GREENSBORO, N.C. — We just had an election in Greensboro last month, but there's another election coming up. If you're feeling voter fatigue, that's because some voters have had three elections in a six-month period. The next election is the general election. It's less than three months away.
Races you'll see include both state and U.S. representatives and senators, and arguably one of the biggest races here in North Carolina is the U.S. Senate race. Democrat Cheri Beasley and Republican Ted Budd are competing for current Senator Richard Burr's seat.
Beasley's win in the Democratic primary wasn't a huge shock, she was the front-runner of the field. But Budd's win was more surprising to political experts.
"The one thing I said is the race that's going to be going into the night is McCrory-Budd, and we knew it by 8:30," said Thom Little, a political science professor at UNC Greensboro. "I didn't see that coming. I thought Budd would win, but I sure didn't think he was gonna get 58%."
Budd was up against former Governor Pat McCrory and former U.S. Representative Mark Walker. What he had that the other candidates didn't, was a high-profile endorsement.
"Budd is not shying away from the Trump endorsement, and if you look at his website, his tagline is Trump-endorsed candidate," said Little.
We dug into Former President Donald Trump's endorsements, what it means for the Republican party, and what it means for our state and national elections.
Ballotpedia says Trump endorsed 235 candidates in regular elections. So far, 183 of his candidates have won.
"Eighty percent of his endorsements have won if they're in a competitive race. It's about 95%, because half the time he endorsed people with no opponent or an opponent with no chance," said Little.
But there are instances where Trump's endorsements have lost. Seventeen of his candidates did not succeed, and Little says part of the reason is who won those elections in the past.
"The other places where he's failed, you know, trying to get rid of Idaho Governor Brad Little," said Little. "The power of incumbency (is) still pretty strong."
But the power of incumbency doesn't hold strong for everyone. We saw it here in North Carolina, with the Trump-backed candidate Madison Cawthorn in the North Carolina District 11 U.S. House race.
For the most part, Trump's candidates are successful, but the concept of someone in his position even making these endorsements is not something any of us have ever seen.
"This is something that, at least in my memory, is unheard of. Normally, when a candidate loses for president, they sort of fade into the background," said Little. "But the difference here is Trump has convinced about half the Republicans that he didn't lose. So in their mind, he's not a loser."
Thom Little says Donald Trump dramatically changed the Republican Party. One place we can see such a big change is in Wyoming. Incumbent Congresswoman Liz Cheney - a more traditional republican with a strong republican lineage - lost to a Trump endorsement.
"You know, there's not much you can do there in the state of Wyoming. I mean, I'm still shocked that she lost by 33 point, not shocked that she lost," said Little. "But it's really a sad statement about our politics when somebody who's given that much, and has a family name like she does in Wyoming, loses by 30 points."
All the elections with Trump endorsements we've seen so far have been primary races, so it's Trump's Republican candidates up against other Republican candidates. Now, we just have to wait and see how things will play out when these trump endorsements are up against democrats.
"What I wonder, and I wonder this nationwide, in the cases where Trump-endorsed candidates won the primary, what are the other quote-unquote establishment Republicans going to do? Are they going to go ahead and line up behind the candidate? Are they going to stay home?" said Little.
Here in North Carolina, we have a different situation. Ted Budd was not only endorsed by Trump but also by Club For Growth, a conservative organization focused on cutting taxes and other economic policy issues. But even with the establishment endorsement, Little says Budd's Trump endorsement could impact some republic voters' decisions.
"Now some will actually jump, somebody jumped to sharing basis. But even if they stay home, those are votes that he might need," said Little.
Find out what Little's prediction for the election is here:
