The runoff in North Carolina’s 3rd District is dividing the House Republican Conference between one powerful man and more than a dozen women.

It’s North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows and the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus versus the Republican women in the chamber — all 13 of them — plus another male lawmaker from the North Carolina delegation.

Meadows, whose 11th District is in the western part of the state — far away from the open 3rd District on the East Coast — has endorsed state Rep. Greg Murphy, despite his support for a version of Medicaid expansion, which most conservatives would typically consider anathema. The House GOP women have backed pediatrician Joan Perry, who represents the party’s best chance to add another woman to its dwindling ranks this year.

Murphy, a urologic surgeon from Pitt County, finished first in the 17-candidate primary on April 30, with 23 percent of the vote. Because he didn’t surpass 30 percent, Perry, who was second with 15 percent, was able to request a runoff. Whoever wins that contest on July 9 is favored to win the Sept. 10 general election to replace the late Walter B. Jones in this safe Republican district that President Donald Trump won by 24 points in 2016.