If Pat wasn’t good enough for Trump’s administration, he’s not good enough for NC.

I am running to provide NC with its first real conservative Senator in years. at 97%, I was the most conservative and pro-Trump member from NC and would be the top member in the entire Senate.

— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) April 12, 2021

McCrory has flirted with a return to statewide politics since losing the gubernatorial race to Roy Cooper by a small margin in 2016. Some thought he might have come back to take on Cooper in 2020 after poll results showed him with relative strength, but even then he teased that it might be time for a ‘problem solver’ like himself to head to Washington, instead of Raleigh.

You can tune into the Pat McCrory Radio Show here Wednesday morning from 8:00 am – 10:00 am to catch the expected announcement.