From Fortune · Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez · · 2m
Fifty-nine thousand beat three million in North Carolina
Democrat LaKesha Womack ousted Republican Rep. Tim Moore despite being outspent 50 to 1, part of a blue wave that rewrote the political map.
In brief
Democrat LaKesha Womack ousted Republican Rep. Tim Moore despite being outspent 50 to 1, part of a blue wave that rewrote the political map. Democrat LaKesha Womack defeated Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina's 14th Congressional District despite raising only fifty-nine thousand dollars to his three million, signalling…
Newcomer beats the speaker
Democrat LaKesha Womack unseated Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina's 14th Congressional District, which stretches from Charlotte suburbs to Western North Carolina mountains.
Fifty to one spending gap
Moore raised three million dollars to Womack's fifty-nine thousand, a fifty to one advantage. Womack won by about six thousand four hundred votes on Tuesday.
Moore drew his own district
Moore served more than two decades in the North Carolina House and held the longest stint as speaker. He helped redraw the district in two thousand twenty-three.
Moore won big just two years ago
In two thousand twenty-four, Moore won the district by about sixteen percentage points. His redistricting advantage did not hold in the midterm.
Womack's strategy: show up everywhere
Womack, an entrepreneur and founder of Womack Consulting Group, attended between five and seven events per week. She spent much of her limited funds on gas.
“A lot of that money was spent on gas. I made sure that I showed up everywhere across this district.”
North Carolina swings blue
Womack's win was part of a Democratic sweep. Former Gov. Roy Cooper defeated Michael Whatley in the Senate race, and Democrats flipped at least five Republican House seats.
Economy and Trump drove the wave
An NBC News exit poll found three-fourths of voters rated the economy as poor or not so good. Sixty-five percent said President Trump's policies made the economy worse.
Money failed elsewhere too
Democrat Victoria Broderick beat Rep.Scott DesJarlais in Tennessee despite raising ninety-four thousand to his six hundred sixty thousand.
Most expensive election ever
The two thousand twenty-six midterm was the most expensive election in U.S. history, with about twelve billion dollars spent on political advertising, according to AdImpact data cited by NPR.
Presence matters more than dollars
Womack said her win reflected the value of community investment that money could not measure. Just being present in the community meant more than dollars could ever pay for.
“Just being present in the community, I think, meant more than dollars could ever pay for.”
What matters most
Democrat LaKesha Womack defeated Rep. Tim Moore in North Carolina's 14th Congressional District despite raising only fifty-nine thousand dollars to his three million, signalling that money alone cannot overcome voter frustration with the economy and other issues.
