Democrat Mansfield drops out of NC’s 2020 Senate race

Published 1:05 am Saturday, July 6, 2019

RALEIGH (AP) — A former North Carolina state lawmaker has dropped out of the state’s 2020 U.S. Senate race weeks after he announced his bid.

Eric Mansfield released a statement Friday announcing that he was ending his campaign for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican incumbent Thom Tillis. The physician who previously served as a state senator said he came to the decision after discussing it with his family, patients and supporters.

Other Democrats running for the nomination include former state Sen. Cal Cunningham, current state Sen. Erica Smith of Northampton County and Mecklenburg County Commissioner Trevor Fuller.

Tillis, a first-term U.S. Senator, faces primary challenger Garland Tucker on the GOP side, but Tillis was recently endorsed by President Donald Trump.