Conservative group Americans for Prosperity joins Trump in picking side in NC runoff

Brad Knott received his second major endorsement in three days after Americans For Prosperity announced to McClatchy on Monday morning that it picked Knott in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District Republican runoff election.

The news comes on the heels of former President Donald Trump endorsing Knott in the race Friday night, promising Knott “will never let you down.”

“North Carolinians need to send Brad Knott to Washington to reinforce our congressional delegation’s policy champions,” said Tyler Voigt, senior advisor for American’s for Prosperity Action, in a news release. “Under President Biden, North Carolinians have suffered a drastic increase in cost of living, higher energy prices, and a sense that the American Dream is slipping away.”

AFP Action said in a news release that it chose Knott, a former federal prosecutor, due to his policy positions. He will face off against a Johnston County attorney, Kelly Daughtry. She is the daughter of former state Rep. Leo Daughtry, a Republican.

Americans for Prosperity is a conservative advocacy group founded by Charles and David Koch.

“North Carolina didn’t vote for the inflationary policies of ‘Bidenomics’, but they are paying the price, Voigt said. “Brad Knott is committed to ending wasteful government spending, unleashing all American energy, and cutting the red tape that makes it harder to work and start businesses. A vote for Knott is a vote to say ‘bye bye’ to Bidenomics.”

The race in the 13th district

Knott and Daughtry both want to represent Caswell, Franklin, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Person and parts of Granville and Wake counties.

Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, currently holds the seat but chose not to seek reelection after the General Assembly approved a new congressional map that made a Democratic win there improbable.

North Carolina’s has already had one primary election, and Daughtry finished first on March 5 with 27% of the vote, but that wasn’t enough to stop Knott, the second-place finisher with 18% of the vote, from requesting a runoff.

A candidate needs to capture more than 30% of the vote to stop that from happening.

Knott said on social media he requested the runoff, to be held on May 14, so he could fight in Congress “to secure the border, stop the surge in crime and disorder and reduce inflation.”

Daughtry offered voters a similar message, as she looked ahead to the two-person race, saying she would work with Trump to secure the border, reduce inflation and refocus the country’s foreign policy, The News & Observer previously reported.

Whoever wins will face Frank Pierce, a Democrat, in November’s general election.

Until then, AFP-Action told McClatchy that its endorsement of Knott comes with daily phone calls and knocks on doors on Knott’s behalf.