The Democrats interested in the Senate race are surfacing. The Heath Shuler trial balloon went up last week. State Representative Duane Hall announced before that. The Deborah Ross and Chris Rey balloons went up this week. And there’s plenty of time for more people to emerge.

Chris Rey is the African-American mayor of Spring Lake, a town of 13,000 that lies on the outskirt of Fort Bragg and is a bedroom community for the base and neighboring Fayetteville. Rey is also a veteran who did tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star. He graduated from William and Mary School of Law in the 2010. He has a consulting firm that works with businesses and nonprofit organizations.

Rey has been traveling the state for much of the past year or so, meeting with groups and building networks. He’s currently president of the North Carolina Black Elected Municipal Officials. Rey had considered a run for lieutenant governor but ruled that out.

Rey is a charismatic speaker who has a distinctive presence. However, he’s largely unknown across the state. He needs to quickly build support in fundraising circles and hope that he can catch fire in the African-American community. About 30% of likely Democratic primary voters are African-American. With the right candidate that could reach closer to 40%.

Deborah Ross and Duane Hall both hail from Raleigh. Ross is the more formidable candidate. She was a powerful state legislator when Democrats controlled the House. She left the General Assembly to become General Counsel to the Triangle Transit Authority. She was head of the North Carolina chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). In the legislature, she was seen as a champion of progressive causes. She has strong contacts in the fundraising community but, having served in a safe seat, never raised large amounts of money as a candidate.

Ross has a strong resume, access to cash, and a base in the Triangle. In a primary, she would have support from several progressive organizations (and potentially EMILY’s List) and women make up more than 55% of a Democratic primary. Republicans would argue that she’s too liberal for the state and point to her work with the ACLU.

Representative Duane Hall has said he’s likely to run. I’m not sure I understand his candidacy. He’s been a fairly low-profile state Representative who has never raised much money. Hall will need to make a splash somehow to grab attention of both activists and donors.

Ross and Rey both start with a potential base of voters–Rey, the African-American community across the state and Ross, the progressive community and women in the Triangle. Neither has raised substantial money and both need to prove themselves in this area. Neither one has had a competitive race of any stature, either, so they both have a campaign learning curve, too.

In a general election, Ross, Rey, and Shuler all bring different assets to the race. Shuler is the most experienced campaigner and fundraiser and has a unique appeal to moderate and conservative voters. Rey could spark the imagination of the African-American community and bring a turnout that looks a lot like Obama 2008. Ross brings a record of public service and experience along with intellectual heft that could help solidify women voters for Democrats.

I’m not convinced that all of the candidates have emerged. I get the sense that the DSCC is still talking to people. They would prefer someone with the campaign experience, the fundraising connections and resume to be instantly credible. Right now, all the candidates considering the race will need to prove themselves before they can make the race competitive with Burr. 

Thomas Mills

Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >