Cheri Beasley loses bid to make US Senate history in North Carolina

Cheri Beasley fell short of making North Carolina history as the first Black person and Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate. Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Budd bested Beasley, according to election polling data from The Associated Press.

Beasley is a former chief justice on the North Carolina Supreme Court. She fashioned herself as an experienced elected and appointed official in the criminal justice system with a total of nearly 30 years experience as a judge on the North Carolina Court of Appeals, a state district judge and a public defender. 

“As a judge in the state,” Beasley told theGrio during a recent interview, “I’ve been engaged with communities all over the state for quite some time.”

During the campaign, Beasley criticized Budd for his inaction as a three-term congressman to address the concerns of everyday North Carolinians. “He’s never voted in favor of North Carolina,” she said.

Beasley pointed out that Budd, who represents North Carolina’s 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, voted against the Inflation Reduction Act. President Joe Biden signed the legislation, which lowered prescription drug prices for millions of Medicare recipients and contained provisions to help bring down energy costs, into law. 

Budd in turn attacked Beasley on her record as a judge, arguing that if elected to the Senate, she would continue President Biden’s “liberal” agenda. Budd and Republicans in contests across the country have blamed the Biden administration for the rising costs of food, gas and other goods and services. 

But Beasley hit back at Budd, asserting that in his six years in the U.S. House of Representatives, he’s had “every opportunity to fight to lower costs.

“But instead, he voted against lowering the cost of prescription drugs and voted against capping insulin while taking tens of thousands of dollars from Big Pharma,” she said. “He voted against lowering the cost of gas while taking tens of thousands of dollars from Big Oil.” 

“Ted Budd has decided to put his own interests and corporate interests ahead of the interests of folks here in North Carolina,” said Beasley. “And that’s just wrong.”

Beasley and Budd also clashed over the issue of abortion and reproductive rights. Beasley slammed Budd for sponsoring a 15-week ban on abortions “without exceptions for rape or incest or risk to a mother’s health” and has accused him of supporting a complete ban on abortion care.

“The Supreme Court has forecast the rights it intends to infringe on next … we have got to be prepared and feel a sense of urgency in this election,” said the Democratic nominee. “I look forward to taking the judicial nominating process very seriously because we’ve seen a mockery of it.”

The North Carolina Senate race unfolded largely under the radar compared with more high-profile contests in Georgia and Florida, but Beasley’s quest was seen as a good chance for Democrats to pick up a Senate seat from Republicans. 

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