WASHINGTON _ A deep-pocketed group co-founded by former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg is planning a major ad blitz against GOP candidates running in North Carolina this year, arguing that they are unfit for office because they oppose increasing restrictions on access to firearms.
The effort from Everytown for Gun Safety, dubbed Gun Sense Majority: North Carolina, will involve at least $5 million in ad spending opposing Republicans up and down the ballot, ranging from President Donald Trump to state legislators. The investment represents a significant bet that voters in the state are still motivated by issues of gun violence, even amid a lethal pandemic and nationwide protests over racial injustice.
Advisers to the group say they're paying extra attention to North Carolina, which is not only a key presidential battleground state but is also hosting a marquee race between GOP Sen. Thom Tillis and Democrat Cal Cunningham that many operatives believe could decide which party controls the U.S. Senate.
