North Carolina – Democrats

Chad Barefoot must have asked his team: “What can we do that will so anger and offend women that they’ll vote AGAINST me?”   They came up with an ad that has backfire potential approaching the “child molester” ad against Justice Robin Hudson. It portrays Sarah Crawford’s husband as a cigar-smoking lobbyist laughing about how his…

The term is new to me, but dog whistles are the oldest thing in Southern politics. This election, like all of them, comes down to race.   In 1950, it was “White People Wake Up…Do you want Negroes working beside you, your wife and daughters in your mills and factories?”   In 1984, it was…

If you’re tired of ads, tired of contradictory punditry and tired of conflicting, confusing and cooked-up polls, here’s a prescription for sanity: Take a dose of the Elon University poll.   A warning about side effects: It will calm Democrats and give Republicans heartburn. (Hagan is up 45-41.)That aside, it gives you as clear, comprehensive…

Thom Tillis said Kay Hagan voted for Obama’s Stimulus Bill then her husband’s company got $390,000 in Stimulus Funds as a pay-off. And Hagan fired back Tillis (as Speaker) put a toll road near Charlotte in exchange for $25,000 in campaign contributions and sold three seats on the UNC Board of Governors for $75,000 in…

As bleak as Governor McCrory’s job approval numbers were in the WRAL poll, that wasn’t the worst news. Consider how Republicans, Democrats and Independents feel about the General Assembly.                                                                                 Republican Voters                                             Approve 35%                                             Disapprove 38%                                               Conservative Voters                                             Approve 33%                                             Disapprove 37%                                               Independent Voters                                             Approve…

The Republican effort to suppress votes at Appalachian State University may have backfired.   More than 700 people voted yesterday at the Student Union polling place that the State Board of Elections tried to shut down. Now we know why the board didn’t want it.   An App student said, “It sends a clear message…

Headline (two weeks ago): Thom Tillis on Life Support. Campaign Dying.    Headline (this week): Tillis Makes Miraculous Recovery. Campaign Surging.   Now, as a storyline, that’s just about unbeatable. It’s like Lazarus rising from the dead.   The problem is two months ago, two weeks ago, and today (in WRAL’s latest poll), Thom Tillis…

I watched the ‘empty chair’ debate too (see Gary’s blog below).   And it brought back old memories. Of old foibles.             Years ago, in 1980, when John East ran against Robert Morgan he challenged Senator Morgan to a debate. And challenged Morgan to debate. And challenged Morgan to debate.   And Morgan said No,…