Influential super PAC Club for Growth endorses political newcomer in North Carolina
An influential conservative organization that has helped lift Republicans out of obscurity and into public offices endorsed political newcomer Bo Hines Tuesday.
Hines, 26, played football for N.C. State before transferring to Yale University to study politics.
He is often compared to U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn — Cawthorn’s currently the youngest member of Congress at 26 — and has the endorsements of both Cawthorn and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, two of the party’s most outspoken members.
“Bo Hines is a free market economic conservative who will fight against crippling regulations on job creators and fight for lower taxes and limited government,” said Club for Growth PAC President David McIntosh. “Bo is the perfect candidate for North Carolina, and I know he’ll never stop fighting for North Carolina families and jobs.”
Hines said he was “thrilled” to have their endorsement.
“The Club for Growth’s reputation as champions for candidates that support pro-growth, limited government, and economic freedom policies are unmatched,” Hines said. “I remain dedicated to fighting for North Carolina families and our shared conservative values.”
Club for Growth is the same super PAC spending millions of dollars on the U.S. Senate campaign for Ted Budd. The organization also financed Budd’s campaigns for his current position representing North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District.
With the club’s backing and former President Donald Trump’s endorsement, Budd has been able to out-raise his Republican opponents, and, along with former Gov. Pat McCrory, often leads in the polls.
In North Carolina, Club for Growth has invested in both winning and losing campaigns, including those of Mark Harris, Dan Bishop, Scott Keadle and Celeste Cairns. The group also campaigned in opposition to former Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers.
Hines’ district
It’s unclear what congressional district Hines plans to represent. A statement from Club for Growth said Hines will make that announcement once the new congressional districts are determined.
Earlier, the N.C. Supreme Court ruled that North Carolina’s congressional map had been gerrymandered to benefit the Republican Party. The justices, in a 4-3 decision along party lines with Democrats in the majority, ordered state lawmakers to redraw the congressional districts by Friday.
The new maps are being drawn out of public view and are expected to be released before 3 p.m. Wednesday, then voted on by committees and then in the House and Senate. The maps will then move back to a trial court for final approval by Feb. 23, a day before candidate filing begins.
North Carolina’s 2022 election has already taken many twists that have affected Hines’ campaign.
Filing was suppose to begin the second week of December, but was halted early in the process because of court challenges to the maps.
The weekend before filing began, Hines went with Cawthorn and former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker to Mar-a-Lago, a resort and the residence of former President Donald Trump.
The trio met with Budd backers Trump and McIntosh to discuss their campaigns. Budd would likely benefit if Walker left the U.S. Senate race, leaving McCrory and political newcomer Marjorie Eastman as his main opponents. Many Republicans have voiced concerns that Walker is similar to Budd and could split Budd’s votes in the primary.
Walker’s campaign told The News & Observer while at Mar-a-Lago that he was seeking an endorsement if he switched to run for a House seat in central North Carolina. At the time, Hines, who has jumped from one congressional district to another, was set to file for that same district.
The men left believing they had secured endorsements from Trump if Walker ran for that House seat and Hines moved to a district farther east.
But once the election was put on hold, the endorsements never came. Since then, Walker has decided to stay in the U.S. Senate race despite low polling and fundraising efforts.
The U.S. Constitution does not require a member of Congress to live in the district they represent.
This story was originally published February 15, 2022 at 8:10 PM.
