Republican Dr. Greg Murphy has won the special election in North Carolina's 3rd Congressional District, where he will succeed the late Rep. Walter Jones (R), who passed away in February.
The Associated Press called the race with 44 percent of precincts reporting. Murphy had 59 percent of the vote while his opponent, Democrat Allen Thomas had 44 percent of the vote.
Murphy was expected to win the district, which leans heavily Republican. Jones had served 13 terms in the district and President Donald Trump won the district by 23 points in 2016.
From Roll Call:
Murphy finished first in a 17-way primary in April but failed to win the nomination outright. He advanced to a runoff against pediatrician Joan Perry, who had the support of outside groups dedicated to electing GOP women. The political arm of the House Freedom Caucus backed Murphy in what became a proxy war between competing D.C. interests. North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows, the chairman of the Freedom Caucus, and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, the vice chairman, campaigned for him in the district. Murphy used their backing to help convey his support for Trump.
Murphy will become a member of the House Freedom Caucus, which is an invite-only caucus of conservatives.
President Trump took to Twitter to celebrate the news:
One down, one to go – Greg Murphy is projected to win in the Great State of North Carolina! #NC03
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 11, 2019
Another special election is taking place on Tuesday in North Carolina's 9th Congressional District, where Republican state Rep. Dan Bishop is facing off against Democrat Dan McCready. President Trump stumped on behalf of both Murphy and Bishop ahead of Tuesday's election.