The 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina was held on November 8, 2022 to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and po ...

to represent the

State of North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia an ...

. Primary elections were scheduled for March 8, 2022, but were delayed by the

North Carolina Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina is the state of North Carolina's highest appellate court. Until the creation of the North Carolina Court of Appeals in the 1960s, it was the state's only appellate court. The Supreme Court consists ...

and rescheduled for May 17. Incumbent three-term

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

U.S. senator Richard Burr announced in 2016 that he would not seek reelection in 2022. Former Chief Justice of the

Cheri Beasley Cheri Lynn Beasley (born February 14, 1966) is an American attorney and jurist who served as the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court from 2019 to 2020; she was appointed an associate justice in 2012. Beasley had previously served o ...

and U.S. Representative

Ted Budd Theodore Paul Budd (born October 21, 1971) is an American businessman and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, his district covers the north-central part of the state. Budd was ...

won the Democratic and

primaries Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...

, respectively. The race was considered competitive, with Budd narrowly leading in polls. Budd ultimately defeated Beasley with 50.5% of the vote.

Republican primary

With Burr's retirement, this primary was expected to be very competitive. Former U.S. Representative Mark Walker was the first major candidate to announce his candidacy, on December 1, 2020. Walker opted to retire from the House and not run for reelection in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

because his district was made much more favorable to the Democratic Party after redistricting. Former President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

's daughter-in-law Lara Trump was widely speculated as a possible candidate for this seat. She received encouragement and support from U.S. Senator

Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin Graham (born July 9, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the senior United States senator from South Carolina, a seat he has held since 2003. A member of the Republican Party, Graham chaired the Senate Committee on ...

and

Kellyanne Conway Kellyanne Elizabeth Conway (née Fitzpatrick; born January 20, 1967) is an American political consultant and pollster, who served as Senior Counselor to the President in the administration of Donald Trump from 2017 to 2020. She was previous ...

, a former Trump White House official. Early opinion polls suggested she would perform well against other prospective candidates in the primary. On April 14, 2021, former Governor

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American businessman, politician and radio host who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd Mayor of ...

announced his candidacy. U.S. Representative Ted Budd announced his candidacy on April 28, 2021. Opinion polls taken during April 2021 showed McCrory with a wide lead over Walker and Budd. McCrory was aided by a high degree of name recognition because of his several statewide campaigns. On June 5, 2021, the

North Carolina Republican Party The North Carolina Republican Party (NCGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party in North Carolina. Michael Whatley has been the chair since 2019. History Nineteenth century Although Republicans first nominated a candidate for President of ...

held a convention in Greenville. At the convention, former President Trump announced that he was endorsing Budd for the U.S. Senate seat. Lara Trump announced that she would not be running, and joined her father-in-law in endorsing Budd. The former president also took a shot at McCrory, saying, "You can't pick people that have already lost two races, that do not stand for our values." McCrory lost both the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

gubernatorial elections. Budd was reportedly unaware of Trump's intentions until 15 minutes before he took the stage. Both Walker and McCrory stated their intentions to stay in the race. Meanwhile, North Carolina redrew its congressional maps, making Walker's house seat more favorable to Republicans than it had been before 2020. After that, Trump met with Walker and promised to endorse him if he left the Senate race to instead run for his old House seat, newly numbered as the 7th district. Walker filed to switch races, but later decided against it in favor of staying in the Senate race. The first primary debate was held on February 26 in Raleigh. It was sponsored by the John Locke Foundation, a

conservative think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental or ...

based in North Carolina. McCrory, Walker and Eastman participated. Budd was invited, but did not attend, leaving an empty podium. The first televised debate was held by

WRAL-TV WRAL-TV (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Raleigh, North Carolina, United States, serving as the NBC affiliate for the Research Triangle area. It is the flagship station of the locally based Capitol Broadcasting Company, which h ...

on April 14 and featured McCrory and Walker, with Budd once again declining to attend. A third debate was held on April 20 on

Spectrum News 1 Spectrum News (formerly Time Warner Cable News) is the brand for a slate of cable news television channels that are owned by Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016. Each of the 15 regional channels primari ...

. McCrory, Walker, and Eastman participated. A fourth debate, sponsored by

Nexstar Media Group Nexstar Media Group, Inc. is an American publicly traded media company with headquarter offices in Irving, Texas; Midtown Manhattan; and Chicago, Illinois. The company is the largest television station owner in the United States, owning 197 te ...

, was held on April 26 and aired on television stations across North Carolina, including WJZY, WNCN,

WGHP WGHP (channel 8) is a television station licensed to High Point, North Carolina, United States, serving the Piedmont Triad region as an affiliate of the Fox network. The station is owned by Nexstar Media Group, and maintains studios on Francis ...

, and

WNCT-TV WNCT-TV (channel 9) is a television station licensed to Greenville, North Carolina, United States, serving Eastern North Carolina as an affiliate of CBS and The CW Plus. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on South ...

