Republican Sandy Smith has released a new ad attacking Democratic state Sen. Don Davis as the pair compete for North Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.
“Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden are destroying America and Don Davis is their puppet. Don Davis will give us sky-high inflation so people can’t afford to pay for food or rent. Don Davis will continue destroying jobs, the stock market and our military,” the ad narrator says.
“A far-left radical like Don Davis is wrong for North Carolina. Instead, vote for military mom and fighter Sandy Smith. Sandy will fight for school choice, a strong economy and will take care of farmers and veterans.”
The ad is unlikely to sway the race in Smith’s favor, as CD 1 is a resoundingly Democratic district. More than 49% of voters living in CD 1 are registered Democrats while only 23% are registered Republicans, according to L2 voter data.
CD 1 is on North Carolina’s inland border with Virginia. About 60% of the district’s residents live in Pitt, Wayne, Halifax and Wilson counties, according to L2. The sprawling district also includes Bertie, Edgecombe, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Martin, Nash, Northampton, Vance, Warren and Washington counties.
Prognosticators view Davis as a lock for the Nov. 8 election. According to FiveThirtyEight’s model, the 51-year-old Democrat has a 95% chance to win, and he may do so by double digits.
Though Smith’s ad accuses Davis of being a “puppet” for national Democrats, the Republican nominee has been battling allegations, namely a domestic violence order filed against Smith by her daughter.
That ordeal was the subject of an ad run by the Davis campaign, and Smith was quick to dismiss it as a spurious attack from “the Pelosi-run DCCC.” Still, further court records show the candidate was also accused of battering her former husbands, including Eric Goranson, who divorced Smith in 2009.
Though she faces long odds, Smith has raised more than $2 million for her campaign and has spent $1.7 million on what is widely expected to be a drubbing. Davis, by comparison, has raised about $1.75 million and spent $1.56 million.
