Republicans on defense in North Carolina congressional races
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A soft-spoken former state Supreme Court justice who’s challenging a four-term incumbent represents one of several U.S. House races in which Democrats are hoping to reshape North Carolina's congressional delegation through redrawn district boundaries, strong candidates and a high-turnout presidential race.
A 2019 redrawing of the state’s U.S. House map by the legislature following court rulings increased the 8th District's share of Democratic voters and made Republican incumbent Rep. Richard Hudson unfamiliar to many. That provided an opening for Democrat Patricia Timmons-Goodson to try to flip the district, which stretches from Concord to Fayetteville and encompasses Fort Bragg.
Republican incumbents in two other districts chose not to run again after their territories were tilted left, and another seat vacated by President Donald Trump’s chief of staff has also proved to be a competitive race.
Timmons-Goodson, who grew up in a military family, was North Carolina’s first black woman to serve on the state Supreme Court. She has centered her campaign on health care and unifying residents and political parties that have become more polarized during the Trump administration. Hudson, an ally of Trump, has focused his campaign more on veterans issues.
“There’s a lot that needs to be fixed,” Timmons-Goodson said. “I’m speaking of the pandemic and the health issues associated with that and the economy. ... We’re going to need to put folks in place that are not content with the status quo and that bring different perspectives and a willingness to work and to get things done."
Hudson, who was first elected in 2012 by 8 percentage points, said he expects the race this year to be “fairly close” because of the way the district has been redrawn.
The Cook Political Report, a...