RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Republican candidates for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat have been campaigning on the airwaves for months, fighting to win the upcoming May primary.
Until this week you have not seen ads from Former Democratic North Carolina State Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley.
Catawba College political scientist Michael Bitzer said that for Beasley – it’s all about the fall election.
“She needs to be concentrating on the intensity of November and the fall campaign. The introduction of her to the state is really setting up the dynamics of what we will see after the summer,” said Bitzer.
As the presumptive nominee, it may seem surprising to see Beasley’s ad before the primary.
Her main contenders have dropped out of the race and endorsed Beasley.
But, a CBS 17/The Hill/Emerson College poll has Beasley, in a November head-to-head matchup, losing to Republicans Ted Budd, Mark Walker, and Marjorie Eastman.
Former Gov. Pat McCrory is the only Republican the poll has Beasley beating.
“Certainly some of the head-to-head numbers give her a disadvantage in terms of looking at November. It’s still several months off and there could be things that impact between now and November,” said Bitzer.
The low-key tone of Beasley’s ad is much different than what we’ve seen from Republicans.
However, that may have to change.
“This is going to be an uphill battle for any Democrat in this kind of general political environment, the president’s popularity, economic issues. This is just the natural dynamic, if the party controls the White House they do not tend to do well in mid-term elections,” said Bitzer.
