With just a few months left until North Carolina's U.S. Senate primary, two Republican candidates stepped up their attacks on a third endorsed by former President Donald Trump and steadily moving up in the polls.
Former Gov. Pat McCrory and former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker each leveled sharp criticism of U.S. Rep. Ted Budd and the political action committee supporting him at the Moore County Republican Men's Club luncheon Thursday afternoon — a sign they may be growing concerned by his rise, though they say otherwise.
Budd spoke to attendees via video conference because he was in Washington, D.C., for votes, but did not mention other candidates in his speech. He mentioned his most important backer, the former president, only once, in the context of foreign affairs.
