Former U.S. Representative Mark Walker (R-NC) was running for his former House seat (Congressional District 6) against Trump-endorsed Republican Addison McDowell when Walker dropped out of the race and accepted a new job from the former President.
On Wednesday, the Baptist pastor announced that he will join the Trump campaign as the Director of Outreach for faith and minority communities. Walker said his work will likely begin in the southern swing states of North Carolina and Georgia.
Walker wrote (in plural, referring to himself and his wife Kelly): “We’re delighted to go and do something that I feel like is in our lane.”
I’m glad to support @Addison_McD as the presumptive congressman-elect for the sixth district. We are both committed to working with President @realDonaldTrump for a better America. #ncpol pic.twitter.com/UkRALzJedD
— Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) March 13, 2024
In his official response to Trump’s job offer, Walker touted his “work in Congress with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) along with minority and evangelical initiatives.” In 2019, Walker introduced the FUTURE Act which ensured continued funding for HBCUs.
Walker has said: “Being married to Kelly–an HBCU graduate with multiple degrees–was key to my work on the FUTURE Act.
Kelly (née Sears) Walker is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, a HBCU that is part of the University of North Carolina system.
[Note: The university made headlines in 2020 when philanthropist MacKenzie Scott (ex-wife of Amazon king Jeff Bezos) donated $30 million to Winston-Salem State, making it the largest single gift in the university’s history.]
Trump has claimed recently to have made gains among Black voters, which the polls don’t yet reflect. He also controversially claimed that many Black voters appreciate him for having been indicted and facing criminal charges.
At a South Carolina event this month sponsored by the Black Conservative Federation, Trump talked about his mug shot, saying “a lot of people said that’s why the Black people like me, because they have been hurt so badly and discriminated against, and they actually viewed me as I’m being discriminated against.”