GOP Chair Richard Hudson Loses to Long-Shot Dem

The man in charge of electing Republicans to the House has, by the count so far, not been elected to the House. Democrat Richard Ojeda declared victory over NRCC chair Richard Hudson in North Carolina's 9th, leading 51% to 49% with 96% of the vote in, per the Washington Examiner. The Hill and NBC News project a Hudson loss. The AP hadn't called it at the Examiner's last check, so keep a finger on the refresh button.

I'll say it plainly, because someone should: Trump carried this district by 15 points in 2024, and Hudson had held the seat since 2013. The chairman put $200,000 into his first TV ad campaign just last week, which tells you how the consultants' crystal ball was working. The Beltway geniuses never once asked the base what it wanted, and the base answered at the ballot box.

Ojeda called it the one he'll remember for the rest of his life. Our friends on the left can enjoy the night. Republican leaders can spend the morning explaining it.

“This is the one I'll remember for the rest of my life,”Richard Ojeda, via Washington Examiner