Leading Jesse Helms’ campaign back in 1990 Tom Ellis asked pollster John McLaughlin: ‘Who do we want to win the Democratic primary?’

John opened his poll. Turned pages. Looked straight at Tom Ellis.

‘You want Harvey Gantt – not Mike Easley.’

Gantt would be easier for Jesse to beat in the General Election.

Jesse’s campaign made a cartoon ad: Easley was a fox, Gantt a turtle, crossing a green field as the announcer said Easley, clever, a District Attorney, made deals with drug dealers, let them off easy – in the next breath said Gantt was liberal.

Cutting deals with drug dealers torpedoed Easley; being liberal helped Gantt win the Democratic primary. We got what we wanted.

A candidate running ads in the other party’s primary was rare back then. But we didn’t hide it – the ad said, Paid for by Jesse Helms for Senate.

Now it happens all the time. And both parties hide it.

In North Carolina’s Democratic primary for Attorney General last March Washington Republicans spent a million dollars to help Democrat Satana Deberry, running ads praising her work ‘to end inequity and racial bias.’ They hid behind a Super PAC they named ‘And Justice for All.’

They didn’t get what they wanted. Deberry lost.

Democrats just spent multiple millions in Ohio’s Republican Senate primary to help Bernie Moreno, paying for ads saying he’d lead the charge ‘to enact Trump’s MAGA agenda.’ They hid behind a Super PAC called ‘Duty and County’ – supported by Senator Chuck Schumer’s Washington PAC.

They did get what they wanted. Moreno now faces the Democrat Schumer wants to elect in November.

Back in 1990 I thought what Helms’ campaign did to help liberal Harvey Gantt was clever. But, looking back, I was wrong: We planted seeds that led to politicians spending millions running ads to fool voters – in the other party’s primary.