GREENSBORO, N.C. — After holding town halls in every North Carolina county, State Senator Jeff Jackson is dropping out of the race to replace Richard Burr in the US Senate.
"We’ve run a strong campaign, but everyone needs to know when to step aside,” he said in a video on Twitter Thursday morning. “Cheri Beasley is consistently leading in the polls. She has also served honorably for over two decades and has always fought on the side of justice. She’s wonderful. I’m going to be her first endorsement as our party’s presumptive nominee. We have to come together right now.”
Cheri Beasley is a former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice who served from 2019 to 2020.
The Republican National Committee released a statement saying: "Jeff Jackson saw the writing on the wall and knows Democrats will face defeat in 2022. ... In less than a year, Cheri Beasley will be sent packing too."
UNCG political science professor Thom Little says Jackson dropping out will help the Democrats be able to spend their money better. After all, with such a tight political balance in the Senate right now, political donors from all over will take an interest. This election is predicted to be one of the most expensive in American history.
"It's a pretty smart strategy for the party, especially if the Republican primary continues to be as complicated and competitive as it appears to be. She can lay back and them fight it out. And she's saving her ammunition while they are forming a firing squad," Little said.
According to the latest public polling data Beasley is down anywhere from two to four points below the possible Republican nominees. But a lot can happen between now and election day. The one thing political experts know for sure: get ready to see a lot of those attack ads.
"We are absolutely in for a nasty campaign season. No doubt about it. Come late summer, every time you turn on the TV, there's going to be another ad," Little said.
