NEW: McConnell Allies Admit to Meddling in North Carolina Democratic Primary, Revealing Panicked Strategy to Save Weak Tillis

Republican Group Has Spent Millions Against Cal Cunningham, Decorated Veteran Who Outraised Tillis 2:1 in Pre-Primary Filing, Earned Support from Key Organizations Across the State & the Charlotte Observer/Raleigh News & Observer

A new report confirms what was already widely known: Mitch McConnell’s allies are behind the mysterious outside group spending millions in the North Carolina Democratic primary as part of a panicked effort to save weak incumbent Senator Thom Tillis from facing decorated veteran Cal Cunningham in the general election. 

The group is spending more than $3 million on TV and digital ads against Cal that do not disclose they’re funded by McConnell’s top allies. The admission that the chief Senate GOP super PAC “decided to meddle in the Democratic primary” follows reporting that found the group used a Republican-linked media buyer, bank and treasurer. In an FEC form filed last night, Senator Tillis revealed he also uses the same bank as the group. 

“Thom Tillis is one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the country and Republicans’ transparent attempt to undermine Cal shows they’re terrified of the general election match-up,” said DSCC spokeswoman Lauren Passalacqua. “It’s an embarrassing vote of no confidence in Tillis and underscores that Cal is the candidate who can flip this seat – which is exactly why McConnell’s allies are spending millions against him.”

Cal is a decorated veteran who doubled what Tillis raised in the pre-primary period, has earned support from more than 140 local leaders and organizations across the state, and was endorsed by the Charlotte Observer/Raleigh News & Observer editorial board.

The Hill: Top GOP super PAC spent money on NC Democrat

By Reid Wilson
February 20, 2020

Key Points:

• The largest super PAC that supports Republican Senate candidates will say in a filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) late Thursday it spent millions of dollars to boost a liberal Democratic candidate running for the right to face Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) in November.

• The Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC run by close allies of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), will reveal in the FEC filings that it was behind a secretive new group created earlier this month that has spent millions on television advertising ahead of the March 3 Democratic primary, The Hill has learned.

• The FEC reports will show the Senate Leadership Fund spent about $3 million on television and radio spots boosting Smith, funneled through a group calling itself the Faith and Power PAC. The filings show the entirety of the Faith and Power PAC’s contributions came from the Senate Leadership Fund.

• Even before the FEC filings, the Faith and Power PAC appeared to have ties to national Republicans.

• It opened an account at Chain Bridge Bank, a small financial institution run by a former Republican senator that is used by Republican candidates and causes including President Trump’s reelection campaign. The group bought advertisements through a Republican media buying firm based in Alexandria, Va.

• In an interview, Steven Law, who heads the Senate Leadership Fund, said his group had decided to meddle in the Democratic primary after polls showed Cunningham running only narrowly ahead of Smith and after Democrats dumped millions of their own dollars into early advertising on Cunningham’s behalf.

Read the full report here.

###