From October 21, 2022 post
This week, outlets reported that as Election Day nears, the North Carolina U.S. Senate race has remained “consistently tight.” Recent polling suggests that the race is in a “virtual tie,” and “will likely determine control of the Senate.”
Outlets reported that Cheri once again dominated in fundraising, raising more than $13.3 million while Congressman Ted Budd raised “barely one-third” of that total. Cheri has held the “fundraising advantage” the entire election cycle, with outlets noting that Cheri “has been the top fundraiser among all of the candidates that sought to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr since she entered the race 18 months ago.
News outlets continue to report on Cheri’s focus on meeting voters where they are, with visits across the state to speak with “enthusiastic crowds” and emphasize that “every vote counts in this race.” Cheri has prioritized reaching young voters throughout this campaign and recently made stops at UNC Chapel Hill with Senator Jon Ossoff and Livingston College.
Outlets also reported that the “number of people voting early could break records this year” and that the “tight race between Republican Ted Budd and Democrat Cheri Beasley” is driving more people to vote early.
Read the highlights here:
AP: Beasley Widens Money Advantage Over Budd in NC Senate Race
By Gary Robertson
October 17, 2022
North Carolina Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cheri Beasley saw her fundraising advantage over Republican rival Ted Budd widen during the past three months and entering the campaign’s final weeks.
Budd’s campaign reported over the weekend — on the Federal Election Commission’s deadline date — that it raised $4.77 million during the three months ending Sept. 30. That’s barely one-third the $13.36 million that Beasley told the FEC that she raised — in keeping with what her campaign already had disclosed last week.
Beasley has been the top fundraiser among all of the candidates that sought to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Richard Burr since she entered the race 18 months ago. Her campaign also outspent Budd during the quarter by a 4-1 margin.
“Cheri has earned unmatched support in every quarter of this race because North Carolinians know she is the only candidate who will stand up for the people of North Carolina and put them first — every day, every time,” Beasley campaign manager Travis Brimm said in a news release.
For the entire election cycle, Beasley has raised $29.4 million compared to $11.1 million for Budd.
Budd’s monetary deficit has largely been closed by national Republican groups and other super PAC allies that are spending large sums on money opposing Beasley.
Roll Call: Budd-Beasley battle for Senate in North Carolina stays tight
By Mary Ellen McIntire
October 19, 2022
The race for North Carolina’s open Senate seat between Republican Rep. Ted Budd and former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Cheri Beasley, a Democrat, has so far stayed consistently tight.
The next day, Beasley was campaigning with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker in Charlotte, visiting a canvass launch and a barbershop before a rally in a high school gym. She emphasized abortion rights and Budd’s opposition to recently passed laws to expand veterans health care, fund semiconductor factories and lower insulin costs.
“He’s been in Congress for six years, so we don’t have to wonder what he would do. We’ve already been able to see what he won’t do,” Beasley said about Budd at the rally.
Beasley reported raising $13.4 million in the third quarter and had $3.3 million on hand as of Sept. 30, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Budd, meanwhile, raised $4.8 million and had $2.9 million on hand.
Beasley’s fundraising success allowed her to be on air throughout the summer at lower ad rates that campaigns pay compared to outside groups.
That gave Beasley a chance to run several positive ads and push back on attacks from groups including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC with ties to Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Since the primary in May, SLF has spent $24.9 million and the NRSC spent another $5 million on ads opposing Beasley, according to filings with the FEC.
Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC linked to Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, has reported spending $2 million for ads supporting Beasley and $6 million opposing Budd, but it has said it is committed to spending $15 million. A recent ad argued Budd is too extreme on abortion.
“Cheri Beasley’s strong campaign and record of independence and integrity has made this race more competitive by the day, which is why National Republicans are being forced to burn through precious resources to distract from Ted Budd’s extreme record,” SMP President J.B. Poersch said in a statement. “Our investments will ensure that voters continue to see and hear the truth about Ted Budd’s self-serving agenda to benefit himself at North Carolina’s expense all the way through to Election Day.”
The Daily Tar Heel: Cheri Beasley, NC U.S. Senate candidate, visits UNC with Sen. Jon Ossoff
By Caroline Dickey
October 18, 2022
Cheri Beasley, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in North Carolina, and Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) visited UNC on Sunday, Oct. 16, to rally support for Beasley’s campaign against Republican nominee Rep. Ted Budd (R-NC 13th).
