cairns, c

<div>=</div><div>No outside spending groups threw their support behind Murphy, the top vote-getter at 22.5 percent. But Murphy had plenty of money himself, raising far more than any of his opponents — $317,994 through March 31. While some of his opponents invoked President Donald Trump and <a href="https://www.rollcall.com/news/campaigns/north-carolina-republican-makes-first-ad-aoc" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">other national figures</a> in their campaigns, Murphy stuck with his message of <a href="https://www.atr.org/greg-murphy-becomes-first-candidate-make-no-new-taxes-promise-nc-03-race" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">lowering taxes</a>.Perry raised $152,245 through March but also received support from several outside groups. Anti-abortion group <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/summary.php?id=D000029292" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Susan B. Anthony List</a> made $86,853 in independent expenditures supporting Perry through its <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00530766&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Women Speak Out PAC</a>. Winning for Women Action Fund made its first appearance, adding another $201,351 in support of Perry.The group, which intends to recruit and support Republican women candidates, cheered Perry’s second place finish, saying in a statement it “proves that voters have an appetite for electing qualified Republican women and that critical primary support will help get them there.” Outside groups that bet on Perry can call her second-place finish a success. The rest — not so much.Influential anti-tax super PAC <a href="https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=Club%20for%20Growth&cycle=2018" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Club for Growth</a> shelled out $199,050 to boost public accountant Celeste Cairns’ campaign, but she finished ninth. Another super PAC, an obscure group called <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/committee/C00701805/?tab=about-committee" style="box-sizing: inherit; max-height: 1e+06px; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; text-decoration-line: none;">Awake Carolina</a>, spent $104,350 to boost Cairns. The outside support wasn’t enough, as Cairns raised just $75,099 and collected only 1,462 of 68,593 votes cast.</div><div></div>