Even Erica Smith Thinks Cal Cunningham Is Hiding In A Windowless Basement

November 25th, 2019

Will Cunningham Embrace The Democratic Front-Runner’s Radical, Liberal Agenda?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In an interview posted by WFAE on Friday, Erica Smith ripped Cal Cunningham for being a quitter, for hiding from voters and the press in a windowless basement, and for being the handpicked candidate of Chuck Schumer. She also voiced her support for radical policies, such as providing taxpayer funded health care to illegal immigrants and the Green New Deal – issues Cunningham has been “vague” on “even after repeated questions.” Smith’s comments come on the heels of a recent Fox News poll showing her leading Cunningham by five points in the Democratic primary.

“Even Erica Smith thinks Cal Cunningham should come out of Chuck Schumer’s windowless basement and clear up whether he wants to put North Carolinians on the hook for the health care of illegal immigrants and implement a government takeover of the economy that will cost taxpayers $93 trillion,” said Tillis campaign spokesman Andrew Romeo. “As his Democratic challengers keep lurching leftward and mimicking the radical liberals running for president, Senator Tillis will continue to focus on implementing his commonsense conservative policies that are making life better for all North Carolinians.”

Highlights from Smith’s interview with WFAE can be found below.

Erica Smith On Cal Cunningham

QUESTION: The Tillis campaign has criticized Cal relentlessly as being in the “windowless basement.” Is that a fair criticism?ERICA SMITH: That is a fair criticism because I’m out meeting voters. Once again, I hate to keep making this distinction, but many of the counties that we visit in, the communities that we do that, they say, ‘Wow, you’re the first U.S. Senate candidate who came to Avery County, who have come to Murphy, North Carolina, or Haywood County.’ I don’t have the type of character that would want to sit in a windowless basement and dial for dollars, only to use that money to run negative attack ads on my opponent. And so Cal Cunningham has to overcome 17 years of not serving in any elected capacity. He served for one term in the North Carolina Senate, and when the lines were redrawn, he packed up his tools and went home because he said it’s going to be too hard to win. For whatever the reasons the (Democratic Senate Campaign Committee) recruited him. The DSSC recruited him and they gave him support. They funneled money displaced from their donors. They gave him the DSSC staff. And so they have stacked the deck to try to prop them up. But that’s not what’s going to promote electability quality.

Erica Smith’s Discusses Radical Policy Positions

QUESTION: So back to the health coverage question. So I think you said earlier, like when someone comes into an emergency room, whether they are a citizen or not, they need to be given health care. It sounds like you’re saying that your plan would be open to someone being able to pay into coverage. ERICA SMITH: Yes, you should be able to pay into coverage.
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QUESTION: You are in favor of the Green New Deal, right?ERICA SMITH: I am in full 100% in favor of the Green New Deal.

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BACKGROUND

Senator Thom Tillis has also been critical of Cunningham for hiding in a windowless basement and not taking stances on major policy issues. In an interview with WAAV’s Tyler Cralle on Friday, Tillis pointed out that Cunningham has called the policies coming out of the Democratic presidential primary “refreshing,” but has yet to tell North Carolinians which ideas he was referring to.

TYLER CRALLE: Obviously, you are running for reelction. We had a Fox News poll come out last week that shows you with 54% of the primary vote in North Carolina. Obviously, you have some primary challengers, but 54% would put you well over the mark in order to get the Republican nomination. And the Democrats, there didn’t really seem to be any leading candidate on the Democratic side. What is your take? How do you feel at the end of 2019 heading into 2020?
SENATOR TILLIS: I feel good about it. We have got to move forward, primaries happen. We’ll win the primary. The president has endorsed me. He’s endorsed me because I support his policies. I’ve been on the front lines of for all the judicial nominations, two Supreme Court justices, almost 45 Circuit Court justices, we’ve literally changed the composition of the Second Circuit Court last week. That’s a record I think primary voters will support. Then you move to the general. I think Cal Cunningham, who has characterized the Democratic candidates and their debates as “refreshing,” I think Cal Cunningham needs to come out of that windowless basement and say which thing do you like most. Do you like the Green New Deal? Do you like Medicare for All? Do you like Beto O’Rourke’s concept of hell yeah, I’ll take your guns away? Sooner or later, Cunningham is going to have to stand for something, and if he stands for any of those things he’s going to be standing in the back position in the election in November. This is a very, very important election. The Democrats are consistently doubling down on a liberal progressive agenda that people in North Carolina – moderate Democrats, independents, and Republicans – are going to reject. That’s why we’re going to get reeelected in November. (The Tyler Cralle Show, WAAV, 7:05-8:48, 11/22/19)

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