Budd balks

North Carolina's junior Senator breaks with Trump, showing both the president's weakness and that Budd's thinking about re-election.

Senator Ted Budd is opposing Donald Trump’s spending request because it does not include funding for Helene recovery. I guess I should be applauding him. I certainly think Budd should be advocating for disaster relief money, but I think it’s a more cynical move than that. Budd is looking at his 2028 re-election campaign more than the people of western North Carolina.

Budd has been a reliable vote for Trump no matter the circumstances. He’s also been an almost invisible senator with no significant accomplishments or leadership positions. He’s been a go-along-to-get-along Republican senator with little evidence of any intellectual or political heft.

Now suddenly he’s bucking the president. It’s evidence that Trump’s grip on the GOP is loosening. It’s also evidence that Budd is thinking about his political future.

Budd watched Tillis brown-nose Trump and debase himself repeatedly in an effort to show MAGA that he was on their side. It didn’t work. Instead, Tillis found himself disliked by everybody. MAGA knew he wasn’t really one of them and Democrats knew Tillis lacked the political courage to stand up to Trump regardless of what he said.

Budd is not Thom Tillis. He does not like the spotlight and seems to be more an introvert than an extrovert. He’s also probably more sincere in his MAGA loyalty. He won his primary in 2022 after gaining Trump’s endorsement.

Now, though, he realizes he needs to put a little daylight between himself and Trump to attract the moderate voters in North Carolina that he needs to win in 2028. He’s not waiting for an election year. He’s planting the seed now that he will stand up to Trump where North Carolina is concerned.

He’s also probably watching western North Carolina. Some western counties are trending blue. Some of that trend is probably due to the type of people moving into the area, but part of it is frustration with an administration that hasn’t kept its promises about hurricane relief. Budd is trying to stem the tide.

I don’t think Budd would have bucked the president a year ago, even for North Carolinians in need. I think he’s making a political calculation. Trump is unpopular and Budd’s re-election campaign is just around the corner. He needs some distance between himself and Trump and he needs the people of western North Carolina to believe he will stand up for them.