On Wednesday, CNN reported that President Donald Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump's ambitions to run for Senate in North Carolina are ongoing — but could be stymied by the GOP's unwillingness to clear the field for her.
"Her public interest in the seat has not scared off a number of Senate Republican aspirants, who are driven in part by the alluring prospect of running for an open seat in the first midterm election of a Democratic president, which usually favors the opposing party," reported Alex Rogers and Manu Raju. "But Republican operatives warn that the family will still hold great political power over the party despite its patriarch's devastating loss, saying Lara Trump could be a formidable candidate in a primary election for the seat that could determine the control of the Senate."
One of her top competitors will be Rep. Mark Walker, who is leaving his seat due to a court-ordered redistricting and who already has endorsements from right-wing figures like Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and James Lankford (R-OK), and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
North Carolina's Senate seat is being vacated by Sen. Richard Burr, who is retiring amid a cloud of scandal surrounding his stock trades during the COVID-19 pandemic. The seat is one of Democrats' more promising opportunities to make gains in the 2022 midterm elections, although they have not won a Senate election in the state since 2008.
