Club for Growth PAC picks different candidate than Trump in central NC congressional primary
Republican Bo Hines won the endorsement of an influential GOP political action committee in the contested primary for North Carolina's 6th Congressional District.
Club for Growth PAC backed Hines, saying he "would champion the needs of job creators" if elected. Club for Growth is a conservative group that pushes for limited government and pro-growth policies.
Previously, former President Donald Trump endorsed a different Republican, Addison McDowell, in the race. And former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker is also running for the Republican nomination in the Greensboro-area district.
It is not uncommon for Club for Growth PAC and Trump to be on opposing sides in GOP primaries. Both backed now-U.S. Sen. Ted Budd in the 2022 GOP primary against former Pat McCrory and Walker.
Democrat Kathy Manning current represents the 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House. But when Republicans in the state legislature redrew congressional districts last year, they reconfigured the district from a heavily Democratic seat into a heavily Republican one. Manning is not running for re-election in 2024.
Hines is just the second House candidate to be endorsed this cycle by Club for Growth PAC.
Hines won the GOP nomination in the Triangle-area 13th Congressional District in 2022, but lost to Democrat Wiley Nickel in the general election. Hines played one year of football at NC State before transferring to Yale. The 28-year-old has a law degree from Wake Forest. Trump endorsed Hines in 2022.
Trump surprised many with his endorsement of McDowell in December. McDowell, who is making his first run for elected office, previously worked for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina.
Walker represented parts of the district for three terms in Congress. He opted not to run for re-election in 2020 after the district was redrawn to favor Democrats. He finished third in the 2022 Republican Senate primary.
The 6th Congressional District includes parts or all of Guilford, Forsyth, Davie, Davidson, Rowan and Cabarrus counties. The primary election is March 5.
