Senate hopeful hires Trippi

Durham attorney Kenneth Lewis announced that he had raised $109,513 for a U.S. Senate bid next year.

Lewis has hired Joe Trippi, a veteran national media consultant who most recently had run the presidential campaigns of John Edwards in 2008 and Howard Dean in 2004, reports Rob Christensen. Trippi will be overseeing the launch of Lewis’ online fund raising, Lewis said.

Trippi, in a statement, said Lewis had the life story, and the vision to raise money nationally on line.

Also helping Lewis is Joyce Fitzpatrick, a Raleigh public relations executive and a member of Lewis finance committee.

Lewis began to become known in political circles last year as a fund raiser for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

Lewis, 47, has worked 20 years as a corporate attorney. The grandson of sharecroppers, Lewis graduated from Duke University and Harvard law school. He and his wife and three children live in Chapel Hill.

He is one of a number of Democrats who are looking at challenging Republican Sen. Richard Burr next year. Other include former state Sen. Cal Cunningham and Congressmen Mike McIntyre and Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.