The Democratic primaries across the country are in shambles, and North Carolina is no exception. Party leadership struggled until recently to find anyone who would run against Senator Richard Burr in 2016. They finally settled on Rep. Deborah Ross of Raleigh and Spring Lake Mayor Chris Rey.
Problem is North Carolina voters have no idea who they are. A poll released September 30th by the left-leaning firm Public Policy Polling shows that both Ross and Rey have about a 20% name recognition among voters. The Raleigh News and Observer reported:
The no-name primary came about because a number of prominent Democrats took a pass on challenging Burr. They include former U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, former Congressman Heath Shuler, and state Treasurer Janet Cowell.
Hagan and her liberal cohorts were smart to run in the other direction when faced with the prospect of challenging Sen. Burr. The N&O explains:
He easily dispatched Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall in 2010 , he is now chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and he has a $4 million campaign war chest.
In fact, the same poll shows Burr beating the Democratic candidates by double digits. Right now, the DSCC is trying a Hail Mary pass with Rep. Deborah Ross now that she has the backing of the liberal heavyweight group EMILY’s List. Veteran Republican strategist Carter Wrenn said the Democrat’s will have to spend "$50 million, $60 million, $80 million" to even get their candidates on the map.
That’s an uphill battle when roughly 77% of voters polled had no clue who the Democratic candidates were. In a primary of no-name candidates, strategy number one for the left is make sure North Carolinians know you exist.