YIPES!!!  North Carolina Presidential Primary insanity!  Now that we're moving more and more into crazyland with the presidential primary contest, it seems like local races are getting shafted.  The North Carolina primary wasn't supposed to be "important" on a national level in the way that it is now looking like it might (or, more likely, will) become.  With the increased attention and turnout that the Presidential race will generate, there will be less "air in the room" for the senate race - fewer volunteers, less money, less attention paid all around to this race, since Obama/Clinton seems to be the only "important" vote on the ballot.  

This all benefits Kay Hagan, because she currently holds a state office and has more "name recognition," as well as the support of the NC Dem machinery and the weight of Schumer's blessing behind her.  

Neal is the outsider, who has been making his case through grassroots and netroots campaigning.  He has made a "100 County" strategy the center of his plan:  adapting the Dean ideal to North Carolina, Neal is visiting every county in the state to make his case personally to the voters.  Neal's netroots approach is also pretty good (far better than any other NC candidate I've seen), and he consistently impresses me by stressing his desire to be the "senator for all North Carolinians, not just those who vote for me."

I really think Jim Neal could go all the way against Dole.  North Carolina is a strange state with a real chance of voting strongly Dem this fall (just over half our congressional delegation is blue now, as is most of our local government).  But we need more support and a greater push on the national level.  

The party leadership keeps thinking that the way to "blue" NC is to run centrist DINOs, and they keep losing here.  The truth is that their approach might work in a couple of "swing" districts, but for the most part NC will always prove the adage "Given a choice between a Republican and a Republican, voters will pick the Republican every time."  Given the choice between a Republican and a progressive Democrat, though, there are more than enough North Carolinians who will vote Dem to turn this purple state blue.