NBC and Fox News projected Donald Trump will win the North Carolina Republican primary Tuesday night, further cementing his frontrunner status.
Trump’s win in North Carolina was expected even after a weekend of chaos at his rallies, which had caused some to question the billionaire’s campaign message, strategy and ability to govern.
According to TPM’s PollTracker Average, Trump entered the contest in North Carolina Tuesday with a 14-point advantage over Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).
Trump has spent the last several weeks traveling extensively through the state. As the Atlantic pointed out, Trump stopped for speeches in Concord, Hickory and Fayettville while other candidates like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and John Kasich (R-OH) were busy defending their home turfs from Trump.
Trump has also hit hard on the problems with trade in the state of North Carolina, where factory job loss is widespread.
Last week at a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Trump told the crowd “All this free trade, you know what, it is free trade for them, not for us. We’re losing our shirts.”
“We have to make smart deals. We can no longer, we’re losing, look at our deficits, look at our budget, look what is going on with this country, we’re losing our jobs,” Trump said in the state.
