North Carolina – Democrats
Beneath the Headlines
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…
Read MoreAn Empty Chair
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,…
Read MoreInside the War Rooms
In the state where President Obama had his closest win in 2008 and his closest loss in 2012, why wouldn’t the U.S. Senate race be tight as a tick? Carter has posted a great series of blogs about the race (although he’s wrong on the education issue). My other favorite blogger, Thomas Mills, weighed…
Read MoreThe Senate Race – 5
You have to give Kay Hagan credit: A year ago the Swing Voters were ready to roll down the track and vote her out of office – and for a year Hagan kept those voters out of Thom Tillis’ camp. The one big change in the Senate race – Tillis’ rising unpopularity with Independents…
Read MoreThe Senate Race – 4
After Hagan’s first round of attacks calling Tillis a Tea Partier, a few Swing Voters decided to vote for Hagan, a few decided to vote for Tillis, but most stayed Undecided. Ambivalently Undecided. They didn’t want to vote for Obama-Hagan. But they didn’t want to vote for Tillis either. The bad news for Tillis…
Read MoreThe Senate Race – 3
When Thom Tillis started his campaign his prospects looked promising. Obama wasn’t just unpopular, his unpopularity was a plumb line cutting through the electorate – you were either for Obama or against him and Kay Hagan was on the wrong side of the line. Tillis, himself, back then wasn’t too well known but he…
Read MoreThe Senate Race – 2
When I saw Kay Hagan’s first ad saying Thom Tillis was supported by the Tea-Party-leaning-Koch-Brothers I thought, Now, that’s odd – after all, the Koch Brothers weren’t on the ballot and no one cared a hoot who they supported. But I was dead wrong. Because it wasn’t the Koch Brothers who mattered –…
Read More$6 Million Ain’t What It Used to Be
Some perspective on the breathless reports that the National Republican Senatorial Committee is pumping another $6.5 million into Thom Tillis’ campaign: What does that buy, and what does it get you with still-undecided voters? On the buy, it gets you about half what it would get you if you had bought the time weeks…
Read MoreThe Senate Race – 1
Months ago, back when she started her campaign, Kay Hagan faced a knotty problem: She was going to get the Democratic base vote; her opponent was going to get the Republican base vote; but the Swing Voters didn’t like President Obama and, so, were on track to vote Hagan out of office. Now, theoretically,…
Read MoreOdd and Odder
If you think about it DENR’s proposal was pretty odd. Last winter, when tons of water from a coal ash pond poured into the Dan River, there was consternation and gnashing of teeth. The U.S. Attorney started investigating. The Governor ordered every coal ash pond cleaned up. The legislature said Amen. Then, with…
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