By Gary Bauer
Once again, Donald Trump's influence proved decisive in the Republican Party.
Last year, the former president endorsed Rep. Ted Budd in the Republican Senate primary to replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr. Last night, Budd cruised to victory. He defeated former Governor Pat McCrory 58% to 26%.
Rep. Budd will face Democrat Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court, in the general election.
In Pennsylvania, Trump's endorsed candidate for governor, State Sen. Doug Mastriano, prevailed. Virtually the entire party establishment was against him, but Mastriano won by 24-points over his closest rival. Mastriano will face Democrat Josh Shapiro, the current attorney general, in November.
The Pennsylvania Republican Senate primary is still undecided. At this point, Dr. Mehmet Oz is leading David McCormick by 31.3% to 31.2%. They are separated by roughly 2,000 votes, with tens of thousands of mail-in ballots yet to be counted. In addition, there is a reported printing glitching in Lancaster County that could delay the counting process for several days.
The eventual Republican nominee will face progressive John Fetterman in November. Fetterman, who just had a stroke, crushed moderate Democrat Conor Lamb 59% to 26%.
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