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View from the Hill

Sen. Burr faces challengers for Republican nomination

Sen. Richard Burr may not have the easy re-election incumbents are used to in 2016 — three primary challengers have filed to have their names on the ballet while challenging Burr's conservatism. 

On March 15, Burr will face off against Greg Brannon, Larry Holmquist and Paul Wright, who have joined the race for the N.C. Republican nomination. 

Mitch Kokai, senior political analyst for the John Locke Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, said even the most popular incumbents often face challengers in races for major positions, such as U.S. Senate seats. 

"For the most part I think these are likely to be people who just are not big fans of Richard Burr for one reason or another," he said. 

Holmquist said Burr has become disconnected with North Carolinians. 

“In my opinion, the number one job of any senator or any representative is to stay in touch with the people who put you into office,” Holmquist said.

He said he also does not believe Burr has what it takes to stand up for American values.

“We need fires up there in D.C.,” Holmquist said. “This is a very perilous time for our nation. A lot of our basic freedoms are under attack.”

This includes the Second Amendment, which Holmquist said was necessary to protect the rest of our freedoms. 

Despite the impending doom, Burr will likely retain support from much of the Republican base because he has the advantage of being an incumbent — voters think he is the most likely person to win, Kokai said. 

"If you are a Republican and your goal is to win the seat for Republicans, then Burr is your choice,” he said. “I think a lot of what he says is going to resonate with your standard issue Republican Party voters.”

Alex Johnson, director of strategic operations for the Burr campaign, said the campaign is focusing on getting Burr’s message out to North Carolinians. Meanwhile, Burr is not getting involved with his challengers. 

“Senator Burr is focused 100 percent on his role as chairman of the intelligence committee,” Johnson said. “With the terrorist attacks that we have seen here in the United States, Senator Burr’s primary focus is to make sure that all Americans, especially North Carolinians, are safe from any further terrorist attacks.”

Of Burr’s three challengers, Greg Brannon is the one to watch and has the best chance of making an impact in this primary, Kokai said.

Brannon ran against Thom Tillis in the 2014 Republican primary, where he made himself out as the Tea Party candidate and a staunch defender of the Constitution. As a result, people who agree with this view of government and are dissatisfied with Burr are likely to support Brannon in the primary, Kokai said.

“I don’t think any political observer out there would say that that’s going to be enough for Greg Brannon to beat Burr, but what it could do is put in the minds of those who are Tea Party aligned, who are very strict constitutionalists, some of the concerns they might have with Richard Burr,” Kokai said.

He said this could result in a less enthusiastic constituency for Burr, and cause many in the Republican Party election base to stay home in November. Of course, this will only benefit the Democratic nominee.

state@dailytarheel.com

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