Todd Batchelor, a former finance director for the N.C. Republican Party, plans to run for state House District 41 which until recently was held by Democrat Ty Harrell.

The Republican nominee would likely challenge Democrat Chris Heagerty, who was recently named to the House seat, after Harrell's resignation, Rob Christensen reports.

The Wake County seat is regarded as a swing seat that had been held for years by Republican Russell Capps before Harrell's victory in 2006.

"North Carolinians are hungry for change in leadership in Raleigh," Batchelor said in a statement. "People are sick and tired of politicians that consistently raise their taxes and spend their hard earned money irresponsibly. I will be a solid consistent voice for fiscal conservatism and job creation."

Among other issues, Batchelor supports lifting the cap on charter schools.

He was the 2004 Republican nominee for Congress against Democratic Rep. David Price. He is currently legislative chief of staff for Republican state Rep. David Lewis of Dunn. Lewis pays Batchelor with his own money, and his duties include a range of jobs from assisting with constitutent services to helping with fundraisers, Batchelor said.

Update: Post now accurately states that Batchelor would have to win the nomination to challenge Heagerty. Post now also clarifies that Batchelor is not paid by the state.

State Rep. Hugh Holliman didn't have to resort to National Guard troops to defuse a protest at a recent fundraiser.

Holliman's event at a Raleigh restaurant was to come under withering protest from members of the State Employees Association of N.C. who are unhappy with Holliman's support for financial fixes to the State Health Plan that shift some costs to employees.

Four to five protesters actually showed on the cold and rainy Friday night, said Holliman, a Lexington Democrat. Holliman sent them food.

"We put a tray together and sent it out," he said.

State Sen. R.C. Soles Jr., the longest serving lawmaker, is considering not running again.

Soles is surrounded by controversy. His shooting of an intruder, and rumors and allegations about his relationships with young men have left the Senate fixture, a Democrat from Columbus County, thinking seriously about calling it quits, the Fayetteville Observer reports.

"I've certainly served in Raleigh a long time," he said. "If I never served another day, it's been a wonderful ride and rewarding, and I hope that I've done a few things that have been good and constructive."

There is quiet interest among Democrats for Soles' seat, should he chose not to run. Former state Rep. David Redwine of Brunswick County said recently he has been asked to seek the seat, but would not consider running if Soles is a candidate.

Republicans, who have been unable to unseat Soles despite serious attempts over the years, have been less reticent.

Bettie Fennell, a former newspaper reporter from Pender County, last month announced her plans to run again for the seat. The state Senate district includes Columbus, Brunswick and Pender counties. 

Sen. Tony Rand hasn't run through a detailed explanation of why he's quitting the Senate.

Rand leads the Democratic majority in the Senate and Senate Republican leader Phil Berger wonders if the Senate is getting too liberal for Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat. Dome's Mark Johnson reports that Rand's departure follows the growth of a liberal wing among Senate Democrats.

A leftward shift in the Democratic caucus that controls the Senate made his role as majority leader more difficult. A growing coalition of more liberal Democrats in the Senate helped push through laws this year that allow more comprehensive sex education, specifically protect gay students from bullying and allow death penalty challenges based on race.

"Sen. Rand increasingly found his views at odds with his more liberal Democratic colleagues, and that may have led to this decision," said Senate Republican Leader Phil Berger of Eden.

This explanation is helpful to Senate Republicans, who are eager to paint the Democratic majority as way out left and out of touch with state residents in advance of the coming legislative elections next year.

Dome can see the campaign ad now: "The Senate: Too liberal for Tony Rand."

Even senators from safe districts are playing a tough offense.

Sen. Josh Stein, a Raleigh Democrat, announced a November fundraiser featuring sponsorship levels of $2,000, $1,000, $500, and $250. Tickets to the event are $100.

As Stein notes, the party that controls the next election has the run of the table for the next decade since the next legislature will redraw the state's legislative districts.

We accomplished a great deal this past year, even in the face of daunting fiscal challenges. We protected public education, invested in clean energy jobs, expanded access to health care, cleaned our drinking water, invested in public transportation, and banned smoking in restaurants and bars. These victories happened because Democrats were in control. It is especially important that we keep it that way in 2010 because the next General Assembly will draw the Congressional and legislative districts for the next ten years.

We can be certain that Republicans will mount a significant challenge next year. Maintaining Democratic control of the Senate will require us to fight hard for every seat -- that's why I need your help. 

Candidates critical of a Wake County school diversity policy swept three school board seats in Tuesday's elections and a fourth, crucial seat appears headed to a runoff.

