RALEIGH – Three-term U.S. Rep. Ted Budd is poised to join the Republican primary field to replace U.S. Sen. Richard Burr in the state’s closely watched 2022 U.S. Senate race.
Budd, who was first elected in 2016, is a native of Davie County and the owner of a successful Piedmont Triad gun shop. He serves on the House Financial Services committee and has been a member of the conservative Freedom Caucus since his election to Congress.
Michael Luethy, a state political consultant who has helped lead Budd’s campaigns for Congress, told North State Journal that Budd was leaning towards running for Senate, but “no final decision has been made.”
Luethy added that his final decision would come sooner than later.
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker has been running for the seat since Dec. 2020. Both Budd and Walker have represented the Triad area in Congress and Budd leads the money race, according to the latest Federal Election Commission (FEC) reports – with around $232,000 more than Walker.
In what perhaps is an opportunity to build his email list, Budd’s political team has launched a sign up form for supporters to be the first to know his decision on running.
“Folks have been asking if I’m running for the U.S. Senate seat in 2022. Amy Kate and I are continuing to pray about how we can best serve the people of North Carolina. Join the list and I’ll email you first when we decide,” the form states.
