Republican Representative Ted Budd staved off Democrat Cheri Beasley in North Carolina’s Senate race to keep the seat in the GOP’s column.
Mr Budd replaces Senator Richard Burr, a Republican who chose retire. But the two politicians are otherwise staunchly different.
Mr Burr voted to convict Trump for his role in the January 6 riot and led the Senate Intelligence Committee during its probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, both of which earned him the respect of Democrats.
Conversely, Mr Budd was one of 147 Republicans who voted to object to the 2020 presidential election results. As a reward for his service, Mr Trump endorsed him instead of former governor Pat McCrory and former congressman Mark Walker, which propelled him to winning the primary.
Mr Budd beat Democratic Senate nominee Cheri Beasley. The first Black woman to serve as chief justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court, she narrowly lost her race to hold the seat by 401 votes in 2020. Democratic state Senator Jeff Jackson dropped out of the primary to clear the field for her.
But Republicans pilloried Ms Beasley, particularly for her record on crime. The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, spent $36m in the race, according to AdImpact.
Conversely, Democrats failed to spend as much money defending her, with Senate Majority PAC, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s super PAC, spending only $13m to defend her.
Ms Beasley, a former public defender attempted to push back, highlighting her support for law enforcement.
The race marks the fifth straight Senate race that Democrats have lost in the Tar Heel state since 2010. Senator Kay Hagan, who died in 2019, was the last Democrat to win a Senate race in the state in 2008 but she last her race in 2014 to Senator Thom Tillis, who will now become North Carolina’s senior Senator.
