N.C. GOP Unveils Ad Invoking Rev. Wright

Causing quite a buzz in the N.C. blogosphere (and the national blogosphere) today: a new TV ad unveiled today by the N.C. Republican Party. The ad, which you can view above, focuses on Barack Obama’s controversial pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and criticizes the two Democrats running for N.C. governor, Beverly Perdue and Richard Moore, for endorsing Obama. The ad plays the now-infamous clip of Wright excoriating America from the pulpit, and then a narrator says, “Now Bev Perdue and Richard Moore endorse Barack Obama. They should know better. He’s just too extreme for North Carolina.”

Within hours of the ad’s announcement, both the Republican National Committee and Sen. John McCain called on the the N.C. GOP not to run the ad, saying it is inappropriate for a healthy and respectful campaign. In a letter to state GOP chairman Linda Daves, McCain wrote that the ad “degrades our civics and distracts us from the very real differences we have with the Democrats.” The executive director of the N.C. Democratic Party called the ad an example of race-baiting.

But Daves said the ad raises legitimate questions about the judgment of Perdue and Moore, and she said the state party will run the ad anyway. She said it will run statewide on Monday during the 6 p.m. hour.

Perdue and Moore both criticized the ad today through their spokespeople. Under the Dome reports that out of the four major Republicans running for governor, only one — Bob Orr — had a comment on the ad today. Orr said the party should not run the ad.