We now know who is behind mysterious advertisements meant to undermine the campaign of a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate by boosting one of his opponents in the March 3 primary.

It is none other than a super PAC with ties to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). The Senate Leadership Fund has so far provided $3 million for the Faith and Power PAC for TV ads and mailers on behalf of N.C. State Sen. Erica Smith, one of five candidates running in the Democratic Party primary for Senate.

The seat is held by Republican Thom Tillis, who himself faces three primary challengers.

Senate Republicans no doubt hope that boosting Smith will force the front-runner in the race, Cal Cunningham, to spend more in the primary and perhaps push the race to a runoff — hurting Cunningham’s general election chances. (A candidate must receive at least 30 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff). Cunningham has the backing of the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the donor funding connected to it.

Steven Law of the Leadership Fund and a former McConnell chief of staff, told the Raleigh News & Observer that he borrowed his tactics from Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). He said the ads have been “more successful than we could have imagined.”

As far as we know, there is nothing illegal about what McConnell’s team is doing, and it is the kind of shadow campaign we see more of these days. But this tactic still feels like dirty pool, no matter which side does it, and strikes us as the very kind of thing voters detest about politics.

The tactic is not only fundamentally dishonest but puts an additional burden on candidates with less money, giving big money and super PACs an ever-tighter grip on our political system.

One of the more difficult tasks candidates running statewide have is to introduce themselves to voters and get their messages out. Smith, who incidentally was born on Fort Bragg, has raised around $210,000 according to political site The Hill, which these days qualifies as not a lot. It is unfair that an outside group deigns to speak for her campaign or frame her in any way, especially for some ulterior motive.

“I am against any interference whether it’s Democratic-backed or Republican-backed,” Smith told a TV station earlier this month. “And, it’s just disappointing that this group would come out and run these ads.”

Cunningham, a lawyer and Army reservist whose backing from national Democrats puts him in line for millions in donor money, is at least able to counter the Faith and Power ads against him, as he did with his own video on Feb. 21.

For his part, Tillis has denied any knowledge of the super PAC’s efforts on behalf of Smith.

We get that the seat held by Tillis, a first-term senator, is vitally important to both parties. It is one of a few seats that could swing the balance of power in that chamber in the 2020 election. And we are not naive; we expect political gamesmanship.

But politicians should always try to remember their ultimate goal should not be power for its own sake but to serve the people. That means just because they can use a dirty trick does not mean they should. And how cynical is it to throw the word “Faith” into a dishonest campaign in the first place?

Part of public service means being straight with the people you serve.

— The Fayetteville Observer