Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory announced Wednesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate, seeking to fill the seat to be left vacant by Sen. Richard Burr in 2022.
The top-rated morning radio host at Charlotte’s heritage news talk station WBT broke the news to his audience and said he would be launching a bid to run for Senate effective immediately.
“We brought a unique voice to help dialogue,” McCrory said. “So let me just tell my family, my audience, my friends— I’m in. I’m going to run for the U.S. Senate.”
If McCrory secures the GOP nomination, he’ll maintain the GOP’s stronghold for North Carolina and in a race that could have huge national implications. As it stands now, there is a 50-50 tie in the chamber with Vice President Kamala Harris as the potential pivotal tie-breaking vote for the Democrats.
The former Governor says he is getting back into politics to build on his years of public service and to try and bring back a common sense perspective to Washington.
“We have a lot of people giving speeches, but saying nothing,” said McCrory about politicians. “Their mouths move but we can hear a word that they say. I’m not going to do that.”
McCrory, 64, spent fourteen years as Charlotte’s Mayor from 1995 to 2009 before taking over as North Carolina’s Governor in 2013. He lost his reelection bid to Roy Cooper in 2016 by a narrow margin of 10,277 votes. It was also the only gubernatorial seat to flip from Republican to Democratic five years ago.
Along with his 33 years in politics, McCrory also served on the United States Homeland Security Advisory Council under President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2006.
“The strength of our democracy is honest communications and direct and honest efforts to solve the complex problems that out country is facing now and in the future,” McCrory said. “My goal as the next US Senator is to prepare for the future and to ensure that the next generation does have the same quality of life that we so much enjoy today.”
As the presumptive Republican front-runner in the race to fill Burr’s seat, McCrory reflected on his time at WBT over the past three years and said he has started assembling a state and national team for the campaign.
“I’m simply the best for the job,” McCrory added. “Out of all the candidates that are considering to run the U.S. Senate— Republican or Democrat— I am the best for this job and if I wasn’t, I wouldn’t run.”
McCrory has a degree in Political Science from Catawba College. He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the college in 2001 and currently serves on Catawba’s Board of Trustees.
He and his wife, Ann, have been happily married since 1988.
Pat McCrory leaves top-rated radio show for U.S. Senate run was originally published on wbt.com
