Ellmers had to contend with a high level of campaign spending by outside groups aligning themselves with the Tea Party movement, including Americans for Prosperity, which spent in the "low six figures" to defeat her. Conservative opposition to Ellmers arose from her push to prevent a vote on a 2015 abortion bill, from her votes on spending and budget bills, and from her vote in favor of the continuation of the Export-Import Bank. In the June 7th primary, she lost her primary campaign to Holding by an almost 30-point margin, coming in second by just 0.6% over third-place Greg Brannon.
