The Senate’s top GOP super PAC is launching a $17 million summer ad campaign in North Carolina — its largest reservation anywhere in the country so far this cycle, underscoring the state’s importance to Republicans’ hopes of defending their Senate majority.
The investment, shared first with POLITICO, is the first tranche of Senate Leadership Fund’s previously announced plan to spend $71 million in North Carolina this year. It comes as early public polling shows Democrat Roy Cooper, the state’s popular former governor, with a lead over GOP nominee Michael Whatley, the former RNC chair.
Cooper, a fixture of North Carolina politics, has a higher name ID and a larger campaign war chest than Whatley. But Republicans have long argued — and even some Democrats fear — that the contest will tighten considerably once outside money starts pouring in.
The SLF ad buy signals the beginning of more national resources to come. A person familiar with SLF’s plans in North Carolina, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said the investment reflects the party’s growing confidence that a sustained advertising blitz will expose vulnerabilities in Cooper’s record.
Just days earlier, their Democratic rival, Senate Majority PAC, announced $11 million in ad reservations in the state, increasing the reservation to $42.5 million in what could become one of the most expensive races of the cycle.
The SLF ad, which will air across broadcast, cable and streaming, centers on Cooper’s record on crime, an issue that is quickly becoming Republicans’ biggest line of attack in the race. The 30-second spot slams Cooper over early prison releases during his time as governor, arguing that some of those prisoners later committed additional violent crimes. Along with the ad, SLF launched a website, “40YearsIsEnough.com,” which also criticizes Cooper’s record on crime.
Cooper’s campaign has already tried to neutralize the crime attacks: They released an ad last month highlighting the Democrat’s public safety record as governor and attorney general.
