CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Rev. Mark Walker is no longer running for his old seat in the U.S. House of Representatives after accepting an invitation to work on former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign.
Walker announced Wednesday that Trump had asked him to take a lead role as the Director of Outreach for faith and minority communities in the former president's bid to return to the White House. A statement shared by Walker's congressional campaign said he also planned to continue his duties should Trump win the presidential election.
"My heart is to see all Americans succeed, as evidenced by my work in Congress with HBCUs along with minority and evangelical initiatives," Walker's statement read. "Being married to Kelly - an HBCU graduate with multiple degrees - was key to my work on the FUTURE Act."
With Walker out of the race for his former seat in North Carolina's 6th congressional district, the runoff against fellow Republican contender Addison McDowell is dropped. McDowell gained endorsement from both Trump and current Senator Ted Budd.
Walker had previously served as the District 6 representative from 2015 until 2021 but did not run to keep his seat after redistricting. Democratic Rep. Kathy Manning currently holds the seat.
However, Manning chose not to run for re-election, and no other Democrats ran for the seat. McDowell is thus poised to join the House of Representatives.
Originally, Walker was a candidate in the North Carolina gubernatorial race. However, after the state legislature redrew congressional maps, Walker opted to instead run for Congress again. He also made a run for the U.S. Senate in 2022 but lost to Budd in the Republican primary.
“I would like to commend Mark Walker for his passion for public service,” said McDowell. “I might be the younger of the two of us, but Mark Walker is the higher energy candidate. I’ve no doubt what feeds that energy is his passion for service. He ran a tough race and made me have to be a better candidate to win this thing. I don’t know what his future holds, but I have faith God has a great plan for Mark.”
North Carolina's 6th congressional district currently includes much of Greensboro and stretches north to the border with Virginia. It also includes parts of Winston-Salem and High Point. All of Guilford and Rockingham counties are included in the current 2023-2025 map, along with parts of Caswell and Forsyth counties.