We’re halfway through the year and Democrats still haven’t come up with a candidate to challenge Richard Burr for United States Senate. The two candidates who would appear to be strongest, Anthony Foxx and Kay Hagan, have ruled out bids. Our reader poll at the start of the year had Kay Hagan in the lead, with 21.01% favoring her as the nominee. Cal Cunningham came in a strong second, with 20.74%.
Now, once again it’s time to make your pick: Democrats, who do you want to see challenge Richard Burr in 2016? Cast your vote and write a comment below about why your choice would make the strongest candidate. Republicans, feel free to comment but don’t vote. This is for Democrats only!
Potential candidates who have ruled out bids have been excluded from the poll, but an ‘other’ option has been included, so if you’d like to see someone not listed here, write them in the comments below.
John Wynne is the “conservative voice” at PoliticsNC, where he also provides polling analysis and commentary on legislative campaigns. When not writing about politics, he enjoys gardening and listening to opera. Contact: johncwynne@gmail.com.
Tom has nearly twice the vote of Dan Blue, and Dan is in a safe senate seat. Run, Tom, run !
How about Harvey Gantt!
Cal Cunningham and Dan Blue would both make outstanding candidates. They are dynamic speakers, ooze with charisma, have great personal stories, and would generate excitement in the electorate. I like Tom Ross but I’m afraid his candidacy would look like a grudge race.
I’d rather concentrate on the steak and not the sizzle. For far too long we’ve been grading candidates on the speaking ability, charisma, personal stories, and ability to generate excitement. And then we watch time and time again when they sell out and stab us in the back by failing to work to turn our party platform into public policy. Why are we working so hard to elect these people who do nothing more than sell out to the big donors? When will the grassroots of the Democratic Party start demanding that candidates and electeds treat our volunteer labor the same way they treat the donor $$$?
Anthony Foxx could still change his mind, correct?!?…He is not “legally” obligated to still stay out of the race, correct?!?..A LOT has changed in our country & state since he said he would not run.
I think Tom Ross would make an interesting candidate. His firing might make it possible to link the state legislature’s unpopularity to Burr.
Without Kay Hagen, my heart is lost. Although I can understand a reluctance to enter the fray again — politics are so filthy dirty, running for office is so damned expensive, outrageously emotionally and physically exhausting and damaging — I don’t see any hope at this point for anyone of her caliber to take her place. I think her decision to expend her efforts elsewhere is a good one. Too many wonderful people are ruined by the distructive process of running for a political office. It seems even those who do make it and “win” their seats, they are no longer the vibrant personalities they once were and can no longer make the grand effort they once did to reach the goals for which we elect them.
Then again – she’d be stuck with the same caliber/quality of consultants and staffers who guided her in 2014 in 2016. She was directed by the DSCC staff of 2014 to hire certain people for her campaign staff in 2014. Now many of those 2014 Hagan staffers are working for the DSCC in 2016, and would be telling candidates (including Hagan) who to hire for their 2016 campaigns. Not sure what to do about the blind leading (recommending) the blind like that 😉
How about Angela Bryant? Or some other of the female talent we have in this state?
Roy Cooper. Someone should approach him about switching races.
My sentiments exactly
Good idea Tom…But, I think we really need him as Governor!
In the greater scheme of things, he’d be a bigger impact in the U.S. Senate than as Governor, particularly if the Rep super-majority holds. Remember, there’s a question right now as to whether the U.S. Senate switches control or not. If NC removes Burr, there’s almost no question that the Senate will switch.
Michael, Unfortunately, there is only one Roy Cooper. For Roy to be effective as Governor the Democrats would need to retake the NC House or NC Senate. The Repubs even override McCrory’s veto when he makes a slight move toward moderation. Realistically, I don’t see us as being able to retake the NC legislature in 2016. But as Ty points out below, the US Senate will almost certainly switch if Burr is ousted, and I believe that this is the most important issue we face. Plus, I believe that the odds for Roy to beat Burr are much more favorable than those for beating McCrory, although neither contest will be a cake walk.
Beverly, As a fellow WFU alumnus, I try to keep quiet about Burr being one also, and hope that people might not notice the fact. 🙂
Roy Cooper for US Senate; Tom Ross for NC Governor.
I like that — or the other way around. Both decent viable candidates.
That’s a good idea, Vicki! While we know that Roy Cooper is ready to run, we don’t know about Tom Ross. If the two had a choice of whether to stay home or go to Washington, I think they would work things out.
