全国民主党人正越来越多地将注意力从北卡罗来纳州的参议院竞选上转移，因为民调显示前州长罗伊·库珀领先，他们开始将目光投向那些曾经被视为长期劣势的选举，将其视为可能的胜利机会。但一位曾帮助民主党在该州赢得上届总统大选的资深策略师正敦促捐助者不要理所当然地认为胜利已经到手。
National Democrats are increasingly shifting their attention away from North Carolina’s Senate race as polls show former Gov. Roy Cooper ahead, eyeing once long-shot races as possible pickups. But a veteran Democratic strategist who helped deliver the party’s last presidential victory in the state is urging donors not to take a win for granted.
根据POLITICO获得的音频，曾管理巴拉克·奥巴马在2008年北卡罗来纳州微弱胜利的大卫·普卢夫对民主党捐助者和支持者表示，在罗伊·库珀参议院竞选的最后几周里，他们不应产生自满情绪。
David Plouffe, who managed behind Barack Obama’s narrow 2008 victory in North Carolina, urged Democratic donors and supporters not to grow complacent in the final weeks of Roy Cooper’s Senate campaign, according to audio obtained by POLITICO.
“我认为这次竞选……我认为这是全国运作得最好的一次竞选，”普卢夫在通话中说道。“但这并不意味着我们可以轻松休息。”他警告说，北卡罗来纳州相对固定的党派格局——作为一个摇摆州——使得候选人很难显著扩大其支持基础。
“I think that this race ... has I think been the best run race in the country,” Plouffe said on the call. “But that doesn't mean that we can rest easy.”He warned about North Carolina’s relatively fixed partisan makeup as a purple state, making it difficult for a candidate to dramatically expand their base of support.
“有些州的选举是在一定范围内进行的，而这个州也将是这样，”他说。
“There's certain states that elections happen within a bound, and this one will be that way as well,” he said.
在公开民调中，库珀领先于共和党候选人迈克尔·惠特利，后者在提高知名度方面遇到了困难，因为他面对的是知名度远高于他的前州长。随着民主党人对其候选人翻转该席位的信心日益增强——这是他们夺回参议院控制权所需的四个可能胜选席位之一——全国性团体已经开始将资金和注意力转向其他竞选，最近的例子是堪萨斯州。但普卢夫表示，北卡罗来纳州仍需保持重点关注。
In public polling, Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley, who has struggled to boost his name recognition against the much better-known former governor. And as Democrats grow increasingly bullish on their candidate’s chances of flipping the seat — one of four pickups they need to take control of the Senate — national groups have begun shifting their money and attention to other contests, including most recently to Kansas. But Plouffe said North Carolina needs to remain a priority.
“我们必须赢下那些我们必须赢下的选举，”他在给库珀财务委员会的通话中说道。
“We have to win the ones we have to win,” he said on the call to Cooper’s finance committee.
就在普卢夫发表这些言论的几天前，参议院民主党的顶级超级政治行动委员会撤回了部分在北卡罗来纳州的支出，此前该州共和党的顶级超级政治行动委员会已经进行了更大规模的撤资。
Just days before Plouffe’s remarks, Senate Democrats’ top super PAC pulled back some of its spending in North Carolina, following a much bigger retreat by Republicans’ top super PAC in the state.
普卢夫警告说，北卡罗来纳州历来是民主党在联邦层面难以攻克的州，尤其是近年来。该党自2008年以来尚未在那里赢得过参议院选举，当时奥巴马成为最后一位赢得该州的民主党总统候选人，以不足15000票的优势获胜。他在2012年输掉了该州。
Plouffe cautioned that North Carolina has historically been a tough state for Democrats at the federal level, especially in recent years. The party hasn’t won a Senate race there since 2008, when Obama became the last Democratic presidential candidate to carry the state, winning by fewer than 15,000 votes. He lost the state in 2012.
“尽管当时我们赢得了选举人票，但我认为我们仅以14000票的优势获胜。所以那是我们最微弱的胜利，”普卢夫说。“而在2012年，我们试图在这些电话参与者的帮助下再次赢得北卡罗来纳州，但我们就是做不到。这说明该州有多难。”普卢夫还指出，库珀的选举意义超越了11月，他认为库珀的胜利可能为该党最终的2028年总统候选人提供蓝图。
“Even though we carried the electoral votes back then, we only did so by I think 14,000 votes. So it was our narrowest victory,” Plouffe said. “And in 2012, we tried to win North Carolina again with the help of so many people on this phone, and we just couldn't get it done. And that tells you how difficult the state is.”Plouffe also cast the stakes of Cooper’s race as extending beyond November, arguing that a Cooper victory could provide a blueprint for the party’s eventual 2028 presidential nominee.
“民主党需要在2028年参与并赢得北卡罗来纳州的竞选，”他说。“而了解一位州长如何赢得州政府只是一方面。最好的途径、最好的指引，是看某人如何在艰难的州赢得联邦选举，这可以为你指明方向。”
“Democrats need to compete and win in North Carolina in 28,” he said. “And it's one thing to look how a governor can win a state. The best route, the best scout that you receive, is how someone in a federal race won in a tough state, and that can show you the way.”