News & Record front-pager on Congressional races in the 6th and 12th Congressional Districts, seats held by Reps. Mark Walker and Ted Budd, respectively. Democrats hope to flip both seats and that takes money:

The 13th District battle between first-term incumbent U.S. Rep. Ted Budd, a Republican from Advance, and Democratic challenger Kathy Manning of Greensboro should be especially loud when the money begins to speak.

Between them, Budd and Manning have raised an eye-popping total of just less than $3.1 million. Krumholz said that if the race holds true to national norms, the 13th District candidates could be expected to raise another 50 percent of their current war chests, or a likely total between them in the neighborhood of $5 million.

The 13th District also stands out because the latest figures show Manning outraising Budd by $778,000 — a margin of about 67 percent. Krumholz said it’s one of 22 races for seats in the U.S. House this year where the challenger has raised more money than the current officeholder, which is not how things usually work.

Financially speaking, the 6th District race between Walker and Democratic challenger Ryan Watts is far less competitive. with Walker showing a fundraising total of $971,227 compared to Watts’ total of $206,549.