CBS News projects Republican Rep. Ted Budd will defeat former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley for the Senate seat in North Carolina being vacated retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr. The state has a Democratic governor but was won by former President Donald Trump by just over a point in 2020.
Budd, 51, has represented North Carolina's 13th Congressional District since 2017. An endorsement from President Trump and backing from the Club for Growth helped him decisively win a crowded Republican primary that included former Gov. Pat McCrory and former Rep. Mark Walker.
Beasley was seeking to flip a GOP seat and would have been the only Black woman serving in the Senate, as well as the first Black woman elected statewide for federal office in North Carolina history. Beasley, 56, was first appointed to the North Carolina Supreme Court as an associate justice in 2012 and was appointed as chief justice by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2019, making her the first Black woman to serve as chief justice on the state's highest court.
CBS News estimates race leans Republican
With the polls now closed in North Carolina, CBS News estimates the Senate race between Budd, the Republican candidate, and Beasley, the Democrat, leans Republican.
The race
Budd had the edge over Beasley in polls leading up to Election Day. His campaign largely focused on the economy and inflation, blaming Democrats for too much money chasing too few goods.
On abortion, Budd co-sponsored the House version of Sen. Lindsey Graham's 15-week federal abortion ban. He said his goal is to protect as many unborn lives as possible. When asked during their one debate, Budd would not say what his ideal abortion bill would look like or whether he would like to ban abortion without exceptions.
He has also stood by his vote against certifying the 2020 presidential election. While he has acknowledged Joe Biden is the president, he stated that his vote was meant to "inspire more debate, because I think debate is healthy for democracy."
Beasley ran for a full term as chief justice in 2020 and lost by just 401 votes. She has also served as a public defender, district court judge and appellate court judge. She ran her campaign as an outsider and independent voice and touted her background in the criminal justice system.
In the final months of the campaign tens of millions of dollars were poured into the race from outside groups. The Senate Leadership Fund was the biggest spender in the race, fueling more than $34 million into it since the start of September.