Republicans Eat Their Own in NC-01

The increasingly nasty Republican attacks in the NC-01 GOP primary have guaranteed that no matter who makes it out, they’ll be entering the general election with plenty of baggage.

Sandy Smith and Sandy Roberson are duking it out for the Republican nomination and it’s clear they’re willing to go “nuclear.” This week, Smith is up with a new attack ad that alleges that Roberson has been weak on crime and that taxpayer dollars were misused under his watch:

Voters beware. Mayor Sandy Roberson’s Rocky Mount has had eight shootings and four murders in seven days.

Before that, Roberson’s Rocky Mount was found by the state auditor to have wasted $1 million in written off utility bills, including for one of the city council members.

Then Roberson’s Rocky Mount was caught spending $70,000 on a vacation to Asheville for the City Council.

Sandy Roberson also owns a nursing home that was fined $45,000 for putting the health and safety of the elderly in immediate jeopardy. 

The situation is putting Republican national groups into a tailspin. Kevin McCarthy’s super PAC rushed in half a million dollars on a negative ad attacking Sandy Smith in a spirited effort to eat their own and drag Roberson over the finish line. The question is: Will it be enough?

“The Republicans have done an excellent job disqualifying each other in the NC-01 primary,” said DCCC spokesperson Monica Robinson. “The DCCC thanks them for their contributions to our effort to send three new Democrats to represent North Carolina in Congress this cycle.”

###