Andrew joined the Center in February 2013 as the researcher responsible for committees. Before joining CRP, he was a fellow with the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. Andrew has a B.A. in political science from Yale, where he was the treasurer of Students for a New American Politics, the country's largest student-run PAC.
North Carolina Senate Race Now No. 1 All-Time in Outside Spending
Thursday evening, the Koch-affiliated Freedom Partners Action Fund reported making a seven-figure ad buy attacking Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.). With that buy, the North Carolina race passed 2012’s Virginia Senate election to claim the dubious honor of attracting the most-ever outside spending.
The $55.7 million spent on the showdown between Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis is even more remarkable in context. By this date in 2012, the Virginia race between now-Sen. Tim Kaine and former Sen. George Allen had seen just $30.4 million of its eventual $52.4 million in outside spending. If the North Carolina election follows the same path, it would top $90 million by Election Day. The Senate contests in Colorado and Iowa are also on pace to handily surpass the Kaine-Allen race.
Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., left, and North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Thom Tillis participate in a debate earlier this month. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome, Pool)
Tillis likely knows all too well how thoroughly super PACs have blanketed North Carolina with advertising this year: Outside groups have spent more money ($17.6 million) attacking him this cycle than any other candidate. Only $7.5 million has been spent opposing Hagan, but that excludes spending that isn’t reported to the FEC — such as the barrage of ads earlier in the cycle by Americans for Prosperity, another Koch-funded group, attacking her for supporting “Obamacare” without explicitly saying to vote against her.
Not counting that unreported spending, the race is as even in outside money as it is in the polls. Excluding outlays meant to influence the Republican primary, $27.6 million has been spent supporting Hagan or attacking Tillis, versus $25.4 million spent attacking Hagan or supporting Tillis. For comparison, Hagan and Tillis reported raising less than $30 million through the end of September combined. The largest outside spender in the race, the Democratic ally Senate Majority PAC, has spent just over $10 million, the most by a single committee in any race this cycle.
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