Rep. Richard Hudson, chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has reserved tens of thousands of dollars in TV ad buys in his North Carolina district as Republicans fight to hold onto their slim majority.
The ad buys are striking because Hudson, tasked with protecting the Republican House majority, represents a district that President Donald Trump won by more than 15 percentage points in 2024. The rocky political climate for Republicans has members in solid red seats taking very few chances ahead of the midterm elections.
A source with access to an ad tracking database told The Washington Sun that Hudson’s campaign had reserved north of $200,000 in spending. Federal Communications Commission records verified a flurry of activity by Hudson’s campaign in the tens of thousands of dollars this week.
Hudson’s campaign did not dispute the $200,000 figure.
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“Congressman Hudson runs hard every cycle, and this one is no different. He was on air at home in 2022, he was on air in 2024, and he’s on air now. He earns every vote, every time,” said Cam Mills, Hudson’s campaign manager, in a statement.
His team did not provide documentation suggesting past cycle spending was comparable to the spending his campaign is doing now.
In one 30-second spot, Hudson, sitting at a bar counter, speaks against stock trading by members of Congress and name-checks former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.
A Democratic-leaning pollster surveyed the race last month and found Hudson leading Democrat Richard Ojeda, 46% to 42%.
“I think this may be a recognition that some Republicans who would have felt comfortable not having to advertise, not having to do massive campaigning are probably seeing some writing on the wall of Democratic enthusiasm,” Michael Bitzer, professor of politics at Catawba College, told The Sun of the spending. “This may be an attempt just to shore up their walls around their district.”
Hudson, who as chair of the NRCC spends a lot of time traveling and fundraising, hasn’t faced a competitive challenger since 2020, when Patricia Timmons-Goodson came within 6 percentage points. Odeja previously served in the West Virginia state Senate.
“RICHARD HUDSON IS ON TV. WE NEED TO BE TOO,” Ojeda’s campaign posted on Facebook on Thursday in a fundraising plea.
Ojeda’s campaign reported raising $2.2 million compared to Hudson’s $3.2 million as of the end of June.
The “ad buy does not mean that the ship’s going down, but it does mean that they’re having to pay attention to it,” Chris Cooper, professor of political science at Western Carolina University told The Sun.
Hudson’s ad spend also reflects broader Republican anxiety over North Carolina.
This summer, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee moved Hudson’s district to its “districts in play” list, though The Cook Political Report still categorizes the district as solid Republican.
North Carolina is also the setting of a competitive Senate race between Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley, which is drawing national attention and could have implications for the House races in the state.
“If Republicans are less likely to show up because they’re not fired up about Whatley, then that’s going to hurt Republicans downballot,” Cooper said.
A recent AARP poll shows Cooper leading Whatley by 11 percentage points.
Last week, the Republican Senate Leadership Fund pulled out of the state in favor of spending in Kansas and South Carolina. The Raleigh News & Observer reported Wednesday that Whatley had paused his ads in order to rethink strategy.
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