Roy Cooper could have the Senate or the Governor seat. I have met with him several times and he is smart, wee-educated on the issues, has strong leadership qualities, tremendous credibility, likeability, and inspires people to stand up. I went to college with Richard Burr. He is very beatable. I follow his actions in the Senate and he has done NOTHING. He is a go-along-to-get-along person. He has not stood up for a single issue. He has done nothing for NC. Every time I get one of his newsletters they infuriate me because they are misleading and written for the ignorant voter. He talks about events he attended (really photo-ops for himself), bills he co-sponsored (I could co-sponsor a bill. All it means is you agree with it. It does not mean you do any work to make it happen) and none Burr has co-sponsored have even made to the floor for a vote and if they did he would vote NO because the Republican leadership makes every Republican vote NO. Burr was on the Veteran Affairs Committee as the ranking member. When the bill for Veterans Aid came out of his committee and to the Senate floor, Burr FILIBUSTERED his own bill!! He got so much negative press from that when the next competing bill for Veterans Aid came up, he voted YES for it. He claims he has helped NC families but if pressed, he could not name one single thing HE actually did. All you have to do is publish his last 6 years of NO in the McConnell filibuster game. Show he has not done one single thing for NC – especially Veterans for which committee he once ran. Now he has been “rewarded” with a higher profile committee and is again a do-nothing. I have called him out so many times. His father was a Presbyterian minister, beloved in the community of Winston-Salem (I attended his church) and now gone his father would be horrified at Richard’s attitudes. I have also gone after Richard as fellow Wake Forest classmate. The motto of Wake Forest is “Pro Humanitate” and I remind Richard how he is a traitor to the ideals and expectations of our university. He is the fartherest thing from doing anything for humanity or any human in NC or the nation He is a bought corporate puppet. Burr CAN be defeated with any halfway believable, credible, solid individual. Of course Republicans will pour money in here to save his seat but he is an empty suit and Burr should challenged and made to answer his views on the issues. He is against everything from Social Security to the ACA and for destroying the poor, demanding war for every situation, and has done NOTHING to show he is a leader or has a spine.
We MUST get rid of him and find someone who will call him out on his filibuster games and do-nothing work and his corporate-bought votes.
Republicans will use every nasty ad they can but our response must be to keep asking what Burr’s views on the issues are and why he won’t tell us. If we get into a trading of negative ads, the People will tune out, and not vote based on facts.
I know Burr and he has never been a leader. He hides in the background and tries to remain unnoticed and not be pinned down on any issue.
Post his voting record. Post his abandonment of our veterans. Tell the voters co-sponsoring a bill means nothing and Burr has done nothing and not passed a single piece of legislation.
I write Letters to the Editor at least once a month. The Charlotte Observer calls me wanting to edit my opinion which infuriates me. They are Republican-slanted and will not publish anything I write against McCrory or Burr.
The Enquirer-Journal (Monroe NC) publishes everything I write and will even give me full pages on hot issues. I try to be fair and educate but I definitely make sure they know the only Party fighting for them are Democrats.
I actually have a following. People call my house and tell me how much they loved my LTE or to say “you haven’t written in awhile, please send in a letter”!
I think they should give me a column but a small paper doesn’t always have the luxury. I have proposed several ways to do it- ex. do it like an educational piece for children but we are actually educating the adults on how our government works. 36% of Americans can’t even name our 3 branches of government and Civics is not even taught anyone.
This is why Fox can tell all their lies because the People don’t know enough about their own government and who does what and who has control over what to know they are being lied to as ignorant fools.
Burr can be beaten and so can Tillis when his fraud term is up. I went after Tillis over a NC issue and his response was “it is not my problem but I will forward to the appropriate committee”!!!!! Not his problem? I guess he has to serve those who bought him his seat and betray the people of NC as planned.
Speaking as a disabled veteran, I can certainly attest to how little Burr has done for Veterans.
What about Verla Insko, Valerie Foushee, Graig Meyer? These people have the state’s interest at heart. They talk to real people, they are sharp. Why aren’t their names on this list.
I am really tired of the canyon like separation of local politics to national representation. The people do not have a voice from the democratic party either.
#ByeFelecia to Kay Hagan and while Burr isn’t high on muh list as a Republican it’ll be nice to keep this seat off the table for the Democrats as long as Cowell stays out.
I’ve been ignored here. When I asked Matt to announce that I intend to run, in a press release, he had some reason why not. The announcement of intent is on my youtube, Transcendian. It is in the flow of my work on Transcendia.org/wordpress. There is another “I’m Perfect” post on linked in.
Thanks. P.S. I support engineers and poets, as most simply put.
None of the above are progressive enough, except for Brad Miller (my former Congressman). Some of the names even scare me. But as events of the spring demonstrated, if someone could steal $60K from his campaign treasury with ZERO oversight and supervision, we need someone a little sharper in the Senate representing our interests.
I agree that we need a strong progressive who has not and will not be bought by and sold to the highest bidder (PAC, lobbyist, etc.).
Man, you are blaming Brad for the actions of a psychopath? Figures. #troubleidentifyingtheenemy
Surely this was not the first time a consultant (or the employee of a consultant) stole money from a campaign? And from what folks tell me, Brad was taking meetings with other candidates to determine which other campaigns to distribute campaign money to a year before the tragedy – meetings where he took that psychopath with him. But to have ZERO oversight and supervision of a consultant/vendor that stole from your campaign for nearly 2 years before getting caught tells me that that Brad Miller didn’t know who to trust. But then again Brad wasn’t the only one who didn’t check up on the psychopath – a whole bunch of other people should have provided oversight but didn’t. And as for being fooled by a psychopath, I am sure there are lots of psychopaths in politics: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-freeman/are-politicians-psychopaths_b_1818648.html Which is probably why so many people are turned off to politics in general, leading to lower voter turnout and an increase in UNA registrations.
Way to keep it civil Truth – who is afraid to give his or her real name on here. Many activists feel very dirty when we have to share the party with the typical consultants, some of the candidates who take campaign contributions to sell-out the base, and now even the donor class who – according to the VOTE flyer – are now taking part in county party conventions. So get used to feeling dirty!