Secretary of State Elaine Marshall vs Durham lawyer Kenneth Lewis vs captain in the United States Army Reserve & former state senator Cal Cunningham

vs vs

No more red X. Cal was never officially campaigning before, then stopped his unofficial campaigning efforts for a while, but now he is all in and has an official campaign website up and everything: http://www.calfornc.com/

From a facebook group message:

Quote :

""You folks, the early supporters, were instrumental in making this candidacy happen. Without your enthusiastic support, continued belief in the necessity of this campaign and willingness to grow this grassroots effort -- today's announcement wouldn't have been possible. Thank you so much for your tireless advocacy. I look forward to working with you to defeat Richard Burr and to give North Carolina the voice and the leadership we deserve. God bless." -- Cal"

12/7/2009 1:54:47 PM

what do i win for calling that?

12/7/2009 2:57:27 PM

^maybe a chance to vote him in the general election?

Twas a good call though.

12/11/2009 12:10:03 AM

yea i don't live in NC

12/11/2009 9:50:49 AM

Yep. Good thing I don't live in NC anymore. Cunningham will probably win, but I'd never work for him.

12/15/2009 3:35:42 PM

Well right now Elaine's Secretary of State incumbency has her ahead of Kenneth & Cal unless winds start changing or momentum starts building, she has the lead.

12/15/2009 4:09:13 PM

^ she won't have the $$$

12/15/2009 4:14:26 PM

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NC_1216.pdf

Quote :

"Burr’s actual Democratic opponents put up their best showings yet against Burr this month as well, although he continues to lead all of them. He has a 42-37 lead over Elaine Marshall, a 43-37 one over Kenneth Lewis, and a 45-36 advantage over Cal Cunningham."

Quote :

"“Richard Burr’s numbers continue to show he’s the most vulnerable Republican incumbent in the country running for reelection next year,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling."

With Cal being last in, it isn't surprising to see him a little behind, but all 3 of them are making progress in closing the gap between themselves and Burr.

For example, 3 months ago the margin between the 3 contestants and Burr was in the 16 to 11 point range, now it is within the 9 to 5 point range.

This may be helping:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/PPP_Release_NC_1217.pdf

Quote :

"Obama back on positive ground Raleigh, N.C. – For the first time since July in PPP’s polling Barack Obama’s North Carolina approval rating is back in positive territory. 48% of voters in the state like the job Obama is doing with 47% disapproving. He has support from 77% of Democrats, 46% of independents, and 9% of Republicans. Since Obama’s numbers hit a low point of 45/51 in the state back in September he’s seen a significant increase in his support from independents (seven points) and a smaller one with Democrats (three points). His poor reviews from Republicans have remained steady."

Burr is weak enough that I don't think the democratic candidates need President Obama to have super high poll ratings to win, they just need him not to drag them down. The poll goes on to say that it is the Afghanistan policy winning him support in NC and health care reform support that is hurting him. Elaine is been a vocal advocate for the public Option but against the President's plan for Afghanistan, Cal, as someone with military experience, has been a supporter of the President's plan. I think with increased name recognition for all 3 of them that will play to Cal's advantage.

12/18/2009 4:31:32 AM

The N&O has revealed all their sketches of the primary candidates. A few people are complaining that Ken looks to plasticy, Elaine's sketch has been compared to a salmon, & some are wondering why they gave Cal, the youngest Candidate in his mid 30s (whereas the others are late 40s & mid 60s), so many gray streaks. But I'll let you be the judge of their artistic abilities:


vs vs

12/21/2009 9:50:29 PM

who did those?

12/22/2009 3:08:37 PM

I don't recall off hand, but some of the comments said they don't like the new guy as much as the old guy, so someone new I take it.

12/23/2009 3:29:21 AM

All 3 campaigns have been sending e-mails like mad lately to try to shore up their campaign fundraising the this fundraising quarter coming to an end with the end of the year. I'll try to keep an eye out for when all of their fundraising totals for the quarter are published so that I can share them here. But if anyone else comes across them first, feel free to share!

