Trump endorsement could complicate new 4th Congressional District primary

Even though candidate filing is on hold, there's already a crowd of contenders for the newly open 4th Congressional District. A rumored endorsement from former President Donald Trump could upend the Republican primary.

Posted 8:50 p.m. Dec 9, 2021 — Updated 11:27 p.m. Dec 9, 2021

Laura Leslie

, WRAL Capitol Bureau chief

RALEIGH, N.C. — The latest congressional voting map puts a new seat in the Triangle, and even though the state Supreme Court has put candidate filing on hold, there's already a long list of contenders for the open seat.

The new 4th Congressional District includes Cumberland, Johnston and Sampson counties, plus parts of Harnett and Wayne counties.

On the Democratic side, state Rep. Charles Graham, D-Robeson, is up against state Sen. Ben Clark, D-Hoke, former Fayetteville councilman Charles Evans and Johnston County teacher Denton Lee.

As it’s drawn now, the district leans Republican, so the bigger battle will likely be among the GOP candidates.

Former Fayetteville mayor Nat Robertson was one of the first to declare, along with local party activist Devan Barbour. State Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, is running, too, and former Congresswoman Renee Ellmers said this week she plans to join the race.

A map, first reported by Politico and now circulating on social media, shows Bo Hines, who filed for the 7th Congressional District, running in the 4th District. That would clear the 7th District for a run by former Congressman Mark Walker, which in turn would help clear the path for 13th District Congressman Ted Budd in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate.

But Walker said Thursday he's not ready to bail out of the Senate race. He plans to discuss his political future with his family over the holidays before making a decision.

New congressional districts shake up NC politics

Former President Donald Trump reportedly gave the plan his blessing and promised endorsements at a meeting at his Mar-A-Lago resort in Florida early in December.

The map bears 11th District Congressman Madison Cawthorn’s official seal, but his congressional spokesman, Luke Ball, denied Thursday that it had come from Cawthorn's congressional office. He did not respond to further questions.

Hines, a political newcomer who played one year of football for North Carolina State University, is currently registered to vote in Winston-Salem. He previously filed for the 5th Congressional district, then the 13th District and then the 7th District, so this would be his fourth choice.

His campaign didn't respond Thursday to a request for comment.

Meredith College political science professor David McLennan said Hines appears to be district shopping.

"He's following the sort of Madison Cawthorn steps, you know – become well-known for a lot of social media, a lot of very bombastic kind of statements," McLennan said of Hines.

A Trump endorsement would be a big help for Hines, especially in a largely rural area like the new 4th District. But Hines would still be up against rivals who’ve been well-known in the district for years.

"There's name recognition, and then there's Trump," McLennan said. "I think this will be a real test of which of those two wins out."

It's possible that the courts will order the congressional districts to be redrawn to eliminate partisan gerrymandering, which could throw a wrench into the plans of all those candidates. Congressional candidates aren't technically required to live in their districts, but it certainly helps.

Suggest A Correction