Liam Conner
The candidate who finished first in the primary race for the Republican nomination for a North Carolina congressional seat says she is suspending her campaign, citing former President Donald Trump’s endorsement of her rival in the runoff.
Although Johnston County Attorney Kelly Daughtry had the most votes among 14 candidates in the March 5 Republican primary for North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District, she did not meet the 30% threshold needed to win the primaries. She and Brad Knott, who finished second and is a former federal prosecutor, advanced to the runoff scheduled for May 14.
Daughtry said in a social media post that as Trump formally endorsed Knott, “it has become clear that the path to victory is no longer viable.”
“I believe in the democratic process and respect our President’s endorsement,” Daughtry added.
Knott also received an endorsement from third-place finisher Fred Von Canon.
“The time has come to suspend my campaign,” Daughtry added. “Brad has my full support and I want him to know that I am here to support him, not oppose him.”
Kelly Daughtry’s campaign Facebook page
However, it is too late to remove Daughtry’s name from the ballot. Early in-person voting for the runoff continues through May 11, and mail-in voting has been taking place for weeks.
Knott accepted Daughtry’s endorsement in his own statement, but warned supporters who believed he was now the main winner. Daughtry, daughter of former state legislative leader Leo Daughtry, ran unsuccessfully for a congressional seat in 2022.
“Although Kelly has ended her campaign, this election is not over,” Knott said. “I strongly encourage my supporters to get out and vote on May 14.”
The seat of the reconfigured 13th District covers all or parts of eight counties. The horseshoe-shaped boundaries surround most of Raleigh, the state capital, and stretch from Lee County — then east and north — to the Virginia border.
The current 13th District is represented by first-term Democratic Representative Wiley Nickel. Nickel, however, declined to seek reelection, citing the redistricting of the North Carolina legislature last fall that shifted his district politically to the right. Two other Democratic incumbents — Reps. Jeff Jackson and Kathy Manning — also did not run, saying the GOP tilt also made it impossible for them to win in November.
The winner of the GOP runoff in the 13th District will still have a falling Democratic rival, Frank Pierce. Still, the Democrats’ departures could make a big difference in whether Republicans can maintain their narrow majority in the U.S. House until 2025.