If anyone is interested, I share facebook links to all their name groups/pages before, but now they are starting to branch out into more specific & localized groups. Here is the only NCSU one that I've seen so far:

NCSU Students for Cal Cunningham
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=202620806589

12/31/2009 3:19:39 AM

It looks like those numbers don't have to be filed until the end of the month, so it'll be a little while before we know for sure. But at least one campaign is sharing how much they made.

http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/cunningham_says_he_raised_320_000

Quote :

"Cunningham says he raised $320,000 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Cal Cunningham said he raised $320,000 from nearly 750 donors during his first month in the race. In an e-mail message to supporters, Cunningham said that 85 percent of his contributions came from North Carolinians, a claim perhaps meant to blunt criticism that Cunningham is the choice of Washington insiders, Rob Christensen reports. Cunningham, a former state senator from Lexington, was the latest Democrat to join the May primary. Previously in the race were Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and Ken Lewis, a Chapel Hill lawyer. The winner will challenge Republican Sen. Richard Burr. The candidates must file year-end campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission by the end of January. Ahead of those reports, all three candidates are claiming fundraising success. Update: The Marshall campaign was not impressed with Cunningham's fundraising totals. Marshall's own polling suggests that Cunningham is trailing way behind Marshall, said her consultant, Thomas Mills. Mills said the Marshall campaign was not yet prepared to release its fundraising totals."

1/6/2010 9:18:38 PM

http://ow.ly/V8QE

Quote :

"Wake's Democratic Leaders Rally to Marshall FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Thomas Mills January 11, 2010 919-932-9359 Raleigh, NC –Elected officials across Wake County, including the mayors of Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Garner, Wendell and Morrisville, announced their support of Secretary of State Elaine Marshall in her bid for U. S. Senate. A total of 23 current and former Wake County officials have endorsed her candidacy (list attached). Wake County contains highest percentage of Democratic voters in North Carolina. “At a time when we need to build trust and confidence in government, Elaine Marshall has established a solid record of delivering for the people of North Carolina,” said Mayor Harold Weinbrecht of Cary. “She brings the experience and leadership we need to get our state and country moving again.” The officials had varying reasons for their support of Marshall, but all agreed that the Secretary of State provides the strongest challenge to Burr. As Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker stated, “Because of her network of statewide support, Elaine Marshall is the candidate to defeat Richard Burr.” “I’m honored to have the support of Wake County’s Democratic leaders,” said Marshall. “I look forward to working with them to move North Carolina forward.” Elaine Marshall Wake County Endorsement List Gale Adcock Wake Cary Town Council Erv Portman Wake Cary Town Council Julie Robison Wake Cary Town Council-Mayor Pro Tem Smedes York Wake Former Mayor - Raleigh Mary Kates Wake Former Raleigh City Council Member Joyce Kekas Wake Former Raleigh City Council Member Benson Kirkman Wake Former Raleigh City Council Member Yvonne Brannon Wake Former Wake County Commissioner Betty Ann Knudsen Wake Former Wake County Commissioner Harold Weinbrecht Wake Mayor - Cary Ronnie S. Williams Wake Mayor - Garner Jackie Holcombe Wake Mayor - Morrisville Charles Meeker Wake Mayor - Raleigh Vivian Jones Wake Mayor - Wake Forest J. Harold Broadwell Wake Mayor - Wendell Mary Ann Baldwin Wake Raleigh City Council Nancy McFarlane Wake Raleigh City Council Russ Stephenson Wake Raleigh City Council James West Wake Raleigh City Council-Mayor Pro Tem Lindy Brown Wake Wake County Commissioner Stan Norwalk Wake Wake County Commissioner Betty Lou Ward Wake Wake County Commissioner Harold Webb Wake Wake County Commissioner "

The Marshall camp announced today the support of democratic leaders in the Wake County area, and there are a lot of them.

