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RALEIGH, N.C. – A state lawmaker helped by extremist conservatives at Capitol Hill won the Republican nomination on Tuesday for the Congressional District Seat of North Carolina vacated by the death of Rep. Walter Jones Jr.
Voters in the District 3 GOP Second District chose State Representative Greg Murphy of Greenville instead of Joan Perry, Kinston's Pediatrician, a first-time candidate supported by groups seeking to increase the number of Republican women in the House. They were the main winners of the polls during the primary of the 17 party candidates in April. Murphy finished first, but did not reach the threshold required to avoid a second round.
Murphy, a urologist serving since 2015 in the legislature, has won comfortably, according to unofficial results that show he's gotten excellent results at a poll in his country. origin, Pitt. He is now advancing to the September 10 special election to face Democratic candidate Allen Thomas and two other candidates. This winner completes the remainder of Jones' two-year term.
State representative Greg Murphy debated Joan Perry on the campus of Pitt Community College last June. (Deborah Griffin / The daily reflector via AP, File)
Jones died in February after more than 24 years in the Republican-dominated 3rd District, which now extends from Greenville to the Outlying Banks and includes military facilities such as Camp Lejeune. Agriculture, the military and medicine are some of the most important industries in a district. President Donald Trump gained 24 percentage points in 2016. About 11% of qualified voters went to the polls in the 3rd county district, in the 17th district, according to the state's election council.
Washington – based political committees have spent more than a million dollars to support one or the other of the two Conservative candidates in the second round. Each campaign or its support groups broadcast offensive announcements accusing the adversary of liberal tendencies and questioning the latter's commitment to President Donald Trump's program.
Murphy's campaign had propelled Perry into the last days of the campaign, but independent spending groups supporting Perry eliminated any gap.
Dr. Joan Perry answering a question during a debate last month. (Deborah Griffin / The daily reflector via AP, File)
Murphy's victory is a victory for House Freedom Caucus and its president, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Trump's close ally in Congress. Meadows and Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, campaigned with Murphy.
Murphy said Perry's support of Washington-based PACs showed that she was aligned with the "swamp". Meadows vouched for Murphy, claiming in a television advertisement that he was "100% confident" that Murphy would have his back to Trump when he was elected to Congress.
Perry's defeat is a setback for those seeking to increase the number of Republican women in the House. The 13 who serve now represent a minimum of 25 years. The Winning for Women Action Fund ran ads supporting Perry and forward Murphy. Former Vice President Sarah Palin also endorsed Perry.
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"We chose a political underdog who did not have a name and we helped her cross a group of 17 candidates in a second round," said Rebecca Schuller, executive director of Winning for Women, in a statement. a statement. "Primary support is essential to elect more women."
Representative Walter Jones, seen in October 2017 with pictures of killed soldiers who were based in Camp Lejeune, NC (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, File)
Perry and Murphy broadly agreed on most issues, including support for the construction of a US-Mexican wall. Both strongly oppose abortion.
With Murphy, "Republican voters have chosen a longtime champion and a conservative leader to occupy the seat of MP Walter Jones," said Tami Fitzgerald of the North Carolina Values ​​Coalition.
Perry and his allies tried to make a difference with Murphy on a bill he had sponsored earlier this year in the House of States, which would extend Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of low-income adults thanks to the federal law on health care.
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Murphy won despite Jones' widow supporting Perry. Joe Anne Jones stated that Perry's integrity and religious faith were similar to those of the late member of Congress.
The deceased congressman was considered a conservative maverick willing to vote against his party and the GOP presidents, including Trump.
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