North Carolina’s Mark Walker staying in Senate race, for now

By BRYAN ANDERSON
Associated Press/Report for America

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker says he plans to remain in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race through the end of the year. But the Republican is also considering returning to the U.S. House. He said he met with former President Donald Trump over the weekend, where Trump encouraged him to bow out of the race and run instead in the state’s 7th Congressional District. Trump is backing U.S. Rep. Ted Budd for the GOP Senate primary. Budd and Walker are Trump loyalists competing for his base of supporters, while former Gov. Pat McCrory is an opponent who generally appeals to more moderate Republicans.