1/11/2010 2:42:38 PM

Doesn't change the feeling I get that depressed, frustrated democrats are going to stay home this November.

Burr scoots back in.

1/11/2010 11:00:14 PM

http://bluenc.com/new-burr-challenger-republican

Looks like Burr is getting challenged on the republican side too by a "conservative Republican member of the Asheboro City Council" named Edie Burks.

1/14/2010 11:58:57 PM

Will the fact that Burr won't be necessary to stave of a democratic super-majority have any effects on this race?

My thoughts are it will wont play out much other than not giving Burr an extra talking point. With the MA race the republican ran as the 41st Republican in the special election, he even signed photos that way as Scott Brown 41, if he had lost every GOP across the country could have run as the 41st Republican this Nov.

[Edited on January 19, 2010 at 10:50 PM. Reason : .]

1/19/2010 10:50:13 PM

^
I think the message for Burr is that he better not sit on his laurels. He needs to get out there and campaign hard. Voters aren't in the mood to return politicians to office who don't think they have to work for their vote.

1/19/2010 10:54:06 PM

ummm... if the pubs lost Burr and everything else stayed the same, it would be back to 60 for the dems. that's a super, right?

1/19/2010 10:54:37 PM

Lots of dems are retiring and given the recent gov races & now this senate race, its obvious that the best the dems could possibly do is hold their ground (but probably not even that). Now even holding ground doesn't get them to 60. And obviously you can't campaign as the 41st senator if there are already 41 in your party in Washington.

1/19/2010 11:27:02 PM

vs vs vs

As a general question to everybody, if given the option of voting for any of these 4 today, who would pick?

[Edited on January 27, 2010 at 2:22 AM. Reason : .]

1/27/2010 2:21:54 AM

http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/47552/burrs-n.c.-fundraiser-with-rove-brings-in-425000/

Quote :

" An organizer of a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Richard Burr says $425,000 was raised for the Republican's re-election campaign at a North Carolina event where the featured guest was former Bush White House adviser Karl Rove."

1/31/2010 10:01:12 PM

http://www.nowweshall.com/index.html

Marcus Williams has filed to run.

Quote :

"# Three Term Chairman of Precinct 16 (Wilmington, NC) 1988-1991 # Two Time Parliamentarian of the New Hanover County Democratic Convention # Chairman of the New Hanover County Democratic Party's Platform Committee, 1990 # Third Vice Chair of the New Hanover County Democratic Party, 1991"

He ran last time as well. First peep I've heard from his campaign was a story saying he filed to run yesterday, so he's kind of a late comer. But the more options we are given for replacing Burr, the better.

2/9/2010 3:42:00 PM

http://republicanagainstburr.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

Not all republicans are a fan of this incumbent

2/11/2010 10:24:16 AM

Quote :

"As a general question to everybody, if given the option of voting for any of these 4 today, who would pick?"

Based on their caricatures, the black guy.

2/11/2010 10:27:30 AM

The N&O seems to have less content on Marcus Williams, and no caricature, but they do have a headshot. He did decently in the primary last time & has some left over name recognition, but I have a hard time believing that a candidate that waited until the filing deadline to start a campaign has a chance at national office, even if he has run before.

Quote :

"Professional Career From 1976 to 1983, he served as a staff attorney for the Southern Minnesota Regional Services, St. Paul, Minn. From 1983 to 1987, he was executive director of Legal Services of the Coastal Plains in Ahoskie, N.C. From 1987 to 1996, he was executive director of Legal Services of the Lower Cape Fear in Wilmington. From 1996 to 2000, he worked at Pennsylvania Legal Services in Harrisburg, Penn. From 2001 to 2006, he was an assistant public defender in District 16B in Robeson County. Since 2006, he has worked as an private attorney in a solo practice in Lumberton. Political Career Williams ran unsuccessfully against Jim Hunt in the 1992 Democratic gubernatorial primary and against U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre in the 1996 Democratic primary. He also ran two failed campaigns for the N.C. Court of Appeals. In 2008, he was one of five candidates to seek the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Elizabeth Dole. "

[Edited on February 11, 2010 at 10:39 AM. Reason : .]

