Bill Clinton Coming to Help Kay Hagan

by | Sep 9, 2014 | Carolina Strategic Analysis, Features, National Politics, US Senate | 5 comments

“Mr. Clinton better watch out if he comes down here. He better have a bodyguard.”

Jesse Helms said that to a News & Observer reporter back in 1995. Even though North Carolina wasn’t as rabidly anti-Clinton as Helms was, this was never a friendly state to him. While Clinton carried a number of states in the South during his elections in the 1990s, North Carolina rejected him twice. In 1992 Tar Heel voters narrowly opted for George Bush, making Clinton the first Democrat to win nationwide without North Carolina, despite an aggressive campaign here. In 1996, Clinton fell further, losing by 4 points to Bob Dole despite a better showing nationally. And after he left office, Clinton’s shadow lingered over North Carolina, and connections to the former president helped sink Erskine Bowles in his 2002 and 2004 senatorial campaigns.

Why was Clinton a persona non grata in North Carolina? Simply put, on almost every issue that Tar Heel voters held near and dear to them, he was on the wrong side of it. NAFTA, gays in the military and cuts to defense spending, attacks on tobacco, a sordid personal life which offended religious conservatives … you name it. The surprise isn’t that Clinton didn’t win here in the 1990s; the surprise is that he came so close to doing so.

But now, things have changed. Clinton’s reputation has improved not only nationally, but in North Carolina as well. Instead of being seen as a liberal who was impeached for an extramarital affair, he’s seen as a centrist who stood for the middle class and helped usher in the strongest economy in American history. With today’s demographics, Clinton would have won NC in both 1992 and 1996. He would certainly carry it if he were on the ballot today.

That’s why it’s good news for Kay Hagan that the man himself is coming down here for a fundraiser and luncheon for her campaign. Bill Clinton is the guy who is probably most responsible for Barack Obama winning a second term, and his support could only help Kay Hagan in her own bid for reelection.

Unfortunately, Clinton is a busy guy and it looks like Kay is going to have to share him with other candidates running in tight races in places like Georgia, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Of those four, Hagan’s prospects for winning her race look the brightest, but she’s still very much endangered and she would probably prefer if Bill were campaigning for her 24/7 and not just appearing at a luncheon in Chapel Hill. Bill Clinton, the best surrogate for a Democrat running for U.S. Senate in North Carolina – a sign of how much things have changed here in two decades and a favorable portent of Hillary Clinton’s chances here in 2016.

5 Comments

  1. Marc

    President Clinton, like Hagan, is very interested in women and the issues that matter to them. That being said, I’ll be sure to warn my wife and daughter that he’ll be in town.

  2. lester armstead

    I guess another habitual liar on the stage with Hagan can’t hurt her chances too much. She’ll get fired this time for sure. Blaming the tax breaks for yacht owners from 1989 on Tillis was just too much for some of us.

    • Troy

      Wow, Bill is bringing his BFF George W. with him?!?! You did say “another habitual liar.”

      But Thom had you at, “…and I’ve been a partner with IBM.” Nice.

  3. Lucy Walters

    Bill Clinton was and still is the best thing that happened to this country in many years…It is a shame that NC showed ignorance and bad judgement in shunning him, but unfortunately no surprise. I wonder if they are proud of their idiot governor instead?? We should be honored and ever so lucky to have Clinton grace our state…If another term was a possibility ,We should beg for someone with the wisdom and courage to lead our country as well as he.

    • Lucia Messina

      It is not North Carolina that is shunning Clinton, it is the far right conservatives and Tea party members , who put the GOP in power. As for Clinton – gracing our State , he is doing this for Hillary. They want a Democratic Senate for the next two years and Hagan to be beholding to them. So be it , certainly want Hagan to win, but Clinton is always about Clinton. As for his time in the WH, he made mistakes as everyone does, but his actions – personally hurt, him a lot in NC , and they were hard to forget…. but his worse was the changing of the financial rules and regulations for Wall Street. We are still suffering greatly for that greedy mistake for his friends.

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