north carolina midterm primary

Donald Trump rewards politicians who are loyal to him and his cause with endorsements. Two such loyal supporters are standing in the 2022 North Carolina Republican midterm primary.

With the election on May 17, voters in the State are now scrutinizing Trump’s thinking behind his chosen candidates as contentious issues emerge.

I was fooled last time. I won’t be fooled again.

As a swing state, whoever wins the nomination to fight against the Democrats could have a bearing on who controls Washington after the November 8 elections.

We examine if Trump has made the correct choices.


North Carolina

In the last Presidential election, North Carolina voted Republican, 49.9% to 48.6%. Currently, North Carolina has 13 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives – eight Republican and five Democratic. Redistricting has created an additional seat, seven Republican-leaning, six Democratic-leaning, and one highly competitive. There are two Senate seats, and one is up for reelection.

Population growth recorded in the 2020 Census has been mainly among Democratic-leaning voters.

Therefore, North Carolina is a battleground state political bettors should watch with interest before placing wagers at online betting sites.



Congress Primary Candidate – Madison Cawthorn

House of Representative’s youngest member Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina. The 26-year-old is seeking a second term, but this radical politician is jeopardizing his chances with headline-grabbing orgy invitations and other reckless behavior that’s frightening many voters.


Trump’s Endorsement

Donald Trump has endorsed Cawthorn because of his enthusiastic support. He joined the former president at the January 6 rally that preceded the assault on Capitol Hill.

He told the crowd: “The Democrats, with all the fraud they have done in this election, the Republicans, hiding and not fighting, they are trying to silence your voice,” which reinforced a previous tweet: “It’s time to fight.”


The Issues

The Congressman’s views on Ukraine are out of step with what Americans overwhelmingly feel. In a video to his supporters, he called president Volodymyr Zelensky a “thug” and he “is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.” The young candidate is following Trump’s lead on Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, but some of North Carolina’s Republican officials call his comments “reckless.”

Well before Mr. Cawthorn’s latest episodes, he made headlines for carrying a knife to a school board meeting and bringing a gun through airport security.

In a recent Warrior Poet Society podcast, Cawthorn claimed that he was asked to take part in sex parties and drug-taking by the Washington establishment. He said: “Well, hey, we’re going to have kind of a sexual get-together at one of our homes, you should come” he continued: “I’m like, ‘What did you just ask me to come to?’ And then you realize they are asking you to come to an orgy.”

When talking about drugs he stated: “You know, some of the people that are leading on the movement to try and remove addiction in our country, and then you watch them do, you know, a key bump of cocaine right in front of you and it’s like, ‘Wow, this is wild.'”

Following the claims, McCarthy of California, the House minority leader, met with Cawthorn to confront him about his comments. The candidate then admitted some of his remarks had been untrue or exaggerated.

In March, Cawthorn was charged with driving with a revoked license. He has a May court date on the misdemeanor that carries up to 20 days in jail. Well before Mr. Cawthorn’s latest episodes, he made headlines for carrying a knife to a school board meeting and bringing a gun through airport security.


The Voters’ Choice

The choice for voters and political bettors is will Cawthorn’s youthful enthusiasm, self-confidence, and lack of respect for the establishment have a broad appeal to Trump’s supporters or will they be outnumbered by those who now see him as immature and reckless and question his honesty?

John Harper, a Republican voter, said: “I voted for Madison, but I think I’ll pass now because of integrity issues,” he continued: “I was fooled last time. I won’t be fooled again.”



Senate Primary Candidate – Ted Budd

Representative Ted Budd is standing as a candidate in the Republican US Senate midterm primary. The North Carolina Republican has been reaching out to the farming communities with his upbringing on the family farm and his work in the family agriculture business.


Trump’s Endorsement

Ted Budd is a loyal Trump supporter who repeatedly supported efforts to overturn the “stolen” election by saying officials acted “illegally” and “violated” the state and federal constitutions. When Trump endorsed Budd at a rally, he said: “A lot of you don’t know him that well,” Trump said, “We’re going to work with him, we’re going to campaign with him.”


The Issues

As agriculture is North Carolina’s largest industry, Ted Budd needs to mobilize the farming vote.

You would think his links to the industry would work in his favor, but there are details Budd wants to avoid – the Budd family was involved in a seed company, AgriBioTech. Following financial difficulties, the company went bankrupt. Legal battles ensued in which creditors alleged that shortly before going bankrupt Budd’s father improperly transferred $10 million to his family, including Ted Budd.

Farmers who faced millions of dollars in losses claimed they should have been paid first. Ted Budd was named as a defendant in a civil case. A pre-trial settlement, in which there was no admission of wrongdoing, agreed to pay less than half of the amount initially earmarked for the farmers and other creditors.

Some of them remain angry: “We got screwed and there was not a freaking thing we could do about it. There was no way to fight multimillionaires,” said Scott Scheuerman, farmer.



Risky Business for Trump?

When Trump chose to endorse Budd despite strong opposition, he was taking a risk. The decision shocked many Republicans but illustrates that Trump has the power and resources to elevate loyal controversial candidates.

In an election year when control of Washington is a top priority, is Trump playing high stakes as he pushes his own agenda?

If voters reject Trump’s endorsements in North Carolina will it signal a decline in his hold over the Republican party? As a result, the outcome of the midterm primary could give political bettors an insight into how the election could swing.

On the other hand, if Trump is successful, will his nominees become easy targets for the Democratic Party and too much for moderate and independent voters to stomach?


Wager on the US elections at top online betting sites.


Philip Carlson
Writer

Philip Carlson is a gambling industry analyst based in NYC. He covers political global political betting markets and sports-betting for Vegas-odds.com