Well, the Senate Majority PAC is finally getting it right. They’ve unleashed a million dollar ad buy going after Thom Tillis on the issues popping up in the primary. In essence, they’ve offered Greg Brannon and Mark Harris a huge megaphone.
Harris and Brannon have both been attacking Tillis’ on “character” issues. In particular, they’ve accused him of turning a blind eye to sex scandals in his office and then, when they were discovered, giving his staffers large severance packages. Now, the Senate Majority PAC is echoing that charge.
It’s a smart move. Not only does it resonate with GOP primary voters, it begins to define Tillis in general. Nobody, regardless of party affiliation, wants a U.S. Senator with a hint of scandal following him, especially in the state that had to suffer through the John Edwards affair.
This ad, and the power of the buy behind it, makes a runoff even more likely. After more than $1 million in ads, Tillis still has not sealed the deal with GOP primary voters. Instead, he’s stuck with numbers in the mid 20s with about a third of the primary electorate undecided. Voters are obviously looking for an alternative to Tillis, and Harris and Brannon are just starting to communicate. The Speaker will have a tough time getting the votes necessary to reach the 40% and win outright in May.
The ad itself is solid. It manages to explain the two affairs, connect them to Tillis, highlight severance pay and close with “Thom Tillis: Spending our money to clean up his mess.” That’s a hard hit, especially for folks concerned about government spending. Corruption and hypocrisy, all in one juicy bite.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
The Dems WANT “Big boy pants” Tillis to win the GOP primary! The Dems are setting him up…if he wins, the liberal media will “unload” all the dirt, scandal, and schemes that Hagan will win!
“TILLIS is TOXIC” to the republicans chance to take a crucial democratic held Senate seat.
Would the informed Republicans please spread the word to the uninformed Republicans !! PLEASE.
An uninformed Republican can be easily fooled by TV ads and yard signs…and do more damage than good to the Republican cause.
One of the calculations made here is surely that Tillis has access to more funding than any of the others, so taking him out provides Team Hagan with some financial high ground. On the other hand, running against the Legislature looks to be a winner in 2014.
Everyone does better because they’re unknowns. If and when known, only one with any chance at all would be Ted Alexander, imho. The rest are too right-wing, too strange, too …
It would be ironic if this left leaning PAC actually helped hand the GOP nomination to a candidate who could crush Hagan in November. Look at the polls: everyone does better than Thom head to head with Kay.