Former President Barack Obama lavished praise on and endorsed North Carolina Senate hopeful Cheri Beasley in a new ad Tuesday as Democrats eye an opening.
Hailing her devotion to working-class folks, Obama implored voters to cast their vote for her while emphasizing that it’s “going to be a close race.”
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“Cheri works hard. She’s honest. And most importantly, she always puts the people first,” Obama proclaimed in the ad. “This is going to be a close race, and we can’t afford to get it wrong.”
Meanwhile, Republicans are battening down the hatches, with an anti-Biden political action committee unveiling plans Tuesday to pour $1 million into the contest to buoy her Republican foe.
The contest to replace outgoing Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC), who famously bucked his party and voted to convict former President Donald Trump during his second impeachment proceedings, has proven to be a nail-biter of a race. Given the evenly divided nature of the Senate, it could prove paramount to determining the balance of power in the upper chamber.
“Cheri works hard. She’s honest. And most importantly, she always puts the people first… This is going to be a close race, and we can’t afford to get it wrong.”
I’m honored to receive @BarackObama’s endorsement for U.S. Senate. Let’s do this. pic.twitter.com/CJ6hxrAZVj
— Cheri Beasley (@CheriBeasleyNC) October 25, 2022
A string of tighter-than-expected polls has prompted top political brass to direct more attention to her Senate matchup with Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC), who has a 3.7-point lead over her in the latest RealClearPolitics polling aggregate. The Cook Political Report deems the race a “lean Republican” seat.
On Tuesday, the Committee to Defeat the President PAC, which aims to undercut President Joe Biden, announced plans to unleash over $1 million in independent expenditures to bolster Budd in the hotly anticipated Senate showdown. The endeavor will feature strategic digital production work and a get-out-the-vote campaign.
“The people of North Carolina need to recognize that the status quo simply isn’t good enough for America — neither in their state nor the country more broadly,” committee Chairman Ted Harvey said in a statement. “Americans shouldn’t have to deal with rising prices, higher crime rates, and left-wing radicalism, but that is unfortunately a reality in Biden and Beasley’s America.”
Earlier this month, a PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) unveiled plans to funnel millions of campaign cash in an ad blitz to elevate Beasley in the race.
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Obama has kept a relatively low profile during the early days of the midterm election campaign, but he has stepped up his game as the midterm crunch hits full gear. He has cut numerous ads for Democrats in hot races such as Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. He also reportedly has plans to barnstorm battleground states such as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin during the final midterm sprint.
