NC-SEN: Democrats fear Republican sabotage in key Senate race

[RandySF]

Democrats are growing alarmed about Republican attempts to prop up an insurgent liberal candidate in North Carolina — fearful that GOP meddling will undercut the party’s prospects in a key Senate contest.

What seems like a generic campaign ad pitching Erica Smith, a North Carolina state senator, as “the only proven progressive” in the state’s high-profile Senate race is actually part of a multimillion dollar investment from a mysterious super PAC — the innocuously named "Faith and Power PAC" — with apparent ties to Republicans.

The ad campaign, which began last week ahead of the March 3 primary, immediately disrupted the bid from frontrunner and Democratic leadership favorite Cal Cunningham to emerge from his primary and face incumbent GOP Sen. Thom Tillis in November.

The North Carolina race is critical: Without beating Tillis, Democrats' path back to the Senate majority is nearly impossible. Cunningham, a former state lawmaker and military veteran, lost a Senate primary in 2010, and Democrats are eager to avoid the same result this year. But things are getting messy — and expensive.

Smith, whose low-budget campaign has otherwise posed little threat to Cunningham, has denounced the intervention. But the episode threatens Democrats’ hopes of getting the better-funded, more moderate Cunningham through the primary unscathed.




https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/17/north-carolina-democrats-fear-republican-sabotage-senate-race-115345

[Wounded Bear]

1. "FAP PAC" for Erica?

Do they have anybody who evaluates these acronyms any more?

[Scotch-Irish]

2. I saw this coming. I took one of their polls by phone when a robo call guy called.

I suspected at the time that it was a republican group doing the poll. The republicans are so transparent and stupid. But a Black woman going against Cunningham is going to be a real challenge for a lot of people in NC.

[young_at_heart]

3. We have had several robo calls

I loathe Thom Tillis!