Democratic primary advertising is for Republicans

 Democratic voters in North Carolina are receiving a lot of advertising touting one Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate against another Democrat. The persistent and frequent ads call on voters to choose Erica Smith as the party nominee to oppose Republican incumbent Thom Tillis.

GOP flier in Democratic primary

The ads praise Smith as a true Democrat who favors such programs as "Medicare for All" — a plan touted presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders — while attacking fellow Democrat Cal Cunningham for opposing the Sanders plan, which has been under attack for its lack of specifics and its extraordinarily high costs. Democratic presidential candidates are divided on "Medicare for All."

The flier shows a photo of Cunningham with the headline "ZERO" juxtaposed against a picture of Smith with the headline "HERO."

What Democratic voters aren't being told is that the pernicious ads are being paid for and designed by a Republican political action committee. The fine print says, "Paid for by Faith and Power PAC. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee ..." You can Google the PAC and confirm that it is a Republican super PAC (donors' names are kept secret) controlled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

So why are Republicans surreptitiously supporting Erica Smith? Likely because they see her as a weaker candidate than Cal Cunningham, who is being supported by a Democratic Senate PAC.

Any Democrats who take the advice of the mail-out will be aiding the Republican Party in a classic case of election interference. Ms. Smith has denounced the GOP support, but she cannot stop their relentless campaign, which is not illegal under current law.

Both Democrats and Republicans should condemn tactics such as this one, but it looks like this is becoming "the new normal" unless Congress and the Federal Election Commission act to put a stop to dishonest political advertising such as this other-party interference in a U.S. Senate campaign.