One year after January 6, 2021, divisions within the Republican Party are continuing to play out in the North Carolina GOP U.S. Senate primary. Reporting from Axios Charlotte on the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol highlights the tough spot Pat McCrory finds himself in as he navigates a contentious primary defined by litmus tests from the most extreme wing of the party.

McCrory has been tying himself in knots trying to keep up with his hard-right primary rivals, “struggling to position himself.” As the primary continues, there’s no doubt this intra-party discourse will continue to test McCrory.

Axios Charlotte: One year after Jan. 6, extremist views have become more mainstream in North Carolina

• The other side: “Republican politicians who denounced the attacks have risked alienating a portion of their potential voter base and support from former president Donald Trump. Just ask former Gov. Pat McCrory, who is running for U.S. Senate to replace Richard Burr.”
• McCrory has been slammed by his own party for denouncing Trump’s claims of election fraud. On his radio show last Jan. 6, McCrory said he would have upheld the election result, McClatchy reported.
• Six months later, Trump came to North Carolina to endorse Ted Budd in the Senate primary against McCrory.
• “Even if privately establishment Republicans say they don’t like this rhetoric, the ones who depend on votes are reticent to do it publicly,” Cooper says.

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