North Carolina may soon receive much-needed federal dollars to help with disaster relief, contingent on negotiations related to a stopgap spending bill that Congress must pass before adjourning for the holidays.
The top Republican leaders in the state legislature — House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger — also were featured guests at a lunch fundraiser Thursday for Edwards, one of seven Republicans challenging Cawthorn for the nomination in the May 17 primary.
Former North Carolina state Sen. Erica Smith is running for the open U.S. Senate seat in 2022. She said she is the most progressive Democrat in the race but has raised far less money than former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley and state Sen. Jeff Jackson of Mecklenburg County.