Ted Budd

Theodore Paul Budd (born October 21, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator for North Carolina since 2023.

Budd was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1971.

When he was young, his family moved to a 300 acre farm on the Yadkin River in Davie County, outside Advance, where they raise cattle and chickens.

His father owned a facility-services company.

Budd attended Summit School, a private school in Winston-Salem, before attending Davie County High School, graduating in 1990.

He then went to Appalachian State University, where received a Bachelor of Science in business administration in 1994.

Budd later received a master of theology from the Dallas Theological Seminary in 1998 and a master of business administration from the Wake Forest University School of Business in 2007.

Budd owns a gun store in Rural Hall, North Carolina.

The father of home-schooled children, he also served as a board member for North Carolinians for Home Education.

Following court-mandated redistricting, the old 13th district essentially merged with the 2nd district.

A new 13th district was created, stretching from the northern suburbs of Charlotte to Greensboro.

The old 13th district's incumbent, Republican George Holding, opted to run in the 2nd district.

His home had previously been in the 5th district but had been drawn into the 13th district.

With the help of the Club for Growth, which spent over $285,000 on his campaign, Budd won the primary with 20% of the vote.

He defeated Bruce Davis, a former Guilford County commissioner, in the general election with 56.1% of the vote.

Budd ran as one of 17 candidates in the ensuing Republican primary for the 13th district in the 2016 elections.

A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for NC's 13th congressional district from 2017 to 2023.

Budd was the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina to replace retiring Republican senator Richard Burr.

He defeated the Democratic nominee, Cheri Beasley, and subsequently took office on January 3, 2023.

He was sworn into office on January 3, 2017.

Budd voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and numerous Defense Authorization Spending Bills during the Trump administration.

He also voted for the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, which he said would open up more markets for North Carolina agricultural products.

He opposed the American Rescue Plan Act, the Build Back Better Act, and the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act under President Biden.

In late February 2021, Budd and a dozen other Republican House members skipped votes and enlisted others to vote in their place, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

He and the other members were actually attending the Conservative Political Action Conference, which was held at the same time as their slated absences.

In response, the Campaign for Accountability, an ethics watchdog group, filed a complaint with the House Committee on Ethics and requested an investigation into Budd and the other lawmakers.

Budd was a member of the Freedom Caucus.

[[File:2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina results map by county.svg|thumb|350px|alt=Final results by county| 2022 North Carolina Senate election results by county: {{legend|#E27F7F|Ted Budd}}

{{legend|#D72F30|70–80%}}

{{legend|#D75D5D|60–70%}}

{{legend|#E27F7F|50–60%}}

{{legend|#ffb2b2|40–50%}}

{{legend|#7996e2|Cheri Beasley}}

{{legend|#3933e5ff|80–90%}}

{{legend|#6674de|60–70%}}

{{legend|#7996e2|50–60%}}]]

On April 23, 2021, Budd went to Mar-a-Lago to discuss his prospective U.S. Senate candidacy with former U.S. President Donald Trump.

Budd was reelected in 2018, winning 51.5% to Kathy Manning's 45.8%.

Manning was elected to represent the neighboring 6th district in 2020.

In 2020, Budd was reelected with 68.2% of the vote defeating Democrat Scott Huffman, who won 31.8% of the vote.