North Carolina Democrats are starting to get a bit nervous about the lack of a US Senate candidate. 2016 could be a good year for Democrats, the first in awhile. The Republican-led legislature and Congress are unpopular, Attorney General Roy Cooper will be a formidable opponent to ethically challenged Gov. Pat McCrory, the make up of the electorate should be more favorable to Democrats and Barack Obama will not be on the ticket.
Yet nobody is stepping up to the plate to take on Richard Burr even though he’s relatively undefined and can’t get his approval numbers out of the low 30s. Transportation Secretary and former Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx apparently told Burr that he wouldn’t challenge him when the Senator supported his nomination as Secretary of Transportation. State Treasurer Janet Cowell announced last week that she’s running for re-election. None of the rest of the Council of State or Congressional delegation appear interested.
Apparently, much of Washington wants Kay Hagan to run again. She’s a proven fundraiser and just ran a strong campaign in a tough year. However, her approval rating is upside down and voters just rejected her. She may look better in a few years, but right now the sour taste of a nasty $125 million, year-long campaign still lingers. She would be better poised in a re-match against Thom Tillis in 2020.
Young Democrats in North Carolina and some in Washington like state Senator and Afghan war vet Jeff Jackson. Jackson may be the most talented young politician in the state. He grabbed national attention twice when a floor speech in the Senate went viral and he lit up twitter with the hashtag #JustOneLegislator when he showed up at the legislature as the lone Senator on a snow day and proceeded to “pass” a bunch of progressive bills. He innately understands how to communicate in today’s digital world, something that’s eluded older politicians. He’s also good looking, has a growing young family and is smart–all assets in today’s political environment.
However, Jackson has yet to serve a full term in the state Senate. His thin resume would be a big liability, especially to older voters and seasoned donors. To run, Jackson would have to give up his Senate seat. North Carolina is not kind to young, talented politicians, even veterans, who move too fast. Just ask Eric Mansfield and Cal Cunningham. Without the advantage of elected office as a platform, it’s difficult to stay relative in the ever-changing political world and a loss to Burr could set back his promising political career.
There is a young legislator with a military background who could be a contender. Grier Martin has served numerous terms in the House and hails from Raleigh. He comes from a politically connected family and married into another one. He’s smart, likable and accomplished. However, so far, he’s not made any noises about running. If he did, Washington and North Carolina should take him seriously.
My choices right now are UNC President Tom Ross and Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue. I like them for very different reasons. As I wrote earlier this week, Blue could be the right candidate at the right time. An African-American with gravitas and connections, he could attract national attention at a time when racial tensions are high and America needs strong black leaders with perspective and wisdom.
Ross, on the other hand, could enter the fray without the baggage of a legislative record but the a solid record of public service stretching back three decades. At a time when access to higher education is high on the public’s agenda, Ross could make the race about providing the tools of opportunity to build a workforce for the post-Great Recession 21st century. He’s also got the national ties to put together a powerful fundraising machine and the gravitas that would make him instantly credible.
Other people may be considering the race but nobody’s made any movement yet. House Minority Leader Larry Hall, former Congressmen Heath Shuler, Mike McIntyre and Brad Miller have been mentioned but none have been very visible. A self-funder could step up but after North Carolina’s experience with John Edwards, voters might be a bit skeptical. Somebody will emerge, though, and the race in North Carolina will be competitive.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
Having had Grier Martin as a rep in the state House for a number of years (before I moved out of his district last September), I like the cut of his jib a lot. His problem is that outside his district, he’s a relative unknown. Burr is a sellout and a water carrier for the Kochs, but he has name recognition, and he’s better at fundraising than all but a few members of Congress. As sorry as he is, beating him will be a heavy lift.
VALERIE FOUSHEE ALL THE WAY-A fantastic woman who talks like a real person and well knows the issues in our state. She’s got smarts, pizzazz, she has a hand on the pulse. I say VALERIE FOUSHEE.