. McCrory and Walker participated. Budd declined and Eastman was not invited. Budd won the primary overwhelmingly with over 58% of the vote. McCrory finished second with almost 25%, and Walker third with 9%. Budd won a plurality in every county in the state except for

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; nds, label= Low German, Mękel(n)borg ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schweri ...

, which McCrory won by under 100 votes. After the results were released, McCrory declared his political career over. He did not endorse Budd for the general election.

Candidates

Nominee

, U.S. Representative for

NC-13 The thirteenth congressional district of North Carolina was re-established in 2002 after the state gained population in the 2000 United States census. Previously, the state had 13 districts from the first election following the 1810 census unt ...

(2017–present)

Eliminated in primary

*Jen Banwart, Department of Defense employee (2001–2020), and legislative staffer on Capitol Hill (1994–1996) *Lee Brian, videographer and withdrawn candidate for NC-04 in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

*Leonard Bryant, Senior Religious Affairs Advisor for the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

*Drew Bulecza, businessman * Marjorie Eastman, author and veteran *David Flaherty, former

State Representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

*Benjamin Griffiths *Kenneth Harper, business owner *

, former

governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

(2013–2017), former

mayor of Charlotte The office of the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 a ...

(1995–2009) *Charles Kenneth Moss, radio evangelist and former member of the Randolph County Soil & Water Board *Lichia Sibhatu, daycare owner *Debora Tshiovo * Mark Walker, former U.S. Representative for NC-06 (2015–2021)

Withdrawn

*Marty Cooke, Brunswick County Commissioner (since 2008)

Declined

* Richard Burr, incumbent U.S. Senator (''endorsed Pat McCrory'') *

Virginia Foxx Virginia Ann Foxx ( Palmieri;Foxx, Virginia Ann
. ''Biographical Directory of ...

, U.S. Representative for NC-5 (2005–present) *

Mark Meadows Mark Randall Meadows (born July 28, 1959) is an American politician who served as the 29th White House chief of staff from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 11th c ...

, former White House chief of staff, former U.S. Representative for

NC-11 North Carolina's 11th congressional district encompasses most of Western North Carolina, Western North Carolina. Since January 3, 2021, the congressional district, district has been represented by Madison Cawthorn. Redistricting The 11th di ...

and former chairman of the Freedom Caucus (2013–2020) (''endorsed Ted Budd'') * Tim Moore,

Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives The Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives is the presiding officer of one of the houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The Speaker is elected by the members of the house when they first convene for their regular session, ...

(2015–present) (''running for reelection'') * Mark Robinson,

lieutenant governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

(2021–present) * Lara Trump, television producer, senior advisor to

Donald Trump's 2020 presidential campaign Incumbent Republican Donald Trump led an unsuccessful campaign for the 2020 United States presidential election. He was inaugurated for his first term on January 20, 2017, and officially announced his reelection campaign on June 18, 2019. Do ...

, and daughter-in-law of former

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal gove ...

(''endorsed Ted Budd'') *Michael Whatley, chair of the

Dan Forest Dan Forest (born October 15, 1967) is an American politician who served as the 34th lieutenant governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2021. He is the son of former congresswoman Sue Myrick. An architect by trade, he was the Republican nominee ...

, former

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina The lieutenant governor of North Carolina is the second-highest elected official in the U.S. state of North Carolina and is the only elected official to have powers in both the legislative and executive branches of state government. A member o ...

(2013–2021) and nominee for

governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Endorsements

Polling

Graphical summary

;Aggregate polls

Debates

Results

Democratic primary

After losing the 2020 Democratic primary for United States Senate, Erica Smith teased a campaign for the other Senate seat in 2022. She officially launched her campaign in March 2021. Jeff Jackson, who has represented the 37th district in the

North Carolina Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

since 2014, was widely speculated as a potential candidate for U.S. Senate in 2020, but decided to run for reelection to the State Senate instead. In fall 2020, Jackson said he would discuss a potential 2022 campaign with his family over the holiday season. In January 2021, Jackson officially launched his campaign, and began a tour of the state, holding town hall events in all 100 counties. Cheri Beasley narrowly lost her election to a full term as Chief Justice in 2020. In February 2021, it was reported that she had hired a campaign consultant and was preparing to enter the U.S. Senate race. Beasley officially launched her campaign on April 27. In November 2021, Smith filed papers to run for

North Carolina's 2nd congressional district North Carolina's 2nd congressional district is located in the central part of the state. The district contains most of Wake County. Prior to court-mandated redistricting in 2019, it also included northern Johnston County, southern Nash County, ...

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...

after Representative G. K. Butterfield announced he would not seek reelection. On November 23, Smith officially launched her House campaign and ended her Senate campaign. She endorsed Beasley on November 30. On December 16, 2021, Jackson withdrew from the race and endorsed Beasley, making Beasley the presumptive nominee. Beasley easily won the nomination with over 81% of the vote.

