McCrory, Budd still close in NC Senate campaign fundraising

U.S. Senate hopeful Ted Budd is benefitting from President Donald Trump’s endorsement and a super PAC’s commitment to flood airwaves and mailboxes to help him as the May 17 Republican primary approaches. But rival and former Gov. Pat McCrory still has managed to stick close to Budd when it comes to head-to-head fundraising. First-quarter campaign finance reports filed Friday show the current U.S. House member Budd and the former governor McCrory collecting essentially the same amounts. Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and continues to raise the most money among all candidates seeking to succeed the retiring GOP Sen. Richard Burr.