Kelly Daughtry campaign Facebook page
The candidate who finished first in the race for the Republican nomination for a North Carolina congressional seat said she was suspending her campaign, citing former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of her rival in the runoff elections. elections.
Although Johnston County Attorney Kelly Daughtry received the most votes among 14 candidates in the March 5 Republican primary for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, she fell short of the threshold of 30% necessary to win the primary. She and Brad Knott, who finished second and is a former federal prosecutor, had advanced to the runoff scheduled for May 14.
Daughtry said in a social media post that because of Trump’s formal support of Knott, “it has become clear that a path to victory is no longer feasible.”
“I believe in the democratic process and I respect our president’s support,” Daughtry added.
Knott also gained the support of Fred Von Canon, third runner-up in the primary.
“The time has come to suspend my campaign,” Daughtry added. “Brad has my full support and I want him to know I’m here to support him, not oppose him.”
However, it is too late to remove Daughtry’s name from the ballot. In-person early voting for the runoff continues through May 11, and mail-in voting has been taking place for weeks.
Knott accepted Daughtry’s support in his own statement, but cautioned his supporters who believed he was now the primary winner. Daughtry, the daughter of former state legislative leader Leo Daughtry, ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in 2022.
“Even though Kelly ended her campaign, this election is not over,” Knott said. “I strongly encourage my supporters to get out and vote on May 14.”
The reconfigured 13th District seat covers all or parts of eight counties. The horseshoe-shaped boundaries surround most of Raleigh, the state capital, and extend from Lee County – then east and north – to the Virginia border.
The current 13th District is represented by Democratic Rep. Wiley Nickel for his first term. Nickel, however, declined to seek re-election, citing the North Carolina legislature’s redistricting last fall that skewed his district politically to the right. Two other Democratic incumbents — Reps. Jeff Jackson and Kathy Manning — also did not run, saying the bias toward the Republican Party also prevented them from winning in November.
The winner of the GOP runoff in the 13th District will still have a Democratic rival in Frank Pierce. Still, Democratic departures could make a big difference in Republicans’ ability to maintain their narrow majority in the U.S. House of Representatives through 2025.
Grub5
