http://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/holding-defeats-ellmers-in-member-versus-member-primary-224032Renee Ellmers is first GOP incumbent knocked off in primary
By Elena Schneider
06/07/16 08:43 PM EDT
Updated 06/07/16 10:33 PM EDT
Rep. George Holding won the Republican primary for a newly redrawn district in North Carolina, beating Rep. Renee Ellmers, who became the first GOP incumbent to lose in a primary this year.
Holding, who was first elected in 2012, had 52 percent of the vote with nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting when The Associated Press called the race. Ellmers, a three-term incumbent who was drawn into a new district this year and a rare incumbent-on-incumbent primary with Holding, trailed with 24 percent of the vote. Greg Brannon, a two-time Senate primary candidate, also got 24 percent.
Donald Trump backed Ellmers and recorded a last-minute robocall that her campaign released over the weekend. It was the first time the presumptive Republican presidential nominee had intervened in a congressional race this year. But it failed to make a difference for Ellmers, who faced over $1 million in outside spending from groups including Americans for Prosperity and the Club for Growth, which were unhappy with her House voting record.
"Tonight sends a clear message to lawmakers that we're going to hold them accountable for overspending and corporate welfare," AFP president Tim Phillips said in a statement to POLITICO. "Voters saw through Rep. Ellmers' support for the Ex-Im Bank and other subsidies and decided they were better off with Rep. Holding. We agree."
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