Ted Budd

Theodore Paul Budd (born October 21, 1971) is an American businessman and politician serving since 2023 as the junior United States senator for North Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 13th congressional district from 2017 to 2023.

Budd was the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in North Carolina to replace retiring Republican senator Richard Burr. He defeated the Democratic nominee, Cheri Beasley, and took office on January 3, 2023. Budd is set to become North Carolina's senior senator when Thom Tillis leaves office in January 2027.

Theodore Paul Budd was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on October 21, 1971. When he was young, his family moved to a 300-acre (120 ha) farm on the Yadkin River in Davie County, outside Advance, where they raise cattle and chickens. His father, Richard, owned a facility-services company.

Budd attended Summit School, a private school in Winston-Salem, before attending Davie County High School, graduating in 1990. He then attended Appalachian State University, where received a Bachelor of Science in business administration in 1994. Budd later received a master of theology from the Dallas Theological Seminary in 1998 and a master of business administration from the Wake Forest University School of Business in 2007.

Budd owns a gun store in Rural Hall, North Carolina. The father of home-schooled children, he also served as a board member for North Carolinians for Home Education.

Following court-mandated redistricting, the old 13th district essentially merged with the 2nd district. A new 13th district was created, stretching from the northern suburbs of Charlotte to Greensboro. The old 13th district's incumbent, Republican George Holding, opted to run in the 2nd district. Budd ran as one of 17 candidates in the ensuing Republican primary for the 13th district in the 2016 elections. His home had previously been in the 5th district but had been drawn into the 13th district.

With the help of the Club for Growth, which spent over $285,000 on his campaign, Budd won the primary with 20% of the vote. He defeated Bruce Davis, a former Guilford County commissioner, in the general election with 56.1% of the vote. He was sworn into office on January 3, 2017.

Budd was reelected in 2018, winning 51.5% to Kathy Manning's 45.8%. Manning was elected to represent the neighboring 6th district in 2020.

In 2020, Budd was reelected with 68.2% of the vote defeating Democrat Scott Huffman, who won 31.8% of the vote.

Budd voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and numerous Defense Authorization Spending Bills during the Trump administration. He also voted for the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, which he said would open up more markets for North Carolina agricultural products. He opposed the American Rescue Plan Act, the Build Back Better Act, and the Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act under President Biden.

On April 23, 2021, Budd went to Mar-a-Lago to discuss his prospective U.S. Senate candidacy with former U.S. President Donald Trump. On April 28, 2021, Budd announced his candidacy for the Class 3 Senate seat held by the retiring Richard Burr. At the Republican state convention in Greenville on June 5, Budd received the endorsements of Donald Trump and Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, who had declined to run for the seat. Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory said he would remain in the race despite Trump's endorsement. A third declared candidate, U.S. Representative Mark Walker, said he too would stay in the race, maintaining that he had won a straw poll of those attending the convention.

Budd won the Republican primary on May 17, 2022, with 58% of the vote, to McCrory's 25% and Walker's 9%. In the general election, Budd defeated Democratic nominee Cheri Beasley, the former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Budd received 50.5% of the vote to Beasley's 47.3%, a margin of 3.2%.

At the convening of the 118th Congress on January 3, 2023, Budd was sworn in as North Carolina's junior U.S. Senator. He was one of five new Republican senators to take office that day.

In March 2023, Budd introduced the Seeing Objects at Altitude Regularly Act (SOAR), co-sponsored by Senator Mark Kelly, legislation that would require the Federal Aviation Administration to issue regulations within two years mandating equipping high-altitude balloons operating at 10,000 feet above sea level or higher with tracking systems to transmit location, altitude, and identity. The idea for the bill came after a Chinese-operated balloon crossed over the U.S. the previous month.

Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities

Budd is considered a staunch conservative. He is a strong ally of President Donald Trump.

After Senator Lindsey Graham introduced legislation that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy, Budd co-sponsored a House version of the bill with over 80 Republicans.

In 2022, Budd voted against the Respect for Marriage Act, which requires states and the federal government to recognize the validity of same-sex and interracial marriages if they were legal in the jurisdiction where they were performed.

Budd opposes the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and voted to repeal it in 2017.

Budd opposes the For the People Act, a Democratic bill intended to expand voting rights. Budd said that the bill undermines election integrity by expanding "no excuse" absentee voting and weakening voter ID requirements. He said that the bill would allow minors to vote. PolitiFact ruled this claim false, as the bill would only allow those under 18 to register to vote. Amendments to the bill that would lower the voting age to 16 failed in both 2019 and 2021.

Budd met his wife, Amy Kate Adams, on a mission to the Soviet Union in 1991. They married in 1994 and have three children. The Budds live in Davie County on the farm where Budd was raised. They home-school their children and Budd serves as an assistant scoutmaster in his son's Boy Scout troop.