North Carolina – Democrats
Another Debate
Here’re the three tartest comments I heard about the Ellmers-Aiken debate. “He has the silliest pompadour since Jim Hunt.” “She was catty.” “The person on stage most qualified to serve in Congress was David Crabtree.”
Read MoreMedia Scandals
When the media covers a scandal involving a politician, the coverage can be as big an issue as the politician. Take two stories this week – one national and one in-state. The state Senate race in Fayetteville between incumbent Wesley Meredith and challenger Billy Richardson blew up over allegations that Meredith and his ex-wife…
Read MoreThe R-Word
How toxic is the Republican brand in Wake County? Just listen to Republican politicians. Gary Pendleton (House 49) boasts of his “Democrat (sic) friends.” (Note: Democrats hate it when Republicans use “Democrat” as an adjective. It’s “Democratic.”) Tom Murry (House 41) says he’s “independent” and “stood up to his own party.” You…
Read MoreWhy Hagan Won
Yes, there’s still five weeks to go. Yes, anything can happen. But the story of this race is likely to be that Thom Tillis lost it when he stayed Speaker in this year’s legislative session. Apparently Tillis stayed on so he could raise money. But he didn’t, and he’s at a big financial disadvantage…
Read MoreCooking Numbers at Civitas
Maybe Thom Tillis should give Civitas’ pollster math lessons. Thursday morning, Civitas put out this release: “Democrat Tom Bradshaw leads Republican John Alexander by 16 percentage points in the NC Senate District 15 race, according to a new Civitas Flash Poll….” The poll, conducted last Monday and Tuesday, showed Bradshaw ahead 52-36 percent. …
Read MoreMcCrory’s Road Map
Give Governor McCrory credit for proposing something big and bold, a $1 billion transportation bond issue. It sounds like a stimulus program, but that would be the kiss of death in the Republican legislature. He may find himself needing some Democratic allies. He and Secretary Tata will have to answer a lot of questions:…
Read MoreDebating Debates
Carter and I were on News14’s Capital Tonight this week, talking with Tim Boyum about debates today and the Hunt-Helms debates 30 years ago. You can watch our segment here. Tim was struck by how free-flowing and wide-open the 1984 debates were. As we talked with him, we realized that we had happened onto…
Read MoreVoter Irony
The Old Wise Leader (OWL) chuckled over coffee about Republicans’ voter-suppression drive: “They should beware the Law of Unintended Consequences.” I enjoy talking with OWL. He reads a lot, and he thinks. Two things caught his eye: The story about Senator Berger’s voter-confusion ad and a mailing that a friend got. The mailer…
Read MoreWomen and Men
More telling than Kay Hagan’s overall lead in the polls may be her overwhelming lead with women. According to a Rasmussen Poll last week, Hagan leads Thom Tillis by six points, 45-39. But then it gets confusing. The poll said Hagan leads among women by 21 points, while Tillis leads among men by nine…
Read MoreNow THAT Was a Debate
A TAPster unimpressed by the Hagan-Tillis debate says, “If you want to see a real debate, watch Jim Hunt debate Jesse Helms in 1984. That was like Ali and Frazier.” Ah, take me back to those thrilling days 30 years ago. Here’s a link so you can watch two heavyweight champs. (This is the…
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