Former Dole staffer to track Hagan


A former financial staffer for former GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole's re-election campaign plans to launch a new website this week to track the doings of her opponent, Kay Hagan.

Hagan, a Democrat and former state senator, defeated Dole in November, Barb Barrett reports.

Matthew Bales, 24, has worked five months to develop his site, KayHaganTracker.com. He says it will go live Wednesday and feature Hagan's legislation, her positions on issues and her voting record.

"It will track all the promises she made on the campaign trail," said Bales, who worked for Dole's re-election campaign last year.

He said he will hold Hagan accountable when she doesn't live up to her pledges, but congratulate her when she does. He sees his site as a resource for constituents.

"I'm not trying to be a bad guy," Bales said. "It's not a partisan issue; it's an accountability issue."

More after the jump.

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Bales isn't doing a similar site for Republican Sen. Richard Burr. Bales said he was in college when Burr was elected and hasn't been as politically involved over the first years of Burr's term, and that he doesn’t have the time to do a second site.

He might consider a site for the winner of the 2010 Senate race, he said.

And Bales, who grew up in Roanoke Rapids and graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, said he might eventually consider tracking sites for U.S. Reps. G.K. Butterfield, David Price and Brad Miller. Butterfield represents Roanoke Rapids; Price is from Chapel Hill and Miller from Raleigh. All are Democrats.

Hagan spokesman Dave Hoffman said the office has tried to respond to Bales' requests.

"Senator Hagan got thousands of votes in North Carolina from Democrats and Republicans alike who saw the work she'd done in the state Senate and the pragmatic ideas she put forward in the campaign," Hoffman said. “I hope North Carolinians find his efforts helpful.”

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Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

Of course Gosh comes on here and tries to discredit to intentions of this 24 year old.

Hoffman calls it a hobby and Gosh laughs it - only showing the liberals mindset that accountability was a campaign promise and nothing more...

Good job kid....

Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

Not you specifically, but I still see former members of Dole's staff in Raleigh with the Virginia registrations.

Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

Is it 2014 already?

I remember when I was 24.

Me and my friend Howie put out a campaign tracker called the Sun on a print machine Howie got for his birthday. We had really good intentions, but sales were bad, so my Paw's friend Barney suggested...

No wait that wasn't me. That was a 1965 episode of The Andy Griffith Show and ironically.... just as pertinent as whatever this news item is supposed to be about.

Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

First of all, Roanoke Rapids is in North Carolina and I do pay my car tax in North Carolina.

SonofWS - please honestly give the site a chance when it is launched and if you do not think that I am being objective, please make comments and criticisms.

My goal is to commend Senator Hagan when she does a job well done and to point out a double standard when she deviates from her campaign promises.

Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

When are the former Dole staffers going to comply with North Carolina laws by registering their automobiles in North Carolina instead of maintaining Virginia registrations?

Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

Not partisan? HA! Sell it to somebody else kid.

Re: Former Dole staffer to track Hagan

Excellent homage to Joe Sinsheimer! Thanks...SOMEBODY needed to do this!