Tony Tata has been the subject of media interest ever since he arrived down here from D.C. back in 2010. That was when the Republican-controlled School Board in Wake County hired him to bring some military discipline to the school system. When Democrats took control of the board, they fired him for partisan reasons. McCrory was elected governor two months later and Tata was appointed as Secretary of Transportation.
Now, Tata appears to be interested in the congressional seat held by Walter Jones. Jones is a maverick Republican and made a famous reversal from being the promoter of “freedom fries” to the harshest critic of the Iraq War in the Republican caucus. Last year he just narrowly avoided getting primaried by Taylor Griffin, who served as an aide in the Bush White House. With ISIS and foreign policy growing more dominant as issues, Jones’ anti-war (some would say isolationist) stance looks increasingly out of step with his party. That gives the GOP establishment a lot of hope that next year will finally be when they claim Jones’s scalp.
The establishment’s big dilemma in this race is making sure the anti-Jones vote isn’t split between two candidates. If Taylor Griffin enters (as he apparently intended to do back in February) then Jones will skate by even if he doesn’t make a majority. Jones’ name recognition and long record of service means that he has a solid base of support that will never fall below 40%, the runoff threshold. The only way to beat Jones is if the anti-Jones vote is consolidated behind one candidate, not two. From the article, it seems like major GOP donors are more confident of Tata’s chances, so if Tata throws his hat in then Griffin will probably be under a lot of pressure to bow out.
Even if it’s just a Tata/Jones battle, the challenger will have some significant hurdles to overcome. First, Tata isn’t even a registered Republican, something he needs to get taken care of if he wants to win the GOP nomination. That isn’t a huge problem – Jones, after all, used to be a Democrat, something that Tata’s campaign will almost certainly point out if Jones raises the issue.
The biggest hurdle, though, is that Tata is a newcomer to North Carolina – he’s been here for only five years – and currently lives in Cary. Folks in Eastern NC tend to be pretty suspicious of outsiders, and the “carpetbagger” charge will get traction. Against Tata, Jones’ campaign will probably seek to make this a Farmville vs. Cary contest. The incumbent will ask, “What does a guy from Wake County know about the issues facing Eastern North Carolina?”
Tata’s people probably hope the candidate’s biography will overcome any concerns about his residency. Tata can probably appeal to “Fox News Conservatives” and could be very competitive with the large veteran vote in places like Craven and Onslow counties. Tata’s team will have to depict Jones as so out of the mainstream that Tata’s outsider status is a comparably minor concern. Because of Jones’ length of service and the fact that a Jones has represented this area for over half a century, that will be difficult to do. A split in the anti-Jones vote will make that impossible. Those who don’t like Jones are going to have to get their act together and unite behind one candidate if they want any chance of defeating him next year.
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.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article26993638.html Yeah, how about those Trump/ Tata rumors ? And further, Tyeryar the moneyman tagging along?
I cant figure out if Tatas leaving is to position himself for the next level of influence w the white house transportation team….or if in truth, his morals got in the way and he had to walk away from McCrory and Tyeryars questionable transpo deals supported by access to deep pockets at any/all cost to the state of NC. Will the GA stand strong…or roll in Tatas absence? Let’s face it, at least w his book deal Tata had/has a ‘legitimate’ secondary ( now primary) revenue stream..Can we say that for the rest of them? This CO article [says] it speaks to Real Stats. Lets hope so. . And remember, Tata being outed by school board by Democrats is the same tag line Tyeryar claims w VA governor. [current Gov McA dropped this former Gov McD CFO….too many skeletons in his closet]. Consider, With a CFO w strong connections to the Kochs and Duke Energy, …you need to be worried about THAT guy ..stroking $30m per month checks on states dime, bragging he ‘made a lot of people rich’ on the 460 deal.. and running the same game w I-77, not to mention, bad deals on the Eastern Shore rocket platform and a Loudoun County ‘road to nowhere’ in his mistresses neighborhood that local rep York’s toadies eventually got behind. Too much corruption to cover here..but its all a matter of record if you are willing to look…… too bad Feds haven’t cross referenced VA & NC’s ‘checkbooks’ and budget spending for similarities…. well, not YET anyway….
[Sounds like Tata has fodder for well more than 3 books from his NCDOT colleagues, alone]. Tata leaving NCDOT doesn’t exempt him from prosecution. I just hope he kept his nose clean and lived up to the honor of being an American Soldier. if not, I hope he owns up…then rolls….. That is my hope, and to hell with the rest of that administration. Remember, the Truth comes Home…and the Truth has a Track Record.
From what I can fathom, your post may be quite interesting and compelling. Please post translated version and concept flowchart ASAP…….
Ha. Carpetbaggers do pretty well in NC Republican politics, witness Tillis, Berger, McCrory and don’t forget Rucho.
Come on, be fair: Mr Tata was hired for partisan reasons.
It happened after the Wake County GOP politicized a nonpartisan school board by running a slate of candidates. When they won, they were high handed, unconcerned with Tata’s minimal K-12 experience & credentials (Google “Broad Superintendents Academy” & see how disruptive its alumni gave been). The hiring process was as high handed as it was partisan.
When the high handed, partisan crew lost the majority, Mr Tata managed or continued to alienate at least some of those in the new majority. They gave him a year, but it didn’t work. He didn’t build bridges or mend fences or work for consensus. Live by the sword …
Let’s hope the UNC Board of Governors thinks about this as it searches to replace Tom Ross.
And we’ll see if Tata can parachute in to victory in a state he’s new to, & a congressional district hell be even newer to. Pass the popcorn.
On the contrary, Tata would be the definitive carpetbagger, i.e., “an opportunistic outsider, newly arriving in a locale without invitation, who possesses little local knowledge, and who hopes to exploit an unsettled political condition there for his/her own advancement.”