Beasley came to Chapel Hill to discuss her candidacy for U.S. Senate as part of the “For the People: Get Out the Vote Tour.” She was joined by Ossoff, a fellow member of the Democratic Party.
UNC students, including senior Greear Webb, attended in support of Beasley.
“I think she represents North Carolina well, she has shown that she can be elected statewide, and so I think it’s really key that we put her in the Senate,” he said.
The event began with speeches from supporters of the Beasley campaign including Rev. Jay Augustine of St. Joseph African Methodist Episcopal Church in Durham, the president and vice president of UNC Young Democrats and Jonah Garson, the chairperson of the Orange County Democratic Party.
Ossoff spoke next and said that every vote counts in this race. Beasley lost her North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice position in 2020 by only 401 votes.
Ossoff invited Beasley to join him on the stage, where she danced for the audience before beginning her speech.
Beasley’s speech focused on the June overturning of Roe v. Wade and women’s right to medical privacy.
She said she understood many people’s disappointment in the Supreme Court’s decision and said her opponent, Budd, was working in Congress on a complete ban to abortion without exception for rape, incest or risk to a mother’s health.
“It’s important that we send a very strong message to Congressman Budd that there is absolutely no room in the exam room between a woman and a doctor for Congressman Budd,” she said.
She said Budd has been in Congress for six years and has prioritized corporate and special interests above the interests of North Carolinians.
Beasley said citizens should feel a sense of urgency with this election cycle, as women’s rights to make choices about their bodies are on the ballot.
“My late mother was granted the right to vote because of the Voting Rights Act and we were all told that the 2020 election was the most important election of our lifetimes, and it was very important… but if she were here she would tell us that every election is the most important election of our lifetimes,” Beasley said.
A recent poll from SurveyUSA and WRAL showed Budd had a one percent lead among respondents.
“Given how competitive this race is, students at UNC and students across the state will decide whether we continue to make progress or if progress is reversed,” Ossoff said.
The Hill: Clyburn, Stabenow to campaign for Beasley in North Carolina Senate race
By Max Greenwood
October 18, 2022
Two Washington heavyweights are set to campaign with North Carolina Democratic Senate hopeful Cheri Beasley, lending the former state Supreme Court justice a bit of star power in the closing weeks of her campaign.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) will make three stops with Beasley on Wednesday, while Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), the highest-ranking Black member of Congress, will join them for their second event of the day, Beasley’s campaign announced
The race between Beasley and Budd has been a dead heat for months, with polling averages showing the two candidates separated by only a couple percentage points. Beasley has also outpaced Budd in the money race, raking in some $29.1 million for her campaign to Budd’s $11 million.
In an effort to narrow the spending gap, Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), announced last week that it was putting an additional $8 million in spending into the race after dropping $15 million earlier this year.
The race in North Carolina will determine who will replace retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R) at a time when the Senate majority is up for grabs.
Salisbury Post: U.S. Senate candidate Beasley visits Livingstone College
By Brad Dountz
October 16, 202
Cheri Beasley, the Democratic candidate for North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat, visited Livingstone College on Thursday to speak to an enthusiastic crowd of students and teachers.
People were packed into Aggrey Student Union to hear Beasley, who is running against Ted Budd, the Republican who also seeks to take over as Sen. Richard Burr leaves office. Music entertained the crowd beforehand and tables were set up where people could register to vote. Afterwards, Beasley took time to meet and take pictures with anyone who wanted one
Beasley served as a district court justice and as a judge on the state Court of Appeals before being appointed to the N.C. Supreme Court in 2012, where she was chief justice from 2019 to 2020. During her speech, Beasley said her late mother would say that “every election is the important election of our lifetimes.
Beasley is still trying to get that message across to everyone in the state this year
“As I travel to all of our 100 counties, people are so concerned about rising costs and they’re feeling everything from paying at the pump to the cost of prescription drugs and everything in between. So many people working two or three jobs to take care of their families and they want to know that the next senator is going to fight hard for North Carolina and for all of North Carolina,” Beasley said
With interest rates and rent prices increasing, the cost of living has become a major issue this year for politicians.
“I think the Senate really has to also be engaged in incentivizing, to make sure that folks really can have affordable housing. We know that’s an issue all over the state. We know that there are police officers and firefighters and teachers that don’t have housing and that’s not acceptable,” Beasley said.
Original source can be found here.
