Tag search result

Former State Sen. David Rouzer formally declared his candidacy Tuesday for Congress, seeking a rematch with Democratic Congressman Mike McIntyre. Rouzer lost one of the closest races in the country to McIntyre last November, losing by 654 votes.

"I will fight to cut Washington's wasteful spending habits, work to get the government off of the backs of entrepreneurs and small business owners and get our national debt under control so that every individual has the opportunity to be prosperous and achieve the American dream," he said in a statement in Wilmington.

Democratic Congressman Mike McIntyre already is facing fire from the Republican group that tried unsuccessfully to oust him in the 2012 election. The National Republican Congressional Committee announced Wednesday it is airing a new TV ad criticizing the 7th District lawmaker for his recent budget vote.

The move comes days after the NRCC-backed candidate from 2012, former state Sen. David Rouzer, said he would challenge McIntyre in 2014. The Democrat was the only to win a targeted congressional race in North Carolina last year. See the ad script below.

Former state Sen. David Rouzer confirmed to the Insider Thursday that he is running for Congress in 2014 in the 7th Congressional District, the Insider's Patrick Gannon reports.

The Johnston County Republican said he would make an official announcement early next week. Rouzer won the district's GOP primary in 2012, but lost a close race in November to longtime U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, D-Lumberton, in a more conservative district after the recent redistricting process.

McIntyre won by 654 votes out of nearly 337,000 cast in the district, which includes all or parts of 12 Southeastern North Carolina counties. Rouzer represented Johnston and Wayne counties in the Senate from 2009-2012. McIntyre hasn't announced his candidacy for re-election, but there are indications that he will seek a 10th term.

National Republicans are gleefully cheering the news that Democratic Congressman Mike McIntyre is likely to face a primary challenger.

New Hanover County Commissioner Jonathan Barfield, the only Democrat on the board, announced his candidacy Tuesday. “It’s right politically, as well as for my family right now,” he told the Wilmington Star-News. “My middle daughter will be in college next year and I talked to my wife about it and we agreed that now is the time."

“I wanted to put the word out now and let people know who I am and what I’m about. I wanted to let people know what my intentions are,” Barfield continued. “It’s always good to be out there first.”

The National Republican Congressional Committee's spokeswoman Katie Prill sent an email asking: "So is this the bittersweet end for Mike McIntyre? Not only has the NRCC announced that McIntyre will be a top target for the 2014 election cycle, now he is facing a tough primary challenge."

Two public-interest organizations have analyzed outside election spending in North Carolina and 20 other states, and on Thursday released a report on their findings. The report is meant to draw attention to what it sees as a big problem: too much money is being spent by outside and secretive interests on federal campaigns.

The 2014 talk is starting and it's not just focused on which Republican will challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan.

Republican David Rouzer is looking at another run at U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre's seat in the 7th Congressional District. Rouzer lost by 650 votes in a prolonged recount in November, the closest race in the nation, he said. McIntyre was the only Democrat to win a highly contested seat that received national attention.

Members of the N.C. congressional delegation say they’re ready to compromise on some hardened positions to reach a deal that would prevent the country from plunging over the “fiscal cliff.” Failing to reach an agreement by the end of the year would trigger tax hikes and massive cuts in spending on federal programs.

N.C. Rep. Howard Coble is the latest Republican who says he’s willing to buck one of the party’s sacrosanct pledges to not raise taxes. Read full story here.

More political headlines:

--N.C. Supreme Court Justice Patricia A. Timmons-Goodson, the first and only female African-American to serve on the state’s highest court, is resigning her position. Gov. Bev Perdue, a Democrat who will leave office after next month, is intent on making the replacement even though if it means she rescinds an executive order she signed to do it.

More than three weeks after the election, U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre finally locked up victory Wednesday, as a recount solidified his slim lead over state Sen. David Rouzer for the congressional seat he has held for 16 years.

McIntyre lost one vote in the recount, bringing the revised split to 168,695 for McIntyre and 168,041 for Rouzer – a difference of 654.

Updated: Longtime incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre appears headed for re-election over challenger state Sen. David Rouzer, as the results of a recount were all but complete Wednesday afternoon.

State Sen. David Rouzer has called for a recount of the votes in his bid to unseat longtime Democratic incumbent Mike McIntyre in the 7^th Congressional District.

Rouzer’s campaign announced the decision Tuesday morning with about a half  hour to spare before the deadline to seek a recount passed.