The Republican Senate Primary is barreling faster and faster to the far-right as this morning Mark Walker announced an endorsement from Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who in his short time in Congress has proved himself to be a “national embarrassment” to North Carolina and a devoted disciple to Trumpism. His dangerous rhetoric and actions helped lead to the Capitol attacks on January 6th – he told his supporters to “lightly threaten” Members of Congress – but he “doesn’t regret participating.” And Mark Walker openly embraces his endorsement.

North Carolina Republicans have fully embraced the far-right, and there’s no sign of stopping. But this political calculation may spell trouble for the GOP as stories over the past few weeks have revealed that registered Republicans are changing their party affiliation in the wake of the Capitol insurrection. The New York Times reports this morning:“In North Carolina, the shift was immediately noticeable. The state experienced a notable surge in Republicans changing their party affiliation: 3,007 in the first week after the riot, 2,850 the next week and 2,120 the week after that.” 

Beyond that, major donors, including the CEO of SAS, and corporate donors, including Duke Energy and Bank of America, have pulled their financial support to Republicans who played a role in questioning the election results.

“Republicans are running away from Cawthorn, including in his own district, yet Mark Walker is embracing him to get through what will be a nasty GOP primary,” said Kate Frauenfelder, a spokeswoman for NCDP. “This endorsement is an early Valentine’s Day card to the far-right, signaling that the Republican civil war raging across the country will be front-and-center in North Carolina. Walker and the Republican field are rushing to embrace the most extreme elements of their party, leaving us wondering  — where does that leave the thousands of GOP voters who are looking for a new home?”

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