Some random thoughts this afternoon on the NC political scene:
-It will take a while before the impact of the McCrory Tree.com story is known. PPP’s latest poll had his approval spread at 41/46 and leading Cooper by 7. We’ll have to see if that changes next month.
-Burr thought Cruz’s shutdown was the “dumbest idea ever” but supported him in his immigration battle this weekend, a sign that Burr is gearing up for 2016 and is looking to counter any challenges from the right.
-In his latest column, Rob Christensen bemoaned the lack of political giants from NC. Senator-elect Thom Tillis is actually well-placed to become the next Carolina giant. Tillis dominated the headlines as House Speaker and will probably be an assertive member of the U.S. Senate. He wants to be NRSC chairman, and with his uncanny ability to see his goals come to fruition, it’s possible his political rise won’t end there. Could his name one day appear on a presidential ticket?
-Despite the new voter reforms, turnout from 2010 is up across all demographic groups. Opponents of the new law still plan to challenge it in the courts. Their argument is pretty much that while turnout was up, it should have been up more.
-PPP’s annual poll on NC sports is now up. In the world of college football, NC likes UNC the best, with 26% support. Next up is Duke with 15% and NC State with 14%.
-Another name being tossed around as a potential challenger to Burr: Former Rep. Brad Miller. Is he kicking himself for not running back in 2008, or what? (But he would probably have been ousted this year anyway.) Miller was rumored to be in the line to take over the 4th District seat once Price retired, but Price is still around and any primary to succeed him would be chaotic.
-The NC Board of Elections has still not sorted early and absentee votes by precinct. When they do, we’ll have analysis of county-level results in some of the larger NC counties, like Mecklenburg and Buncombe. Stay tuned.
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.
The first three comments about said it all. Tillis was a controllable back- bencher in NC until needed by some big boys.
“Tillis dominated the headlines as House Speaker and will probably be an assertive member of the U.S. Senate.”
Is this for real? The summer session was endless. Tillis dominated headlines as a guy who couldn’t really get anything done. His big campaign theme was to blame Obama for everything. He’s unimaginative and does not give the appearance of great intelligence. But in the upside-down world we live in, he’ll probably be that DC giant. Alas, poor Carolinians.
John, now that you have written that Tillis could be the next Congressional “giant” from NC, that it’s possible his political rise won’t end with a Congressonial committee chairmanship, and that you seriously asked “Could his (Tillis’) name one day appear on a presidential ticket?”, I will never, ever, take your musings seriously again.
Tills cannot hide from the media in DC, nor steamroll the opposition party, nor deflect his lies and hypocrisy like he did here in Raleigh/NC. He will melt like the wicked warlock that he is……
Let’s hope they run Thom, he would be the best thing that ever happened to democrats.
Unfortunately, I seriously doubt Thom will survive in the politics of Washington. He is what Texans call all hat and no cattle The DC is not North Carolina. I think Thom is about to find that out. .