How a little-known lobbyist got Trump’s endorsement
Republican lobbyist Addison McDowell is running for North Carolina's 6th Congressional District with the support of former President Donald Trump. Here's how that happened.
On Thursday, North Carolina registered lobbyist Addison McDowell formally entered the race for the Greensboro-area congressional seat held by retiring Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning, becoming the sixth candidate to file for the 6th District.
McDowell had flown under the radar in North Carolina politics, but that is no longer the case.
That’s because former President Donald Trump sent shockwaves across the political landscape on Wednesday by abruptly endorsing McDowell. It was made all the more surprising by the fact that Trump had given a shout-out to Bo Hines, whom he had supported in 2022, at a gala in New York on Saturday. Trump told the crowd, “Bo Hines is here. He’s going to be a congressman very shortly.”
Privately, the move has left some in Trumpland flabbergasted. It has also frustrated fellow candidates and many North Carolina Republican political operatives.
Jonathan Felts, a campaign adviser to McDowell, attributed the Trump endorsement to two individuals working behind the scenes:
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