Joe.My.God. LGBT News
Politico reports:
Rep. George Holding won the Republican primary for a newly redrawn district in North Carolina, beating Rep. Renee Ellmers, who became the first GOP incumbent to lose in a primary this year.
Holding, who was first elected in 2012, had 52 percent of the vote with nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting when The Associated Press called the race. Ellmers, a three-term incumbent who was drawn into a new district this year and a rare incumbent-on-incumbent primary with Holding, trailed with 24 percent of the vote. Greg Brannon, a two-time Senate primary candidate, also got 24 percent.
Donald Trump backed Ellmers and recorded a last-minute robocall that her campaign released over the weekend. It was the first time the presumptive Republican presidential nominee had intervened in a congressional race this year.
But it failed to make a difference for Ellmers, who faced over $1 million in outside spending from groups including Americans for Prosperity and the Club for Growth, which were unhappy with her House voting record.
This also happened yesterday:
Nothing gets past Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC). During an election day campaign stop Tuesday, the embattled congresswoman shouted at a local GOP leader that it looked like she’d packed on a few pounds. It was caught on tape.
“You’re eating a little bit too much pork barbecue. Whoo,” Ellmers said in a ridiculous video posted by WNCN, a CBS-affiliate in North Carolina.
Ellmers–who would go on to lose her primary Tuesday night–directed her jab at Maggie Sandrock, a former county party chair, who told the news station that Ellmers “has become a mean girl on steroids.”
Ellmers was a loud opponent of LGBT rights and in 2014 she easily defeated political newbie Clay Aiken after attacking his alleged “San Francisco values.” She received a zero rating in the latest Human Rights Campaign assessment.
It’s official! Goodbye @RepReneeEllmers You won’t be missed. #walkawayrenee pic.twitter.com/7bJxQy9JXn
— Clay Aiken (@clayaiken) June 8, 2016
NOTE: Holding in no prize himself, as this press release from Tea Party Patriots shows.
“Tea Party Patriots Citizens Fund congratulates Representative George Holding on his victory tonight in North Carolina’s newly-drawn Second Congressional District. The people of North Carolina’s Second District made the right choice today in nominating George and bringing Representative Renee Ellmers back home. Ellmers first ran with Tea Party support but quickly became infected with ‘Potomac Fever’ and aligned with the Washington Establishment. George proved his adherence to conservative principles by refusing to vote to raise the debt ceiling, voting in favor of preventing the IRS from carrying out Obamacare policies, voting to require Members of Congress to give up their special Obamacare exemption, and by his consistent opposition to President Obama’s unilateral amnesty programs. The people of the Second District will be better served by George Holding than a card carrying member of the Washington Establishment.”