I put a tl;dr version at the bottom. - Sam
Tuesday’s runoff election presents an interesting opportunity for North Carolina's Democratic and Unaffiliated voters – a chance to make a splash in this year’s U.S. Senate race. Somewhere between 90,000-120,000 voters will choose between Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and former State Senator Cal Cunningham to determine the Democrat who will face sitting Senator Richard Burr in November’s General Election. The low turnout means that individual votes will matter more than usual, and the unpredictable nature of the runoff could lead to a razor-thin margin of victory for one of the candidates.
On May 2nd, Marshall beat Cunningham 36 percent to 27 percent, winning 74 counties out of 100. Cunningham won 21 counties. The third place finisher, Ken Lewis, finished with 17% and later endorsed Marshall.
Since Marshall did not reach the 40 percent plurality required to avoid a runoff, we get a second chance to pick the nominee. Any voter who voted in the May 2nd Democratic Primary Election can vote on Today. If you didn’t vote in the primary on May 2nd, here’s the good news: you can still vote, as long as you are a registered Democrat or Unaffiliated voter.
The Democrat who wins the runoff has a good chance at winning the seat. Since Senator Sam Ervin retired in 1974, 7 men have held the seat, including Gov. Terry Sanford, John Edwards, and Senator Burr. None of the men served for more than one term; special elections, retirements, electoral defeats, and a suicide have given the air of a curse to the seat. If you believe in the curse, then it’s pretty clear that the winner of the primary will have history on their side; if not, either Democrat still seems to have a good chance in what is shaping up to be a bad year for incumbents.
So who are these people?
Elaine Marshall was a former State Senator when she famously defeated Richard Petty (of NASCAR fame) in the 1996 election for Secretary of State. She’s taken on special interests and lobbyists in that role, and has stayed out of the ethical imbroglios that have compromised many of Raleigh’s leaders over the past decade. Cunningham, 36, served as a State Senator for one term and opted-out of running for re-election when redistricting made his district significantly redder. He then served in Iraq as a JAG officer and prosecuted crooked contractors before coming back to North Carolina to practice law. If he were to defeat Senator Burr in November, he would be the first Iraq veteran in the Senate.
In terms of policy differences between the two candidates, there are few. One major difference is that Marshall opposes the troop surge in Afghanistan, while Cunningham supports it. Cunningham has the backing of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, though that support has diminished since Marshall finished 9 points ahead in the May Primary. He is also endorsed by the Sierra Club; Gen. Wes Clark; and VoteVets.org, among others. Marshall is endorsed by DFA; MoveOn; the Charlotte Observer; the Black Political Caucus of Charlotte-Mecklenburg; and many other local groups and legislators.
Cunningham had the option of not calling for the runoff, but proceeded under the assumption that he was the best candidate to take on Senator Burr. Personally, I found that to be a selfish move that hurt Democratic prospects in November, and the negative mailers I’ve received from the Cunningham campaign haven’t helped, either. Though I voted for Cunnigham in May under the assumption that he was the best candidate to beat Burr, I cast an early vote a week and a half a go for Marshall – under the assumption that she would make the best Senator.
Elaine has done a great job in Raleigh in an era that has seen the fall of many corrupt politicians. She has the experience, integrity, and temperament to be a great United States Senator. Her 13 years of experience working with North Carolina’s small businesses as Secretary of State puts her in touch with the needs of an unstable economy, and her vast knowledge of our state will only help her be a servant to her constituents. She would be a real progressive in the Senate, so I wholeheartedly endorse Elaine Marshall in Tuesday’s runoff.
Furthermore, Marshall would be the first woman to hold this Senate seat and would be a welcome addition to a Senate Chamber that favors men by a 5:1 ratio. Interestingly, no woman has ever lost a statewide partisan election to a man in North Carolina, and Marshall’s record as one of North Carolina’s top votegetters doesn’t hurt (in 2004, Marshall received more votes than Richard Burr, though they were running for different offices). Though you can take it with a grain of salt, it’s my humble opinion that Elaine Marshall would make the best Senator out of the three people left in this race, and if anyone can take on Richard Burr and his millions of dollars in corporate campaign contributions, it’s Marshall.
Nonetheless, no matter who you’re voting for, please vote Today!
tl;dr Version: Top Ten Reasons to vote for Elaine Marshall Today:
- Voting: not only a right but a responsibility.
- Runoff turnout will be so low that your vote will make a big splash.
- Elaine is one of the most respected public servants in the Southeast.
- She has served North Carolina for over 15 years, staying above the corruption and scandals that have plagued both parties in Raleigh.
- She's a personal friend who was a pleasure to work with in the Electoral College.
- She's never lost a general election.
- No woman has ever lost to a man in a statewide partisan election in North Carolina.
- When only 17 of 100 Senators are women, there's a problem.
- Elaine is a proven statewide vote-getter who has a broad network of supporters.
- She would be the best US Senator out of the choices we have left. That's what really matters, right?
So get out and vote today!