Is DSCC ad buy a bluff?

Is the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee bluffing?

Republican strategist Marc Rotterman said he was not sure whether the national group really intends to spend $5 to $6 million in North Carolina to back Senate candidate Kay Hagan.

"It's not clear yet whether it's a bluff or it's for real," he told Dome.

He argued that reserving that much ad time could be a way of tying up the DSCC's counterpart, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, to keep it from spending more heavily in races with strong Republican challengers.

But another Republican consultant, Carter Wrenn, said that would be a pretty bad bluff.

If the DSCC didn't end up spending the money, it would send a strong signal that they had reconsidered Hagan's chances and found her lacking.

"That would be a real blow to the credibility of Hagan's campaign," he said.

Both agreed that the ad buy would spur fundraising for both Hagan and U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole. Hagan will cite the spending to argue that she is a viable candidate, while Dole will say it's a reason she needs more from her donors.