Candidates

Nominee

, former justice of the

(2012–2020; Chief Justice 2019–2020)

Eliminated in primary

*Greg Antoine, physician *Chrelle Booker, Tryon city councillor (2019–present) *James L. Carr Jr. *Robert Colon *Alyssia Rose-Katherine Hammond * Constance Johnson, perennial candidate *Tobias LaGrone, business owner, pastor, and counselor *B. K. Maginnis * Rett Newton, former mayor of

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions * ...

(2017–2021) *Marcus Williams, attorney and perennial candidate

Withdrawn

* Jeff Jackson, state senator (2014–present) and

major Major ( commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicato ...

in the

North Carolina National Guard The North Carolina National Guard (NCNG), commonly known as the North Carolina Guard, is a component of the North Carolina Department of Public Safety and the National Guard of the United States. It is composed of Army and Air National Guard uni ...

('' running for NC-14'') ''(endorsed Beasley)'' * Erica D. Smith, former state senator ('' running for NC-01'') (''endorsed Beasley'') * Richard Watkins III, scientist and candidate for NC-04 in

('' running for NC-04'')

Declined

Mandy Cohen Mandy Krauthamer Cohen is an American physician and public health official. From 2017 to 2021, she served as the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to serving as Health Secretary, Cohen was the chief ope ...

, Secretary of the

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS or DHHS) is a large state government agency in the U.S. state of North Carolina, somewhat analogous to the United States Department of Health and Human Services. The NCDHHS has mo ...

(2017–present) *

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III (born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician, serving as the 75th governor of North Carolina since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 49th attorney general of North Carolina from 200 ...

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

(2017–present) * Terence Everitt, state representative *

Deborah K. Ross Deborah Ross (née Koff, June 20, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the U.S. representative for since 2021. Her district is based in Raleigh. A member of the Democratic Party, Ross served as a member of the North Caro ...

, U.S. Representative from NC-2 * Sydney Batch, state senator (2021–present) * Anita Earls, associate justice of the

(2019–present) *

Anthony Foxx Anthony Renard Foxx (born April 30, 1971) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of Transportation from 2013 to 2017. President Barack Obama nominated him in April 2013, and he was confirmed by a 100–0 v ...

, former

United States Secretary of Transportation The United States secretary of transportation is the head of the United States Department of Transportation. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States on all matters relating to transportation. The secre ...

(2013–2017) and former

(2009–2013) *

Joan Higginbotham Joan Elizabeth Higginbotham (born August 3, 1964) is an electrical engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She flew aboard Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' mission STS-116 as a mission specialist and is the third African American woman to go into spa ...

, electrical

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considerin ...

and former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. NASA was established in 1958, succeedin ...

astronaut * Vi Lyles,

Mayor of Charlotte The office of the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 a ...

(2017–present) ( running for re-election) *

Grier Martin David Grier Martin III (born October 21, 1968) is an American politician and attorney serving as a Democratic member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing the state's 34th district. His district includes the northern part of Rale ...

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

(2005–present) *

Heath Shuler Joseph Heath Shuler (born December 31, 1971) is an American businessman, former NFL quarterback, and former U.S. Representative for from 2007 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party and was a member of the Blue Dog Coalition during ...

, former U.S. Representative for

(2007–2013)

Endorsements

Polling

Graphical summary

Results

Independents and third-party candidates

Libertarian Party

Declared

*Shannon W. Bray, author,

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

veteran, candidate for NC-03 in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and nominee for U.S. Senate in

Green Party

Declared

*Matthew Hoh, activist and veteran

Independents

Write-in candidates

*Michelle Lewis, Activist

Failed to make general election ballot

*Kimrey Rhinehardt, University of North Carolina Wilmington faculty member, former lobbyist for the

University of North Carolina system The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

, and former staffer for incumbent U.S. Senator Richard Burr *Brenda Rodriguez, veteran

General election

Debates

Predictions

Endorsements

Fundraising

In the first quarter of 2022, Beasley raised $3.6 million. In the second quarter of 2022, Beasley reported raising $7.42 million, narrowly beating a second quarter record set by

Cal Cunningham James Calvin "Cal" Cunningham III (born August 6, 1973) is an American lawyer, politician, and retired military officer. A member of the Democratic Party and a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army Reserve, he served one term as a North ...

in 2020.

Polling

;Aggregate polls ;Graphical summary ;Marjorie Eastman vs. Cheri Beasley ;Pat McCrory vs. Cheri Beasley ;Mark Walker vs. Cheri Beasley ;Generic Republican vs. generic Democrat

Results

Notes

;Partisan clients

References

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Graphical summary

Debates

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Withdrawn

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Graphical summary

Results

Independents and third-party candidates

Libertarian Party

Declared

Green Party

Declared

Independents

Write-in candidates

Failed to make general election ballot

General election

Debates

Predictions

Endorsements

Fundraising

Polling

Results

See also

Notes

References

External links