Outside group spends on behalf of underdog Republican candidate in NC’s Senate race
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North Carolina U.S. Senate race
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An outside group is pouring money into North Carolina’s Republican U.S. Senate primary in an effort to back one of the race’s lesser-known candidates: political newcomer and combat veteran Marjorie Eastman.
The group, Restore Common Sense Inc., has spent roughly $1 million in the last month backing Eastman, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The group paid for a full-page ad takeover on The News & Observer’s and The Charlotte Observer’s homepages Wednesday. Its spending will also fund billboards, radio ads and social media ads backing Eastman, according to FEC filings.
The political action committee’s ads on behalf of Eastman are the latest indication that spending in North Carolina’s Senate race will set record highs. This seat is one of a handful among other swing states that may determine whether Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate for the remaining two years of President Joe Biden’s term and hamper his first-term agenda.
One of the state’s two seats is up for grabs in 2022, replacing the retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr.
“Our enemies view America as weak,” a Restore Common Sense-funded ad backing Eastman states. “Restore Common Sense in Washington D.C. Elect Marjorie Eastman for U.S. Senate.”
Listed as a contact for Restore Common Sense Inc. is Fred Eshelman, a Wilmington executive who founded a pharmaceutical company, who also reportedly gave $2 million to a group trying to root out voter fraud. He has since sued that group, True the Vote, saying it did not spend his money as advertised, the Washington Post reported.
Eshelman did not respond to a request for comment.
Eastman is running behind other candidates in the Republican primary, according to a recent poll commissioned by one of her opponents, former Gov. Pat McCrory.
Club for Growth Action, another outside spending group, has spent millions backing another of Eastman’s opponents, Rep. Ted Budd. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Budd last summer, and the group has run ads advertising the former president’s support.
Club for Growth Action spent more than $3.5 million between January and November last year in support of Budd.
BEHIND THE STORY
MOREWho is running for US Senate in 2022?
U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, is not running for a fourth term in 2022. North Carolina’s primary is May 17, 2022.
Who’s in?
Republicans (in order they will appear on the primary ballot): Marjorie K. Eastman, David Flaherty, Benjamin E. Griffiths, Kenneth Harper, Jr., Pat McCrory, Charles Kenneth Moss, Lichia Sibhatu, Debora Tshiovo, Mark Walker, Jen Banwart, Ms. Lee A. Brian, Leonard L. Bryant, Ted Budd, Drew Bulecza
Democrats (in order they will appear on the primary ballot): James L. Carr, Jr., Robert Colon, Alyssia Rose-Katherine Hammond, Constance (Lov) Johnson, Tobias LaGrone, B. K. Maginnis, Rett Newton, Marcus W. Williams, Greg Antoine, Cheri Beasley, Chrelle Booker
Libertarian: Shannon Bray
Independents (must gather signatures to qualify for November ballot): Kimrey Rhinehardt, Adrien Meadows
For more North Carolina government and politics news, listen to the Under the Dome politics podcast from The News & Observer and the NC Insider. You can find it at link.chtbl.com/underthedomenc or wherever you get your podcasts.
This story was originally published January 12, 2022 at 4:36 PM with the headline "Outside group spends on behalf of underdog Republican candidate in NC’s Senate race."
