Former President Donald Trump makes endorsement in North Carolina’s 13th District

Former President Donald Trump endorsed Brad Knott on Friday night in the Republican runoff election to represent an area in and around the Triangle in Congress.

“Brad Knott has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote on his social media network, Truth Social. “He will never let you down!”

Knott, a former federal prosecutor, faces Kelly Daughtry, a Johnston County attorney, in the May 14 second primary for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District seat. Daughtry, the daughter of former Republican state Rep. Leo Daughtry, came in first and Knott in second in the March primary election.

In recent weeks, the two candidates with similar backgrounds have been out to prove who is the true conservative in the race.

Daughtry has taken criticism for donating to Democratic candidates in past elections and saying she had planned to vote for former President Barack Obama, while Knott is under fire for working as a federal prosecutor while a Democrat was president.

“Brad Knott is a Strong Patriot who is running for Congress in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District against a RINO, Kelly Daughtry, who has given money to Far Left Democrats, pledged to vote for Obama, and is no friend to MAGA,” Trump posted.

Trump added that Knott would support law enforcement and the military, secure the border, protect the Second Amendment, and hold the Biden administration accountable.

The 13th district

An endorsement from Trump may be exactly what the Knott campaign needed to secure a win in the May runoff.

In the Republican primary held on March 5, Daughtry finished with 27% of the vote. Knott followed Daughtry with 19%.

But with 12 other Republican candidates on the ballot, Daughtry was not able to capture the more than 30% needed to prevent Knott from requesting a runoff.

Knott and Daughtry are both vying for the opportunity to represent Caswell, Franklin, Harnett, Johnston, Lee, Person and parts of Granville and Wake counties.

The seat is currently held by Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, who lives just outside his district. But Nickel chose not to seek reelection after the General Assembly approved a new congressional map that drew Nickel’s district with boundaries that favored a Republican win. Nickel recognized the chances that a Democrat could win, the way the new district was drawn, would be slim.

Democratic Reps. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte and Kathy Manning of Greensboro found themselves in the same position and chose not to seek reelection. Jackson, instead, is battling his congressional colleague, Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican, to become North Carolina’s next attorney general.

Since the March primary, there has been questions over who would lead a two-candidate race. Both come from affluent and politically-connected families. And runoffs tend to bring in a crowd of voters who are paying closer attention to the races.

Trump has been known to help trailing North Carolina candidates pull in front.

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

Who is Knott?

Knott grew up in Raleigh, attended law school at Wake Forest University and clerked under state Supreme Court Justice Paul Newby, now the chief justice.

He worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Knott is also endorsed by Sen. Ted Budd, former Rep. George Holding, the NC Police Benevolent Association, NC Grassroots Government, the NC Values Coalition and Veterans for Trump. Knott’s brother, Tucker, worked for Holding and is currently Budd’s chief of staff.