John Kerry

Strategist joins Shorr Johnson Magnus

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:56:22 -0500

Democratic strategist Jim Jordan has joined Shorr Johnson Magnus.

A prominent national strategist who has worked for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and President-elect Barack Obama's media team, he'll be joining a firm that has advised prominent North Carolinians.

Saul Shorr, one of the firm's principals, was a consultant for unsuccessful Senate candidate Erskine Bowles, Gov. Mike Easley and Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue, all Democrats.

He told the Washington Post that he was excited about the new hire.

"Andrea Johnson, Adam Magnus and I are thrilled that Jim has accepted the offer to join our firm," he said. "We know it will make us stronger both in serving our political clients, and expanding our non-campaign business."

Hagan dismisses 'Godless' lawsuit

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 16:53:12 -0500

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen.-elect Kay Hagan this afternoon dismissed her lawsuit against the woman she defeated, Sen. Elizabeth Dole, over an advertisement that Hagan said attacked her personal faith.

Dole, a Republican, had launched an ad in the last week of the campaign tying Hagan to a political action group called "Godless Americans" that promotes the separation of church and state. The advertisement ended with a photo of Hagan and another woman’s voice saying, "There is no God."

Hagan, a Democrat, attended a fundraiser in August at the Boston home of a couple who is active in the group. The fundraiser also was hosted by U.S. Sen. John Kerry. Dole's campaign staff later said the advertisement was meant to highlight Hagan's judgement.

Hagan, an elder in her Presbyterian church, responded with her own ad. She accused Dole of attacking her Christian faith, and she filed a lawsuit in Wake County Superior Court.

She dismissed that suit today.

Spokeswoman Colleen Flanagan said Hagan wanted to focus on solving problems and working across party lines.

"This lawsuit would just continue the focus on a very personal and negative attack against Kay, instead of focusing on the people of North Carolina," Flanagan said in a prepared statement. "We need leadership now more than ever, and Kay is prepared to get down to work with (Republican Sen.) Richard Burr and the rest of the North Carolina delegation and help the people of this state."

Whistling past North Carolina, part II

ryanteaguebeckwith — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 09:03:09 -0500

Not surprisingly, Thomas Schaller was surprised he was wrong.

The author of "Whistling Past Dixie" wrote on Salon Monday that he was "somewhat surprised" that Barack Obama won North Carolina, a state he had earlier urged the Democrat to ignore.

"It's clear that the 'new South' is arriving faster than I anticipated, or perhaps more accurately, that Obama was able to deliver it faster," he writes.

He also noted that the three Southern states Obama won were among those with the highest median incomes for the region, except for Georgia. He also notes that the 22 counties where Obama did less well than John Kerry were in the rural and Appalachian South.

"It was a 'new South' victory won on the backs of votes cast by a lot of non-native Southern transplants," he writes. "It was not a rural Southern victory."

Next, we talk to Schaller directly.

Kromm: Obama can win N.C.

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:58:30 -0400

Chris Kromm says Barack Obama can win North Carolina.

In an interview in Harper's Magazine, the head of the Institute for Southern Studies argues that Demographic changes and turnout could hand the state to the Democratic candidate:

He could definitely pull it off and his chances are growing. If he wins, it will be for a number of factors, starting with the economy. Unemployment could hit 8 percent here and two key sectors of the economy, manufacturing and finance, have been devastated. That’s been critical in terms of Obama winning support from unaffiliated white voters and conservative Democrats who often vote for Republicans. Second, Obama has really mobilized the core Democratic base of African-Americans and urban voters, far more than Al Gore or John Kerry did. And third, core Republican voters here are just not exited about McCain. A lot of Christian conservatives don’t identify with him. The situation is really ripe for Obama to take the state.

He adds that economic problems in the mountains could depress the traditional Republican strength there.

Easley plugs Obama on NPR

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 10:23:02 -0400

Gov. Mike Easley argued Barack Obama can win North Carolina on NPR Wednesday.

In an interview on All Things Considered, Easley said he sees the race as a toss-up right now but thinks by election day Obama will take it because of concerns over the economy.

Easley, who famously kept his distance from Democratic candidates Al Gore and John Kerry in his previous re-election campaigns and endorsed Hillary Clinton in the primaries, said he would not have the same concerns this year about Obama.

"Barack Obama's message is one that I would be very comfortable running with," he said. "I'd be out there arm and arm with him if I was running this year, whereas with the previous two elections I was keeping a little distance with the national ticket."

He said Republican John McCain was taking the state for granted until recently, while Obama has done well in urban, suburban and rural areas.

Easley also repeated two anecdotes he's been pushing recently about a pickup truck with a gun rack and an Obama sticker and his barber's theory on "the reverse Bradley effect."

"Barbers are a great source that you can get a $25,000 poll for fifteen bucks — and that includes a tip," he said. "Oh yeah, you get the haircut too."