The school board races are nonpartisan, although the Wake County Republican Party endorsed the three candidates who won in those races.

Veteran Democratic consultant Gary Pearce wonders if the strong showing of the "bad guys" is a sign of things to come in next year's Congressional and state legislative election. He said Monday on his Talking About Politics blog that in 1993 Republican Tom Fetzer won the Raleigh mayoral race, the vanguard of what became a big Republican rout.

In 1993, like this year, Democrats had just won the presidential election. They were still celebrating, and they were complacent.

Just like this year, Republicans were angry and motivated. Fetzer (with Carter’s help) found a perfect issue in the downtown civic center. Fetzer ran a modern TV campaign while Democrats ran the familiar old handshake campaign.

It was a sign of worse to come in 1994. And tomorrow may be the canary in the coal mine for 2010.

Jack Nichols has some news for would-be candidates hoping to replace Wake County Rep. Ty Harrell.

It's gonna take work and a lot of money to keep that seat. That's the gist of a message Nichols, the chairman of the Wake County Democratic party, sent to those who are seeking appointment to the seat Harrell quit amid a campaign finance investigation. 

"The campaign for this seat next year will be just as hotly contested and indeed, one of the most contested House races in the State of North Carolina. I mention this because I anticipate that you will need to raise at least $100,000 to $200,000 in order to be competitive in this Primary and General Election. In my experience, before the Party and its donors will invest in a candidate, the candidate must raise money on their own to establish their viability," Nichols wrote.

Nichols advice comes as state Republicans are ramping up efforts to win control of one or both chambers.

More after the jump.

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State GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer said today that conditions are ripe for Republicans to win control of the North Carolina legislature next year for the first time since 1898.

Fetzer said the $1 billion in tax increases passed by the legislature combined with a spate of Democratic scandals in Raleigh, a backlash against Democratic health care proposals and historic mid-term election trends bode well for the GOP, reports Rob Christensen.

"We feel very confident that we going to have a Republican majority in the House and the Senate in 2010," Fetzer said at a news conference at state Republican headquarters.

Republicans need to pick up 10 seats in the 120-seat House, and six seats in the 50-seat Senate to win control.

But House Speaker Joe Hackney, an Orange County Democrat, said Democrats were well positioned to expand their majority in the House.

"We are very optimistic we are going to pick up some seats," Hackney said in an interview. "We think we will pick up seven and get to 75."

After moving around the state, Hackney said he believed there was a broad appreciation that the legislature had just gone through one of the most difficult budget sessions in modern times. Hackney said the Republicans had shown no leadership.

"They have not done anything to deserve consideration next time," Hackney said. "They wouldn't tax to balance the budget. And they wouldn't cut to balance the budget. They refused to participate. They wouldn't make any hard decisions."

Rep. Jim Gulley, a seven-term Republican from Matthews who championed charter schools and left-turn-on-red, won't run for re-election, he announced Tuesday.

Gulley, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a decade ago, will be 71 at the end of next year and said he is looking forward to time with his grandchildren. He was first elected in the midst of Republican control of the House in the late 1990s but spent all but one term in the minority.

“I've been there long enough,” Gulley said Tuesday. “I've done well and there are some things I can't get done. Maybe somebody else can.”

Gulley pushed legislation that banned cell phone use by school bus drivers and tried to expand the number of charter schools. This year he sponsored a bill making it more difficult to steal scrap metal and earlier helped pass a law reducing the time that crime scene investigators have to spend in court.

He tried for years to pass legislation allowing drivers to turn left-on-red when turning from a one-way street to another one-way street. He came close in 2003 when different versions passed the House and Senate, but lawmakers didn't pass a final version.

GOP leaders went to Rocky Mount on Monday to whip up support for a challenge to Democratic Rep. Randy Stewart.

Party chairman Tom Fetzer and House Republican leader Paul Stam asked Republicans to put up money, give time or even run against Stewart, the Rocky Mount Telegram reports.

Fetzer told the small crowd at Gardner’s Barbecue Restaurant he believes the Democratic Party is on its heels after passing an unpopular tax package in the General Assembly and said the timing of the national health care debate could lead to an influx of conservative voters for the congressional mid-term election.

"This health care bill is very, very bad for senior citizens," Fetzer said. "If this bill passes, it will end health care as we know it, and it will be the end of the Democratic Party."

Republicans are targeting seats they believe will be vulnerable in 2010 as part of an effort to try to win a majority in the legislature, which has been dominated by Democrats for all but a few of the last 100 years.