Trump endorsed her opponent. Now an NC Republican candidate is dropping out.

In a surprise election twist, a candidate running for Congress is suspending her campaign as voters have already headed to the polls to cast their ballots in the May 14 Republican runoff.

Kelly Daughtry announced Thursday that she would no longer run to represent North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District. She endorsed her opponent, Brad Knott.

She said in a written statement that she wanted to be transparent and honest with her team, supporters and voters, and that an endorsement of Knott from former President Donald Trump made it impossible for her to win the runoff.

“Brad Knott will be the Republican nominee on May 14th,” Daughtry said, in a written statement. “I extend my congratulations to him and wish him well. Brad has my full endorsement, and I want him to know that I am here to support him, not to oppose him. It is time we bring the Republican Party together.”

Knott thanked Daughtry, in a written statement, for her endorsement and commended her for her willingness to unite the Republican Party.

“Now we can focus on addressing serious problems facing our country with smart conservative solutions,” Knott said. “Whether that be the open border, runaway spending, intrusive regulations from Washington, etc. – the voters of District 13 want a Conservative fighting for them in Congress. I look forward to being just that.”

Daughtry added that she and Knott have spoken and she believes he will advocate and fight for the entire district.

“We are all on the same team and I hope that the ending of my campaign at this time will show and foster our unity as a party,” Daughtry said. “The future of our republic is too important to be divided by inter-party politics.”

Daughtry’s announcement came after days of speculation that her campaign was on the fritz, which wasn’t helped by her lack of social media posts or events in the district.

Her decision would seemingly leave Knott as the winner. But it’s not that easy, since ballots have already been printed and cast.

“I don’t recall anything like this in modern American politics, much less modern North Carolina politics,” said Chris Cooper, a political science professor at Western Carolina University. “Ballots have been printed, ballots have been cast and if she happens to get the most votes she will still be the winner despite what she says.”

But he added that Daughtry is sending a clear message to voters and they will likely take note.

How did we get here?

Daughtry received the most votes during the March 5 Republican primary, but didn’t collect more than 30%, meaning the second place finisher, Knott, could request a runoff election to be held on May 14.

He did.

And then he received the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, who attacked Daughtry in the process.

“Brad Knott is a Strong Patriot who is running for Congress in North Carolina’s 13th Congressional District against a RINO, Kelly Daughtry, who has given money to Far Left Democrats, pledged to vote for Obama, and is no friend to MAGA,” Trump posted on social media, with his signature “complete and total” endorsement.

Trump’s endorsement proved to be too much.

Daughtry seemingly no longer had a path to win. On Monday, Knott’s campaign released an internal poll that showed Daughtry’s 20-point lead turned to a 20-point lead for Knott following the endorsement.

“I am very grateful for President Donald Trump’s endorsement as well as the endorsements of Ted Budd, Dan Bishop, Virginia Foxx, primary opponents and countless others across the district and the state,” Knott said. “I am eager to help President Trump secure our Southern border and address these serious problems.”

But Cooper isn’t quite so sure that the endorsement would have sealed her fate. He said that runoffs are unpredictable, and it’s difficult to know in advance what the electorate will look like. That makes tools like polling, which campaigns typically use to make decisions, harder to rely on.

Who becomes the nominee?

If voters miss Daughtry’s announcement that she doesn’t want to serve, she could still walk away with the larger number of votes and be declared the winner.

If Daughtry follows through and withdraws after winning, the Republican Party district executive committee would select the GOP nominee.

“Presumably they would select Knott, but, like Shakespeare said, ‘there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip,’” Cooper said, quoting the Bard’s version of, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”

Knott’s campaign adviser, Jonathan Felts, who took over after the March 5 primary, also said this is uncharted territory. With no way to remove Daughtry from the ballot, he is asking Knott’s supporters not to take anything for granted ahead of the May 14 runoff.

Knott told voters he strongly encourages them to still vote for him in the runoff, saying, “with Kelly in my corner, I hope this becomes a uniting moment for Republicans in the 13th Congressional District.”

Daughtry, 54, is a lawyer from Johnston County and the daughter of former state Rep. Leo Daughtry, a Republican who served for 26 years. The father-daughter duo work together at their law firm.

This was her second time vying for a seat in Congress. She first ran in 2022 against seven other Republicans and came in third to political newcomer Bo Hines, a former N.C. State football star.

Rep. Wiley Nickel, a Democrat from Cary, ultimately won in the general election and represents the district. He chose not to run again after state lawmakers, led by Republicans, redrew the Triangle-based district to favor a win for their party.

During the 2024 primary, Daughtry secured the most votes, ahead of 13 men. More than 7,300 votes separated Daughtry from Knott, a 38-year-old former federal prosecutor from Wake County.

Daughtry noted the dozens of people who have endorsed her.

“To those who have stuck their necks on the line for me, I will always have your back and appreciate your support,” Daughtry said.

Daughtry said Thursday that Knott needs to “conserve his resources” and that Republicans need to direct party resources toward countering Democrats. She said she will now focus on registering conservative voters and supporting GOP-nominated, conservative judicial candidates.

“Kelly has run a strong campaign rooted in her conservatism,” said Jason Simmons, chairman of the NCGOP. “Her decision is one that puts her values and her party above her own personal gain. Her continued involvement will ensure Republicans win up and down the ballot in November.”

If Knott does win in the runoff, he will face off against Frank Pierce, a Democrat, in the general election on Nov. 5.

Two Republican statewide races are on the ballot: lieutenant governor and auditor.