Nida Allam, a 32-year-old Democrat, was fighting a close North Carolina primary when a barrage of ads swept in.
Over five days in February, the blitz across TV, radio and social media painted the incumbent, Rep. Valerie Foushee, as a liberal crusader. “She is leading the fight to hold ICE accountable,” one ad said of Foushee, who co-chairs a Democratic House commission on artificial intelligence.