'Establishment' GOP candidates prevail in North Carolina runoff

Brett T. | 10:31 PM on July 17, 2012

North Carolina Republicans Mark Meadows, Richard Hudson and Robert Pittenger have won runoff elections for three North Carolina Congressional districts.

Governor Mike Huckabee had backed Hudson and Pittenger, while Rick Santorum put his efforts behind Hudson and Meadows.

Great night! @VoteMeadows & @RichHudson both big winners in runoff. #NC08 #NC11 #NCGop

— Rick Santorum (@RickSantorum) July 18, 2012

Hudson also had the backing of Eric Cantor’s Young Guns Action Fund. Hudson’s opponent, Scott Keadle, was backed by the Club for Growth, leading some to call the race a “proxy war” between the GOP establishment and outsider candidates.

Hudson wins #NC08 and leadership-affiliated GOP outside groups win proxy war in NC GOP primary runoffs: http://t.co/towaAyPO

— Scott Bland (@PoliticoScott) July 18, 2012

Several tweets from national folks (i.e. Eric Cantor, Rick Santorum) congratulating Richard Hudson on #nc08 victory. #ncpol

— Tim Boyum (@TimBoyumTV) July 18, 2012

https://twitter.com/NathanWurtzel/status/225407540475867136

North Carolina required the primary runoff election because no candidate had won at least 40 percent of the vote. The Charlotte Observer described today’s turnout as “anemic.”