NC-03: Meadows endorses Greg Murphy, calls him “clearly the conservative pick”
This move has been a long time in the making. But it finally got here:
Republican state Rep. Greg Murphy, who topped a 17-way primary Tuesday night for U.S. House in Eastern North Carolina, picked up a key endorsement Wednesday morning ahead of a July 9 primary runoff against Joan Perry.
Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, said he was backing Murphy in the runoff, calling the Greenville urologist “clearly the conservative pick.”
Murphy, 56, received 22.5 percent of the vote in unofficial results from the sprawling 3rd Congressional District, which covers all or parts of 17 counties in Eastern North Carolina. He needed at least 30 percent to avoid a runoff with Perry, a Kinston pediatrician and first-time candidate for elected office who finished second with 15.4 percent of the vote in the special election to replace the late Rep. Walter Jones.
Meadows represents far western North Carolina.
“I stayed out of the original primary contest because I had too many conservative friends and supporters backing different candidates. But now that it’s down to a two-person race, Greg Murphy is clearly the conservative pick and has my full support and that of the House Freedom Fund as well,” Meadows said in a text message Wednesday morning.
The House Freedom Fund is a political action committee that donates to conservative candidates, including Meadows and Rep. Ted Budd, a Davie County Republican.[…]
Murphy faces off in a July 9 runoff against fellow physician Joan Perry of Kinston. The winner of that race moves on to face Democrat nominee and former Greenville mayor Allen Thomas on September 10.
I lived in NC district 3. I am afraid that the Democrats might win on September 10.
“I stayed out of the original primary contest because I had too many conservative friends and supporters backing different candidates.”
Just goes to show that there are no perfect politicians. Meadows stayed out because he wanted to jump on the winner’s bandwagon.
So much for his endorsement. He gets to pick between a doctor who wants to take care of his big money contributors by supporting Medicaid for all versus a doctor who endorsed a Democrat with a Republican in the same congressional race. What a choice. If Meadows had NOT stayed out, he might have gotten a true conservative in the runoff.
Thomas has a pretty good shot at this race. A lot of Republicans are really unhappy with these two unexciting choices.
Who was the democrat Perry endorsed for congress if you don’t mind sharing? First I’ve heard of this
Mike McIntyre
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwz1XqDxaY
I think Joan Perry and her husband cut an endorsement ad in 2012 for Democrat Congressman Mike McIntyre in his race against Republican David Rouser. https://dailyhaymaker.com/?p=23446
Still she may be a better choice than Medicaid Murphy in the runoff. These Republican circus primaries surely do leave us with some interesting dilemmas.
I worried about the Medicare issue as well. I understand citizens from adjoining states are flooding into NC for this reason and We The Taxpayer foot that bill as well. I’m unsure I agree with Murphy. Please share the Perry Dem support. Interested in that comment.
The trouble is there is clearly NOT a conservative pick under the Republican banner now. Some conservatives will go Constitution Party this time around and hope for ONE conservative to rally around in the next regularly scheduled primary.
No more circus primaries – there’re killing us.
I currently live in District 3. I’ve liked Perry. Seeing this article, I checked into McIntyre. He was the most conservative of all the Dems in his years in congress; too bad they didn’t have more conservatives in their party. (https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/mike_mcintyre/400266). Anyway, it was 2012, and I doubt she was thinking she’d run for office. My two cents. This McIntyre thing doesn’t stop me from supporting her as a nominee.
Where do the two candidates stand on the bill to stiffle Treasurer’ Folwell’s efforts to reign in the state’s unfunded pension and health plan liabilities? Surely a real conservative would support and applaud such efforts. The state’s unfunded liabilities are minor compared to those of the federal government.
I think Murphy has the best chance against Thomas.
Murphy is the best candidate in this race. He has the best chance of winning in the General no matter how much Thomas does. He has the scandal of Global Trans Park looming over his head. Thomas will be the best chance the Dems have but Murphy is well known and respected in that district.
Scandals don’t matter for Democrats. Heck, scandals when Republicans commit party disloyalty and endorse Democrats don’t matter.
The Democrats correctly see this seat as winnable. They will dump MILLIONS into the race after Medicaid Murphy and Perry spend each others’ (and their investors’) money and beat each others’ brains out in the next primary. Unless something good happens, Thomas wins this seat. Perry should be okay with that.
I am quite shocked at Meadows’ endorsement.
I see NO Thread of Compatibility – between the Freedom Caucus and Hospital Lobbying efforts.
Perhaps the actual deciding factor is support for Treasurer Folwell?
Note: I was in Robeson County back in the early ’90s. I knew Mike McIntyre, and he seemed to be a very devout and generally conservative Christian. This – in a county that was rumored to be 11:1::Dems:Reps at that time.
The problem with “conservative Dems”, and my eye begins to twitch, they always vote with the pack when it matters.
Mark Meadows name often comes up in discussions about statewide races, especially Senate. Why would he come out in a 17 person primary and risk ticking off 16 people and all their supporters? Seems like a reasonable position. to wait.
Murphy was not the most conservative candidate in the 17 person primary. Trump wasn’t the most conservative candidate in the Republican primary. However, when it came down to Trump and Clinton, the choice was clear. I don’t think the contrast is so great in this primary but Murphy is clearly more conservative than Perry.
Do you think Perry would ever be a member of the Freedom Caucus? Do you know that there are strong conservatives in Congress who aren’t members because of the target you put on your back by joining?
The Murphy/Perry runoff has the makings of a close race. The fact that Meadows jumped in the day after the election shows me Murphy is clearly the conservative choice. The fact that Meadows says the Freedom Caucus will ask Murphy to be a member shows that he is not only more conservative than Joan Perry, but a conservative overall. The Freedom Caucus does not ask every Republican or every conservative for that matter, to join. It has been documented in articles as far back as 2018 that Murphy has been meeting with Meadows. Meadows knows who he is and what he stands for. That doesn’t mean the voters have to blindly follow Meadows recommendation. However, the people who say they are conservative but attack the leading conservative in Congress because he supports Murphy are opening themselves up to the argument that they are acting more out of spite for their chosen candidate in the primary not finishing in the top 2 .
I’m sure there will be comments that follow accusing Meadows or Murphy or both of some grand conspiracy. But logic points to the fact that although they may not agree on every issue, both Meadows and Murphy are conservative and that is why they are teaming up. It doesn’t guarantee Murphy will win the primary, but I can tell you that either Murphy or Perry would beat Democrat Allen Thomas handily in the next round. It wouldn’t be the margin that Jones beat the no-funded, no name Democrats he ran against, but either one would have no issue beating Thomas. The thought that a few disgruntled Republicans who would sit out or vote for the Constitution Party candidate would have any meaningful effect on that election is just not reasonable.