‘More successful than we could have imagined.’ GOP group funds ads for Dem in NC race
A group tied to the Republican U.S. Senate leader is behind the mysterious super PAC that has poured millions into TV ads for North Carolina Democratic Senate candidate Erica Smith.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, gave nearly $3 million to the Faith and Power PAC, according to new reports filed with the Federal Election Commission. It is the PAC’s lone contributor.
Faith and Power has spent $3 million on TV ads and mailers in support of Smith, who has lagged in her own fundraising. The PAC’s recent TV ads attack her main rival, Cal Cunningham, from the left. The newest ad says he won’t stand up to the NRA or for the LGBTQ community in addition to saying he won’t vote for Medicare for All or the Green New Deal.
Smith and Cunningham are among five Democrats running in the March 3 primary. The winner is expected to face incumbent Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces three GOP challengers.
Cunningham released a television ad Friday morning, calling the ads “deceptive.” He previously called out Republican “meddling” in the Democratic primary.
“I want you to hear directly from me about these deceptive ads attacking my values. They’re just not true. They’re paid for by Mitch McConnell’s allies, and it’s the very political corruption I’ll go to Washington to fight,” Cunningham said in the new ad. “McConnell and Thom Tillis have already done too much damage to our state. The fact is, I’ll tackle the climate crisis, pass background checks, and make college more affordable. I approve this message because in North Carolina the truth still matters.”
Cunningham has said, as the Faith and Power PAC spot lays out, that he does not support Medicare for All or the Green New Deal. Still, the Tillis campaign wasted no time trying to tie Cunningham to those policies as the result of his rebuttal ad.
“Just a week after vowing to support whichever radical, liberal wins the Democratic nomination for president, Cal Cunningham today confirmed that he is already embracing their dangerous agendas. Cunningham’s decision to join Erica Smith in support of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All is just another example of how much of a toll Cunningham’s $15 million primary has taken on him,” Tillis spokesman Andrew Romeo said in a statement.
Faith and Power PAC
When the Faith and Power ads first appeared earlier this month, it was unclear who was behind them. Nobody with the group could be reached. Early ads highlighted Smith’s progressive stands.
Smith denounced the ads and denied any involvement. She told McClatchy that she tried unsuccessfully to have the ads taken down.
“What we’re concerned about is that people are sending a message I can’t be trusted because I’m working with Republicans, that’s so far from the truth of what this is,” Smith said Thursday in a telephone interview. “I have no dealings with this super PAC.”
When the Republican backing of the group was confirmed, Cunningham issued a statement criticizing McConnell.
“Mitch McConnell meddled in our state’s election to try to mislead voters, and it’s clear why — he knows Thom Tillis has failed North Carolinians by every measure and he’s terrified to face me in November,” Cunningham said in a statement. “These tactics are the very corruption North Carolinians are fed up with because it’s preventing us from taking action on the issues that matter to our neighbors, like investing in health care and education, or addressing the climate crisis that’s ravaged our state. I’ve got a message for McConnell and his allies — your scheme won’t work and I’ll see you in November.”
Steven Law, the president of the Senate Leadership Fund and formerly McConnell’s chief of staff in the 1990s, said the ads have been successful.
“We stole a page out of (Senate Minority Leader) Chuck Schumer’s playbook, and it’s been more successful than we could have imagined,” he said in a statement. “Democrats are burning cash in a $13 million rescue mission for Cal Cunningham, who has proven to be a lackluster candidate with less money in the bank today than the beginning of the year.”
Outside groups have spent heavily for Cunningham. VoteVets and VoteVets Action Fund have spent about $7.2 million on his behalf. A new group called Carolina Blue, which Politico reports is tied to national Democrats, has spent about $4.5 million. And the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has spent more than $750,000.
Democrats believe that defeating Tillis is crucial to their hopes of regaining control of the U.S. Senate. It’s one of a handful of seats they’re targeting. Republicans currently hold 53 seats in the chamber.
The Tillis campaign denied knowledge of the source of support for Smith.
“Our campaign has no knowledge of Faith and Power PAC and its structure other than what we have learned through news reports,” Romeo said in a statement. “(I)t appears to be a play out of the Democratic playbook from when they were spending millions of dollars trying to defeat Sen. Tillis in the 2014 Republican Primary. We’re focused on keeping North Carolina out of the hands of the socialists.“
Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University, said the tactic of advertising like that of the Fair and Power PAC, and the GOP group that funded it, contributes to voter cynicism.
“We know that parties will use most any legal trick they can to win,” he told the Charlotte Observer. “But I think it contributes to skepticism among the public about what they’re reading. ... We see a large decline in trust in government and in politics and this clearly does not help.”
Cunningham leads Smith 42% to 17%, with 34% undecided, according to a poll released this week from WRAL. None of the three other Democrats is polling above 3%.
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This story was originally published February 21, 2020 at 11:56 AM with the headline "‘More successful than we could have imagined.’ GOP group funds ads for Dem in NC race."
