Cowell’s Surprise Announcement Means Opportunity for GOP

by | Oct 13, 2015 | 2016 Elections, Carolina Strategic Analysis, Education, Features, NC Politics, UNC | 4 comments

With campaign season comes several surprises. State Treasurer Janet Cowell’s announcement that she’s not seeking reelection next year certainly qualifies as one of them. Cowell, first elected in 2008, was heavily courted by the DSCC to run against Richard Burr, but they failed to convince her. She affirmed her interest in another term as Treasurer just a few months ago and raised a lot of money for someone who was apparently on the fence about reelection.

So, what gives? Occam’s Razor says that Cowell is stepping down because of an enticing new job offer. A couple days ago, Cowell was mentioned as one of the finalists to succeed Tom Ross as UNC system president. We’re just going to have to wait and see. One thing is for sure: she’s not running for higher office.

The open seat race is a ripe opportunity for the GOP to elect their first state treasurer since the 1890s. Two names floating around are former Reps. Dale Folwell and Edgar Starnes, both from the western part of the state who now have administrative jobs. Both would be strong candidates. On the Democratic side, there’s Michael Weisel of Raleigh, campaign finance attorney who played a role in the recent “Drunktown” campaign.

Cowell actually has good relations with the Republican legislature and she’s won praise for maintaining the state’s AAA bond rating. The press release from the North Carolina Republican Party “honoring” her service is about as nice as it gets.

Despite her announcement, don’t expect Cowell to leave public service entirely (she hinted as much in a tweet this morning). Chances are she’ll continue to play a major role on the political scene.

4 Comments

  1. Chris Telesca

    Gee whiz – after she told us this summer she was running for Treasurer in 2016 and not running for US Senate, now she pulls this? It’s starting to feel a lot like it did when Bev Perdue told us she wasn’t running for Governor in 2012 – except that few of us knew there was a Justice Department target letter with Bev’s name on it. Not enough time for anyone to give a lot of time to thinking about running for office – or raising the money for a statewide campaign. I honestly thought better of Janet – didn’t think she’d try a stunt like this.

  2. Mike L

    This seems so odd…..Cowell was popular with both Democrats as well as Republicans and more than likely would have done well in 2016. Ive heard her called a “rising star” in NC politics who just several months ago confirmed she was running for reelection and had over $200k raised for her reelection. It would seem like something is up for her to suddenly change her mind without explanation. I wonder if it’s something health or family related? Such a shame, I could see this as a GOP pickup in 2016 unless a strong Democrat comes forward :-/

    • TY Thompson

      GOP pickup? Maybe. But I wouldn’t count on it. For all their successes since 2010, they’ve flopped miserably at Council of State races. The reason why? Pat McCrory doesn’t care which Party has any given Council of State position, he’s totally focused on himself, his office, and flat out doesn’t care about anything else which is why he doesn’t share his huge financial resources with anyone else in his Party. Thus, Rep candidates go into these races underfunded and without even name recognition (like Richard Petty back in the day).

  3. Brad

    Nice picture of Peggy Olsen from Mad Men

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