Republicans are running scared in North Carolina, where the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee just announced it's going on offense, big time, behind Deborah Ross. That would be $2.5 million in ads big time. That means Republicans have to divert a lot of resources to try to shore up the lackluster campaign of Sen. Richard Burr.
More than a quarter of the 392 field staffers the Republican National Committee recently added nationwide have been assigned to North Carolina to help Trump and other Republicans there, according to Kara Carter, the RNC’s North Carolina communications director.
Meanwhile, Americans for Prosperity, a conservative nonprofit group backed by the billionaire Koch brothers, recently decided to shift its resources in the state to help Burr and go after his Democratic challenger, Deborah Ross. […]
In the Senate race, polls show Burr holding a small lead over Ross. But many Republicans here complain that Burr is not campaigning aggressively enough and should be much more comfortably ahead of Ross, a little-known civil-liberties advocate who emerged only after Democrats were unable to recruit others to run.[…]
The RNC says it will have 172 staffers on the ground this month in North Carolina to help Trump and fellow Republican candidates — a big uptick from this point in 2012.
Democrats have 30 coordinated campaign offices, and a new one opening today in Durham with Chelsea Clinton there to represent her mother. The Clinton campaign and allies have spent about $21 million in ad buys alone since late July, airing ads and reserving air time between now and November 8, compared to about $3 million from Trump and allies.
It's both good and bad news for Ross—the tremendous commitment behind her campaign, coupled with the extensive Clinton ground game can keep her competitive. Burr is clearly weak, and in that is the bad news. The Kochs and Republicans will do anything—and with the NC GOP's unceasing efforts to suppress the vote I mean anything—to keep that seat. But it's from a place of desperation, which is how we like it.
Can you pitch in with $3 to help Deborah Ross win in North Carolina?