RALEIGH – Has Lara Trump jumped in the race yet? No? Then back to the action in the scrum between a growing field of Republican primary candidates in the 2022 race for U.S. Senate, with a guest appearance by Senator Thom Tillis.
First, CNN, the leader in fake news, is out with a piece highlighting the importance of the ‘Trump litmus test’ within this Republican primary. They may actually be on to something; Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every once and while.
Republican primary voters in North Carolina are evidently Trump supporters, and despite the Left’s best efforts to smear MAGA as much as possible, the base continues to support him and the America First movement. In fact, it is to such a degree that proving oneself authentically MAGA becomes critical to winning support. As such, former Governor Pat McCrory, the presumed front runner, is ostensibly being praised by CNN for his past criticism’s of Trump.
From CNN:
Now a candidate for Senate, McCrory is facing the same threat as other Republicans in key races: a primary against challengers who vigorously defended Trump’s actions in the runup to the January 6 insurrection and backed Trump’s Big Lie that he actually won reelection. […]
[…] in the high-stakes North Carolina primary, McCrory is trying to reconcile his criticism of Trump from his radio program, telling CNN he backed “almost all” of the former President’s policies, supported his reelection effort and opposed both times Trump was impeached by the House, including on a charge of inciting the Capitol insurrection.
Yet since Election Day, McCrory has at times offered unsparing criticism of Trump in candid comments on his radio program, according to a CNN review of his remarks. McCrory dismissed that there was “something devious” leading to President Joe Biden winning the race, saying that Trump’s name-calling, “disastrous” first debate performance and personality cost him the election, turning off “soccer moms” in the suburbs. He said the then-President’s legal team “failed miserably,” saying it was Trump’s “fault” for bringing them on board — and said his pressure campaign on Georgia officials to find enough votes to reverse Biden’s win raised “some possible legal issues.”
At one point, McCrory compared Trump to 2018 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Stacey Abrams for not accepting defeat, saying they were both “destroying democracy.”
“I tell you I lost the election about every day,” said McCrory on November 23, referring to his concession in 2016 after his campaign alleged voter fraud and requested a recount. “Stacey Abrams says she won the election, she was robbed of the election. I never say that. Stacey Abrams is getting a free ride by the national media because she’s doing the exact same thing Donald Trump is doing: destroying democracy.” […]”
To be fair, (not that CNN is interested in being fair) McCrory was a relatively early supporter of President Trump during the 2016 campaign season. As he reassured voters in 2021, he is mostly in line with the Trump agenda, yet the squeamish reactions to Trump’s style and scoffing at 2020 election challenges in states like Georgia (and Arizona, and Michigan, and Pennsylvania) as ‘destroying democracy’ may destroy the MAGA credibility for some hardcore Trump supporters.
“During the past four years, on both the radio and on ‘Meet the Press,’ I was a huge defender — and continue to be a huge defender — of Trump policies,” McCrory said. “You could have pulled out hours upon hours of shows where I’m a very strong defender of his tax cuts, of his immigration policy, of his trade policies.”
McCrory is presumed to have a substantial lead among the field, with only the prospect of Lara Trump representing a big threat. Congressman Ted Budd is now in, and former Congressman Mark Walker has had the most runway to get his campaign off the ground, having announced in December and immediately engaging endorsements and voters.
With respect to Walker, the same CNN article included a slam from none other than Senator Thom Tillis:
And to round it all out, the article quotes Jonathan Felts, Budd’s political advisor, regarding McCrory’s Trump criticisms:
“[…] Jonathan Felts, Budd’s political adviser, said that there was a “disconnect” between the former governor and ex-president that the congressman could exploit.
“Given President Trump’s continued popularity in North Carolina, McCrory’s disconnect with Trump and Trump voters will be a significant problem for him in this primary,” Felts said. […]”
Interestingly, Felts is also a former political advisor to Governor Pat McCrory, demonstrating the small and often overlapping world in play here. Read the rest of the piece, if you can stand the CNN tones, here.
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