Dems Try to Take Down Tillis

Alex Roarty reports at National Journal:

Democrats are getting involved in the North Carolina Republican primary, a sign that the party is hoping to encourage GOP voters to nominate weaker candidates in closely contested primaries.

A new ad from the Senate Majority PAC targets the Tarheel State's GOP front-runner, state House Speaker Thom Tillis, whom both parties regard as the only Republican running who can defeat Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan. The 30-second spot, backed by an ad buy worth nearly $1 million (news first reported by TheWashington Post), cites two resignations of top Tillis aides for conducting extramarital affairs with lobbyists.

The timing and language of the spot appears targeted specifically at Republican primary voters. The accusation of sexual misconduct, not to mention public corruption, is designed to resonate with evangelical voters, a major voting bloc among North Carolina Republicans. And the ad's final words are designed to question Tillis's fiscally conservative credentials.

"Thom Tillis: Spending our money to clean up his mess," the narrator says.