Has Bush campaigned with McCrory?

ryanteaguebeckwith — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 12:36:39 -0400

Is Pat McCrory the only gubernatorial candidate to call in President Bush?

In late July, Bush attended a high-dollar fundraiser at the home of a Raleigh developer to benefit McCrory's campaign, though the two did not appear in public together.

Still, Bloomberg News reported on Sept. 21 that McCrory was the odd man out:

Of 11 governor's races this year, the president has campaigned just with the North Carolina Republican nominee, Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, and he has appeared with only a handful of hopefuls for 435 U.S. House seats.
For candidates this year, being photographed with Mr. Bush gives ammunition to opponents seeking to shackle Republicans to the White House.
"They simply don't want to be seen with him," said Tad Devine, a strategist in presidential campaigns for Mr. Gore and Sen. John F. Kerry.

It's not quite accurate to say that McCrory and Bush campaigned together, however, since that implies they were on the stump or at a rally.

A new ad from Democrat Beverly Perdue attacks McCrory for his ties to Bush.

"McCrory is the only candidate for governor in the country who Bush is campaigning for," the ad says.

Ads tied to 'Swift Boat' donor

janestancill — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 13:52:14 -0400

A Texas home builder who helped bankroll the “Swift Boat veterans” campaign against U.S. Sen. John Kerry in 2004 is providing nearly a quarter of the Republican Governors Association money for TV ads in North Carolina targeting Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue.

Bob Perry has donated $1.2 million to the association since January 2007. The RGA listed those contributions among $4.8 million the group has available to use in North Carolina, according to a campaign finance report filed this week, reports Mark Johnson.

"Bob Perry strongly supports the Republican Governors Association,” said Anthony Holm, a spokesman for Perry. “Nationally, the Republican governors have brought job creation, lower taxes and better schools to the citizens of America.”

Perry did not know where his money would be spent, Holm said.

"This is George Bush and his special interest friends ‘swift boating’ Bev Perdue,” said Perdue spokesman Tim Crowley.

The RGA has spent $471,000 on ads criticizing Perdue, the Democratic nominee for governor, according to the report. The most recent commercial portrays Perdue as repeatedly pressing a “Status Quo” button similar to the “Easy” button seen in ads for Staples office supplies.

Wash Post: N.C. a 'swing state'

ryanteaguebeckwith — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:23:01 -0400

The Washington Post is calling North Carolina a "swing state."

In an interactive map on its Web site, the paper rates the chances of the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and John McCain:

A stretch for Democrats, but Obama's team hopes a huge turnout from black voters will make this a battleground. Even the presence of John Edwards as the Democratic vice presidential nominee didn't help in 2004, as John Kerry lost the state by 12 points.

Used to be Dems who skipped convention

ryanteaguebeckwith — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:14:02 -0400

Time was North Carolina Democrats skipped the convention.

In 2000, then Attorney General Mike Easley skipped the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, hoping to keep his gubernatorial campaign distinct from Al Gore's.

In 2004, Easley skipped the convention in Boston to nominate John Kerry, as did Senate candidate Erskine Bowles.

In both cases, their advisors said they were too busy here in North Carolina to attend, even though U.S. Sen. John Edwards was on the ticket.

Meantime, state Republicans have been happy to attend their conventions.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Patrick Ballantine and Senate candidate Richard Burr went to the 2004 GOP conventions.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole even spoke at the 2000 and 2004 conventions in New York for George W. Bush and gave a memorable speech at her husband's 1996 convention.

Well, times have changed.

Dole's major bipartisan legislation

ryanteaguebeckwith — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:36:20 -0400

What bipartisan efforts has U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole worked on?

At Dome's request, the Salisbury Republican's staffers sent a list of bipartisan efforts that she is most proud of from the past six years:

* Climate Change: Dole co-sponsored a "cap and trade" bill to reduce carbon emissions by Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman and Republican John Warner this session.

* Military Family Leave: Dole co-sponsored a bill by Sen. Hillary Clinton to allow some workers 12-month leaves to care for family members wounded in action.

* Lumbee Recognition: Dole worked with Gov. Mike Easley, U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre, Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, among others, on legislation to recognize the Lumbee tribe.

* Tobacco Quota Buyout: Dole worked with U.S. Reps. McIntyre and Bob Etheridge on a tobacco quota buyout program included in a 2004 jobs bill.

* Catching Fugitives: Dole co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Richard Durbin to give law enforcement agencies help capturing fugitives from the U.S. Marshals.

Dole's staffers also cited her work on 211 expansion with Clinton, creating infrastructure bonds with Sen. Ron Wyden, requiring a White House conference on nutrition with Sen. John Kerry, demanding Iraq fund a greater share of its reconstruction with Sen. Ben Nelson, and amending trade adjustment laws and calling for an Oil and Gas Market Fraud Task Force with Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Previously: Dole's Democratic cosponsors 2003-08.