NC 13th District Primary Election: AP Calls For Nickel, Hines Has Lead

NORTH CAROLINA — The Associated Press has called the Democratic primary election for North Carolina's 13th Congressional District in favor of Wiley Nickel.

Bo Hines holds the lead in the Republican primary election for what is expected to be a hotly contested U.S. House seat.

Hines nearly 32 percent of the vote in the Republican primary with 77 of 129 precincts reporting, a lead of almost 4 percentage points over DeVan Barbour IV. Nickel has nearly 53 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, more than 31 percentage points ahead of Sam Searcy in second.

The district, which previously stretched from the state's northern border into the central part of the state between Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh, now contains Johnston County and parts of Harnett, Wake, and Wayne counties.

The previous district had a +38 Republican lean, and the new 13th District is considered a toss-up at +3 for Republicans, according to data analysis of the redrawn maps from FiveThirtyEight.

Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican, represented the old district but decided not to run in the new district, instead opting to run for U.S. Senate in North Carolina. Budd won 68 percent of the vote in the old 13th District in the 2020 election.

Eight Republicans are vying to replace Budd in their party's primary. Much like Rep. Madison Cawthorn in the 11th District, Bo Hines is a young candidate who received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who described Hines as an "America First patriot." He's also received endorsements from ardent Trump supporters Cawthorn, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.

Hines is a former North Carolina State football player who led the Wolfpack in receiving his freshman year before transferring to Yale to finish his undergraduate studies. He later attended Wake Forest University School of Law.

Together with Hines and Barbour IV, Kelly Daughtry, Kent Keirsey and former Rep. Renee Ellmers have attracted the most media coverage in the Republican primary.

Ellmers, a registered nurse who represented North Carolina's 2nd District from 2011 to 2017, is the only person in the race who has held political office at the state or federal level.

Daughtry, an attorney from Johnston County, is the daughter of former Majority Leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives Leo Daughtry.

Barbour, Hines, Daughtry and Ellmers have all focused their campaigns on attacking President Joe Biden's economic policies, casting blame for inflation and rising gas prices.

Keirsey is a U.S. Army veteran and businessman who has emphasized his military career on the campaign trail. He has criticized the "career politicians" and pointed to his business acumen as something the federal government needs.

In the Democratic primary, Nickel and Searcy emerged as the frontrunners. Both have served in the North Carolina House of Representatives, and Nickel previously served roles in former President Barack Obama's campaign and in his first administration.

Here are the latest election results as of 9:51 p.m. A race will move to a runoff if no candidate receives 30 percent of the vote.

Republican Primary Results

• Bo Hines 11,162 (31.74%)
• DeVan Barbour 9,832 (27.96%)
• Kelly Kathleen Daughtry 6,036 (17.17%)
• Kent Keirsey 3,233 (9.19%)
• Renee Ellmers 2,881 (8.19%)
• Chad Slotta 1,453 (4.13%)
• Jessica Morel 381 (1.08%)
• Kevin Alan Wolff 185 (0.53%)

Democratic Primary Results

• Wiley Nickel 15,708 (52.71%)
• Sam Searcy 6,332 (21.25%)
• Ms. Jamie Campbell Bowles 2,780 (9.33%)
• Nathan Click 2,608 (8.75%)
• Denton Lee 2,371 (7.96%)