2/11/2010 10:39:09 AM

BlueNC is conducting a very informal poll with Cal, Ken, & Elaine. You don't even have to have an account to vote:

http://bluenc.com/us-senate-which-way-are-you-leaning%3F

2/12/2010 11:28:49 AM

Right now I'm solidly supporting Cal.

2/12/2010 1:40:51 PM

Public Forum tomorrow:

Quote :

"The Discussion Group gathering on NC's 2010 US Senate race will be next Tuesday evening, February 16, 6:30pm to ~8pm at the Players' Retreat in Raleigh. The discussion will also touch on control of the NC General Assembly and on Congressional races in North Carolina. As always, the discussion is open to all, no fee or membership required. Bring your friends and see below for additional details. Panelists: Brad Thompson(D): Former Raleigh City Councilor and Former Senatorial State Director http://bradthompsonandassociates.com/Home.html Jimmy Broughton(R): Fmr. Chief of Staff to Senator Helms http://www.wcsr.com/lawyers/james-broughton Betty Ray McCain(D): Fmr. NC Secretary of Cultural Resources and fmr. Chair of N.C. Democratic Party http://www.uncg.edu/ure/news/stories/2007/April/SpeakerMcCain0403097.htm Peter Hans(R): Former Policy Advisor to fmr. U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth and Consultant to fmr. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole http://www.nelsonmullins.com/policy-advisors/peter-hans Panelists from our similar discussion in 2008 plan to be in attendance as well: Dr. J. Oliver Williams (Professor Emeritus, Political Science, NCSU) and former US Senate or NC General Assembly aides Charles Marshall (current Sen. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell), Tracy Kimbrell and David Sherlin. Also, Zack Hawkins, past-president of the Young Democrats of North Carolina and fmr. NC staff member with Organizing for America, may also add his insights and/or help me moderate the panel."

2/15/2010 1:36:45 PM

Cal Cunningham has said that he shares the views of Terry Sanford.

Why shouldn't he be President of the UNC School system instead of the US Senate?

2/22/2010 10:44:48 PM

A few more lower tier (I use this term loosely b/c the only tier that really matters is who the people elect vs who they don't elect) challengers have entered.

Top tier is still Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, Lawyer Kenneth Lewis (who has experience in campaign fund raising), and former NC state Senator Cal Cunningham (who also has a legal & military background).

The second tier is Marcus Williams who I mentioned earlier in this thread, Susan Harris who I cannot find a campaign website for, and Ann Worthy who has a site under construction: http://annworthyforsenate.com/

3/7/2010 8:17:12 PM

BlueNC is hosting another online poll on how people are leaning in the primary, I think for most of their polls you don't need to be registered. Someone try voting & let me know:

http://bluenc.com/us-senate-which-way-are-you-leaning%3F-0

3/12/2010 12:43:47 PM

Cal, Ken, Elaine, & Marcus made it out to a public forum in Durham today. Here are their introductory statements. Their websites obviously make for the best detailed comparisons, but you can at least see which issues they considered important enough to mention in their opening statements, and hear a little bit about each candidates background:



As one of them pointed out we have less than 50 days now until the primary election.

3/16/2010 12:33:02 AM

The primary is starting to get a little more interesting.

3/16/2010 8:35:27 PM

Just saw this on facebook

Quote :

"Cal Cunningham: Exciting news- Former N.A.T.O. Supreme Allied Commander Wesley Clark endorses my campaign http://tinyurl.com/yfvwerf"

I don't know whats up with the video, you can click full screen to watch it normally, or just watch the top half of it there

[Edited on March 29, 2010 at 4:18 PM. Reason : .]

3/29/2010 4:18:05 PM