I went to Wake Forest with Burr I have followed him in the Senate and he has a very weak resume from his time in Washington. Chaired Veterans Affairs Committee but filibustered the “Veterans Aid” bill himself when it came before the Senate. He sends out newsletter full of misinformation and arrogant self-praise of what he “supports” but nothing on the reality of how we votes against EVERYTHING as he told to do. He is a corporate puppet who has done nothing for the people of NC. His record of mediocrity is not strong enough for re-election. All a candidate would have to do is show all the bills meant for the People and the NO vote behind all of them. Also his stance on killing SS and Medicare. He is follower not a leader. He is also a hypocrite as the son of a wonderful pastor. Burr has betrayed all the humanity he grew up with,
The Rev. Barber would scare the hell out of Republicans. Put on his clerical collar, blast the current policies, deliver all the black vote, etc. Great speaker, very intelligent, and despite his hulking appearance he is a nice guy. Just thinkin’.
Great post ‘disgusted’, very insightful; yes, gerrymandering is an issue but even some republicans are beginning to see ‘their party as the problem’, yet election results improbably keep returning republican candidates to office. Vote tabulation verification needs to be made as much of an issue in this upcoming election cycle as candidates; Democracy is founded on openness and transparency and it is past time that the people verify their own vote totals, not some private company hiding behind the legal jargon of ‘trade secret protection’.
The vote count by law is supposed to be independently verified, and I believe, by the Secretary of State – though this may vary by state. My issue is, with all electronic voting machines, no ‘independently verified’ vote count is permissible by law due to ‘trade secret protections’, only the machine vendor certifies that the tabulations are accurate; switching the vote totals after the fact or registering votes for the wrong candidate to date is neither preventable nor detectable under these constraints – these machines should not be being used to count votes period, we must return to hand counted votes if we want honest elections. One of many examples: Wisconsin – Scott Walker’s recall election: he wins re-election, the total votes against his re-election are almost two thirds less than the number of people who signed the recall petition and hardly an eyebrow is raised – you’ve got to be kidding me; those people protested in great numbers in harsh conditions for three weeks to get the recall election and we are to believe that then they don’t vote in the recall election. It has been statistically demonstrated that GWBush lost both his presidential elections by both the popular vote and the electoral college: Florida popular vote was swapped in 2000 and the recount prevented illegally by the SCOTUS, the vote in Ohio was swapped in 2004 giving Bush/Chney the electoral college. When you can control the votes, you can control the country and this is how the republicans are winning. Everywhere everyday our ‘ministry of truth’, the US. media, tells us ad nauseam that we are a center right country – the hell we are! The republicans want three things: absolute global imperialism, austerity for the people and perpetual war for corporate profit and control.
The idea of Shuler baffles me. That cat is a lobbyist for DUKE ENERGY. Good luck with that in a primary.
Erskine Bowles is the best hope for NC democrats. My hope is for NC secession from the forced union.
I say this pre-emptively: DON’T FEED THE TROLLS.
Erskine Bowles sold-out the entire country with his disingenuous recommendations concerning social security – like Billary and Obama, he is little more than a republican in democratic clothing – a ‘Democrat in Name Only’, hence and rightfully so, his exclusion as a possible candidate in Thomas Mills’ article.
Cal Cunningham needs to be the Democratic candidate. He is the most articulate, most experienced, strongest Democrat in NC. He can unite the party and run a statewide campaign. He can beat Burr in a head-to-head contest in a presidential election year.
Mr Cunningham needs to run as a member of the party that most closely shares his policies; as a Republican.
Cunningham has always stuck me as a slick opportunist. A blue Tillis?
I have always been impressed with Cal Cunningham. The Party couldn’t get behind his candidacy in my opinion, because he appreciated Barack Obama too much. The majority of the voters are not comfortable with that viewpoint and that’s why Kay Hagan lost to the Numb Skull.