North Carolina PACs Pull Millions in Ads Before Vote

Election Day is five days away, and political action committees are pulling millions of dollars in television advertising from North Carolina races.

In the 11th Congressional District, funds are moving away from the contest between Democrat Jamie Ager and Republican Jennifer Balkcom. Groups are redirecting money to other contests where they believe their spending will have more impact.

The No Going Back PAC, which supports Trump-aligned candidates, cancelled major television ad buys backing Balkcom. Separately, the House Majority PAC, a Democratic group, cancelled approximately $700,000 in television advertising for Ager on WLOS this week. Federal Election Commission records show individual buys ranging from tens of thousands to over $100,000, with total outside spending in congressional races reaching into the millions.

Chris Cooper, chair of the political science department at Western Carolina University, said this kind of movement is common in the final days of a campaign. "The money is being pulled out, and this is in some ways normal when candidates and campaigns and PACs and affiliated groups believe that it’s just good money after bad," Cooper said.

Cooper noted that Balkcom entered the race after Republican Chuck Edwards exited. This gave her less time to campaign than Ager, who had been running for about a year. Cooper pointed to early media appearances where Balkcom stumbled on answers to questions. Current polling shows Balkcom behind Ager.

Balkcom's spokesperson declined to comment on the cancelled advertising. The shift in funds reflects a strategy used by political committees to redirect budgets toward more competitive races, particularly as control of the House of Representatives is at stake. Local television stations often see a flurry of cancellations and replacement buys during this final stretch.

All political advertising will end on Election Day, Nov. 3.