Dellinger's response to Smathers

Hampton Dellinger says the lieutenant governor can help bring National Guard troops home.

In a response to an attack by rival Pat Smathers over a recent ad, the candidate for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor said that as the state's No. 2 official he could "use the power of the office" to speak up.

"Politics is known as the art of the possible, and strong statewide leadership most definitely can help bring our National Guard back home where it belongs," he wrote. 

Dellinger noted that legislators in at least nine states are considering legislation or referenda to bring Guardsmen home. He says he would work with the legislature to do the same.

"Personally, I think that being North Carolina’s #2 elected official gives the Lt. Governor not just the right but the responsibility to speak out for the North Carolinians who are currently fighting overseas in a needless war," he wrote.