This is the first part in a series on the General Assembly races in North Carolina. Some of this information is from our posts on BlueNC, but the information is presented here for a national audience.
North Carolina may have only recently become a blue state on the national level, but on the State level things have been Carolina Blue for a long time. Unlike most states in the south, both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly are blue. In the State House, Democrats hold a 68-52 majority, and in the State Senate Democrats hold a 30-20 majority and the Lt. Governor's deciding vote.
Everything is on the table this year as the NCGOP (and outside groups like Americans for Prosperity) have stepped up their historically weak efforts to take the General Assembly.
If the Republicans win, they will control redistricting, giving them a chance to redraw NC's 8 Democratic Congressional Districts. Even more importantly, they will slash the state budget at a time when North Carolinians need jobs most.
Help us keep the House Blue, or go below the fold ...
Redistricting
North Carolina is a growing state and increasingly Democratic in national races. From 1998-2004, we sent 7 Republicans to the House. In 2006 and 2008, we sent 8 Democrats and 5 Republicans - but our state has a lot of swing seats. The next General Assembly will be in charge of Redistricting for the US House and General Assembly seats.
As you know, whichever party controls redistricting controls the political destiny for ten years. With North Carolina's large military population abroad, we may even be up for a 14th Congressional District, even though surface analysis suggests otherwise. From the Institute for Southern Studies:
North Carolina's chances of gaining a seat may be even higher, thanks to U.S. foreign policy.
As EDS notes, their analysis doesn't account for military personnel -- which ended up being the decisive factor in 2000, when N.C. beat out Utah in adding a Congressional seat. Over the last decade, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought thousands of members of the armed services to North Carolina's military bases ... which will be credited as their official U.S. address for Census purposes.
Independent Expenditures on the Rise
The right is fighting with all it's might in North Carolina. In addition to the Koch Brothers, you have what local blogger James Protzman calls the "Puppetshow" - the tangled web of right-wing groups funded by Art Pope. From an old Kos diary by James:
Here in North Carolina, we have our own odious version of Karl Rove in a man we call the Puppetmaster. His real name is Art Pope, and he's a retail robber-baron with way more money than sense. One of his favorite ego-gratifying ways to spend all that moolah is on the self-described "leading think tank" in North Carolina called The John Locke Foundation.
Pope is a former State House member, CEO of Variety Wholesalers, and a Director of Americans for Prosperity. He has a multi-million dollar collection of institutes at his disposal. Pope has spent much of his life funding causes to the right of mainstream Republicans, and he has a new cause - "Real Jobs NC." Pope recently gave them some dough:
Pope's Variety Stores gave $100,000 to Real Jobs NC, a group that has been targeting Democratic incumbents with critical mailers and television ads. The Civitas Institute, which focuses on state policy issues, received more than $1.6 million from a Pope family foundation for the 12 months ending June 30, 2009, according to the institute's IRS filing.
The front group has been sending out blatantly false mailers:
RALEIGH, NC – A "527" special-interest group named "Real Jobs NC" has launched a negative campaign of libel against State Representative Chris Heagarty (House District 41).
The partisan front group’s latest attack mail piece falsely accuses Rep. Chris Heagarty of voting for Appropriations Act of 2009 (SB 202). "Real Jobs NC" 527 can’t even get the basic facts correct – Chris Heagarty was appointed to the State House months after the cited bill was signed by the Governor. The seat was vacant when the vote on SB 202 took place.
ISS recently did a comprehensive piece of Pope that's well-sourced, topical, and quotable. He's one man behind a big push to take over NC. However, Real Jobs NC has another backer: Fred Eschelman:
Fred Eshelman, the multi-millionaire founder and executive chairman of Wilmington-based PPD, is injecting his political views – and his pocketbook – into North Carolina politics.
And he's creating quite a stir in the process.
Eshelman is a leading force behind Real Jobs NC, a political group taking aim at several Democratic state lawmakers in recent ads. Political observers in Raleigh and beyond are taking notice of the group's well-funded emergence onto the state political scene.
He's also the force behind RIGHTCHANGE.com, another independent expenditure group backed by pharmaceutical money and including both a NC House and NC Senate member on its board:
Right Change Board of Directors:
• Fred Eshelman, President
• Fletcher Hartsell, Corporate Secretary
• Jeffrey Barnhart, Member
I've received reports and scans of mailings from Democratic candidates attacked by the hundreds of thousands of dollars being dumped into North Carolina. What do the disclaimers say?
"Donors include Americans for Prosperity and Variety Stores, Inc."
In essence, a couple of conservative guys are trying to buy the election - even in NC.
NC Democrats Infinitely Better on the Issues
Though many North Carolina legislators are "Carolina Blue" instead of true-blue Democrats, there is a lot of daylight between Democrats and Republicans. On the Conservation Council's most recent scorecard, the only House members who received 100% ratings for the last two sessions of the General Assembly were Democrats.
Republican Larry Brown recently made news - and Saturday Night Live - for calling the LGBT community "queers" an hinting that some Democratic legislators were "fruitloops."
Brown is also the guy who once sent the aformentioned James a lovely e-mail:
I cannot tell you in a kind way what you liberals can do with all your waste that would make the hog lagoon issue look like a diaper. Enjoy while you can. Post that on your web page and come visit me anytime. Larry Brown
Brown's bigoted comments were in response to the fact that the Democratic NC House Speaker, Joe Hackney, is receiving an award from LGBT rights group Equality NC. Hackney, by the way, has fought for equality in NC and may be the person most responsible for making North Carolina the only southern state without a "marriage amendment." That's our Speaker.
The Republican minority leader, Paul Stam, would likely be Speaker if the Republicans take over. Here's Paul Stam on the previous question:
"The 2007 General Assembly failed to address the State Marriage Amendment - signed by a majority of House members. In 2008 we must decide whether North Carolina will allow polygamy and same-sex marriage? The issue will inevitably arise as people move here from Massachusetts."
It's night and day. But with all the conservative money flooding NC, will voters see it that way?
We'll cover the LGBT issues and dirty tricks in part two ... until then help us keep the House Blue!