This Issue: "True Reformers" Ted Budd, Sandy Smith, and Christine Villaverde all win primaries in Tar Heel State

Three non-incumbent candidates who earned NumbersUSA's "True Reformer" label won primaries on Tuesday night, including Rep. Ted Budd who won the GOP primary for the open U.S. Senate seat in the state's highest profile race.

Budd received 58.6% of the vote, cruising to victory in an extremely crowded primary field that included former North Carolina governor Pat McCrory and Rep. Mark Walker. He'll face former North Carolina State Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley in what will likely be one of the most-watched races in the nation this fall and could go a long way in determining which party controls the Senate in the next Congress.

NumbersUSA True Reformers Sandy Smith and Christine Villaverde also won their GOP primaries in the 1st and 2nd Congressional districts, respectively.

The 1st district is an open seat following the retirement of longtime Democratic Congressman G.K. Butterfield. While the district leans Democrat, the seat is well within reach for Smith given recent generic polling in battlefield districts. The campaign arm for House Republicans, the NRCC, also includes the district on its target list.

Villaverde is more of a long shot in NC's 2nd district. She'll square off against incumbent Rep. Deborah Ross in a district that's considered safely Democrat and covers North Carolina's capital city and four premier universities (Duke, North Carolina, Wake Forest, and N.C. State).

But it's Budd's win that helps minimize any momentum that the pro-immigration-expansion Republicans in North Carolina -- led by Sen. Thom Tillis -- may think they have. The much maligned incumbent GOP Congressman Madison Cawthorn lost his primary bid to Chuck Edwards who was backed by Sen. Tillis and the business community. Tillis is actively discussing an amnesty-for-border-security deal with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).

Former Rep. Renee Ellmers, who also advocated for amnesty and more foreign workers while in Congress, lost her primary bid to return to Congress in North Carolina's 13th Congressional district. Ellmers lost to the Trump-endorsed candidate Bo Hines who has been silent on nearly all immigration issues. The open seat leans Republican.

OTHER PRIMARY NEWS

Pennsylvania hosted the other high profile primaries this week, however, the GOP primary for the open Senate seat is still too close to call and likely headed to a recount. Dr. Mehmet Oz holds a slim lead over Dave McCormick, and unfortunately, neither candidate focused much attention on the immigration issue. The Keystone state doesn't hold runoff elections, so whichever candidate comes out on top will win the GOP nomination despite each candidate only receiving 31% of the vote.

Oregon and Idaho also held primaries on Tuesday night, but neither state had races where immigration played a prominent role.

Three states hold primaries next week, including Alabama which features one of the most interesting GOP Senate primaries in the country. Current Congressman and True Reformer Mo Brooks will face off against Katie Britt in a race that will ultimately determine who fills the seat being vacated by retiring Senator Richard Shelby. Britt previously served as Shelby's Chief of Staff, while Brooks currently maintains the country's grade on NumbersUSA's immigration reduction report cards.

Additionally, Texas will hold its runoff elections next week, including a runoff for the Democratic nominee in the 28th Congressional district, which should tell a lot about the mindset of Democratic voters. The race features incumbent Congressman Henry Cuellar, who has been vocally critical of the Biden Administration's handling of ongoing border crisis, and Jessica Cisneros, who has pushed for more open-border policies.

Chris Chmielenski NumbersUSA Deputy Director