Democratic Senate candidates denounce ‘meddling’ by group they say is tied to GOP
Two Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Tuesday blasted a super PAC that appears linked to the GOP that’s spending $2.4 million on behalf of one of their Democratic primary opponents.
“This is an unprecedented meddling in the Democratic primary,” Cal Cunningham told a Charlotte audience. “This is a GOP group . . . coordinating with (Senate Majority Leader) Mitch McConnell.
“I have a message for Mitch McConnell and Thom Tillis: We are coming for you.”
Democratic candidate Trevor Fuller called on the Faith and Power PAC to “take those ads down.”
The PAC is running ads that tout state Sen. Erica Smith, one of five Democrats running for the nomination March 3. Tillis, the Republican incumbent, faces three GOP opponents.
Smith could not be reached Tuesday. She did not attend what was billed as a Senate forum at Charlotte’s Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum.
In a statement last week, Smith said she “disavows and disassociates” herself from “the interference of Republicans in the Democratic Senate primary.”
Smith has run a low-budget campaign with no TV ads of her own. Some Democrats say by elevating her, the super PAC is trying to weaken Cunningham, who has the backing of national Democrats.
PAC’s big investment
The Faith and Power PAC is spending across North Carolina, according to Advertising Analytics, a media tracking firm. A filing with the Federal Election Commission shows it has spent more than $2.4 million on TV ads, printing and phone calls on behalf of Smith.
The PAC’s TV ad highlights Smith’s progressive stands.
“Who’s the Democrat for U.S. Senate endorsed by progressives and unions? Erica Smith,” it says. “Who’s got the courage to vote for Medicare for all? Erica Smith. The number one supporter of the Green New Deal? Erica Smith again. Erica Smith is one of us. Vote Democrat Erica Smith for U.S. Senate, the only proven progressive.”
The ad touts a candidate who has yet to go on the air herself. Smith had $94,000 on hand at the end of December, according to her FEC report. Cunningham had $1.7 million.
In addition, VoteVets Action Fund has spent $5.8 million on TV ads for Cunningham, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s also supported by the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which has spent over $450,000 on his behalf.
Links to GOP
The Faith and Power PAC, based on its media buyer, treasurer and other factors, appears tied to Republicans.
The PAC address on a contract with WBTV is a post office box in Jacksonville, N.C. A phone number on the contract did not work.
Documents filed with the FEC show the PAC uses the Chain Bridge Bank in McLean, Va. The bank has been used by many Republican groups including the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC tied to Senate Republicans.
The ad buyer, Neylan and Partners, is known for placing ads for Republicans. The listed treasurer for the Faith and Power PAC is Ezekiel Patterson. The only registered N.C. voter by that name is a Republican who lives in Monroe. He could not be reached.
Property records show the house he lives in is owned by Salvatore Purpura. A man by the same name is identified in FEC filings as a consultant for several Republicans, including Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The super PAC ad doesn’t exactly appear to be unprecedented. In 2014, then incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan sent a mailer to Republican primary voters reminding them that then-candidate Tillis had once praised the Affordable Care Act, a position his rivals disagreed with.
Then-Democratic Sens. Harry Reid of Nevada and Claire McCaskill of Missouri intervened in GOP primaries in an effort to help weaker candidates win.
Cunningham told the Observer the ad is designed to raise Smith’s profile and hurt other candidates.
“They are trying to disrupt Democrats either by weakening my candidacy or making it harder for Democrats to come together after the primary,” he said. “My gut tells me North Carolinians have a really strong BS meter. And this is triggering it.”
Brian Murphy of McClatchy’s Washington Bureau contributed.
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Democratic Senate candidates denounce ‘meddling’ by group they say is tied to GOP."
