Pricey Triangle race spawns outcry, lost endorsements over outside spending

The race to replace longtime U.S. Rep. David Price has become a contrast between local support and outside spending, with two opponents teaming up on Wednesday to decry the sources of funds flowing to the race’s money leader.

Meanwhile, a prominent legislator pulled support of a top candidate in the race over funding sources.

Former American Idol star Clay Aiken and environmental expert Ashley Ward stood on the steps of the Durham Central Library and called out one of their opponents in the 4th Congressional District for benefitting from an influx of outside money.

The press conference was the latest event to draw attention to spending in the race, which has been one of the state’s most expensive in almost two decades—a contest that has been pocked with sniping and lost endorsements over funding sources.

At least $2.8 million in outside money has been spent on the Democratic primary. More than 90% of it is benefitting state Sen. Valerie Foushee, a candidate from Orange County. The total is the largest amount of outside funding spent on any North Carolina House primary since at least 2004, according to an WRAL review of Center for Responsive Politics data. The center’s data only goes back to 2004.

Later on Wednesday, state Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham) rescinded her support of Foushee, citing outside spending. Morey then announced her endorsement of Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, who is also vying for the seat.

“When I made an early endorsement of my colleague, Senator Foushee, I believed her promise to fight for campaign finance reform. I thought she would disavow undue outside influence of bundled PAC money. I am very disappointed she did not,” Morey said in a statement released by Allam’s campaign. “I now support Nida and am confident she will fight for campaign finance reform and progressive causes for all people.”

At the press conference, Aiken said the Democratic Party has a proud history of speaking out against the influence of dark money, which is generally defined as political money that comes from an undisclosed source. The Democrat-controlled U.S. House in 2019 passed an election law bill known as H.R. 1 that experts said would curb the influence of dark money in elections.

“It is incredibly disappointing to me because it's coming in and being condoned by a party and people who I have admired for years,” Aiken said. “It's been a very disappointing year for me to see how too many Democrats nowadays have been unwilling to actually practice what we preach as a party.”

Community organizer Crystal Cavalier, small business owner Matt Grooms, Army Reserve officer Stephen Valentine, and virologist Richard Watkins are also running in the Democratic primary.

In prepared remarks Wednesday, Aiken didn’t mention Foushee or her big money supporters by name. But he condemned candidates who accept support from groups that have histories of supporting Republicans.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is supporting Foushee, previously supported Republicans who voted to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Foushee’s ties to the group prompted the North Carolina Democratic Party’s progressive caucus to revoke its support for her.

Aiken said Ward, a North Carolina native who says she took out a loan to run for office, is an example of someone who is most affected by big donors. The Protect Our Future PAC, founded by cryptocurrency billionaire Samuel Bankman-Fried, is also spending at least $771,000 to help Foushee in the primary.

“We are against dark money,” he said. “We are against the money of billionaires from the Bahamas and special interest groups drowning out the voices of candidates.”

Asked about Foushee specifically, Aiken noted that he hadn’t seen her on the campaign trail and that he had “lost respect” for her.
“It's painful to learn things about people that you cared about, [and still] care about,” he said.
The press conference was unusual in that it’s rare for two opponents to appear together in a unified manner against another opponent. Aiken, the only candidate in the race to win a congressional primary, is relying on name recognition and large individual donors to contend in what is seen as a three-way race between himself, Foushee and Allam.

Foushee’s campaign emailed WRAL a statement in response to Aiken’s press conference, saying she’s “one of dozens of progressive candidates and elected officials—including members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Democratic Party leaders like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democratic Whip Jim Clyburn and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer—who has received support from AIPAC because of her unequivocal support for a two-state solution in the Middle East and her belief that Israel is a critically important strategic ally—and the only democracy—in the region.”

Foushee’s campaign also pushed back on Aiken’s claim that they’re not active in the community, saying she “has been meeting with voters across the district since the start of the campaign, and she will continue to do in various settings so that she can bring their concerns with her to Washington and get to work taking on the big challenges we face.”
Ward said she couldn’t ask for donations in good conscience without also investing in her campaign and spending long hours on the campaign trail.

“No, I am not the biggest fundraiser in this race,” Ward said. “But we have knocked on 12,500 doors in Durham and Chapel Hill. We've sent thousands of handwritten postcards. We are out at the polls and in the communities every single day. I really believe that if you want people to vote for you, and you want to represent a district, you have to show up for them.”