Democratic group targets Ted Budd on abortion

A Democratic super PAC is launching a new TV ad in North Carolina's Senate race Tuesday, targeting GOP Rep. Ted Budd on abortion.

Senate Majority PAC’s new ad is the group's first spot that directly attacks Budd. The group previously launched two TV ads defending Democrat Cheri Beasley against GOP attacks on her judicial record.

"Budd wants abortion outlawed, with no exceptions for rape or incest," a narrator says in the new ad, shared first with NBC News.

The ad is referencing an interview earlier in the campaign in which Budd suggested he would not support such exceptions to abortion bans.

“It’s a tragedy when somebody finds themself there, and I want to say, ‘Why would you want to add a second tragedy to an already very tough situation?’” Budd told Nexstar Media Group in May. “I don’t condemn anybody that’s ever been through that, but I want to say let’s not add more tragedy to a very tough situation.”

The ad then directs viewers to a website detailing Budd's views on the issue. The group is spending more than $700,000 on the TV ad, which will air in the Charlotte media market.

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“The more voters learn about Budd’s extreme anti-choice agenda, the more they realize that he’s too far outside the mainstream for North Carolina — and that’s just one reason why they’ll reject him come November,” SMP spokesperson Veronica Yoo said in a statement.

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The ad is the latest sign that Democrats view abortion as a salient campaign issue, even in competitive states like North Carolina, where Republicans have found success in recent election cycles.

Trump won the state by 1 percentage point in 2020 as GOP Sen. Thom Tillis won re-election by 2 points, defeating Democrat Cal Cunningham, whose campaign was upended by allegations of an extramarital affair.

The Cook Political Report rates the North Carolina Senate race as Lean Republican.