Democrats in North Carolina got a one-two punch yesterday as both Congressman Brad Miller and Governor Bev Perdue announced their respective retirements.
We've had speculation about whether Miller might be interested in the Governor's office or whether Elaine Marshall would be interested (two high-profile North Carolinians) and at this point Elaine Marshall has declined as she is still interested in being Secretary of State.
A few minutes ago I received an email from Lt. Governor Walter Dalton that he's in and going to run across Pat McCrory (T-bagger).
My understanding is that the filing deadline is in February, so there isn't a lot of time for us to:
1) come up with credible candidates
2) make it a state-wide fight
It is VITALLY important that we elect a Democrat to the Governor's Office. In 2010, for the first time since Reconstruction†, the Republicans control both halves of the NC Legislature. They Gerrymandered us pretty badly in 2010 and unless we can stop them from taking the Governorship we're going to resemble Georgia or even worse: South Carolina.
I'm not endorsing Dalton yet (as I want to learn more about him and see who else declares), but it is imperative that we hold the line and somehow take back parts of the Legislature, too.
Hopefully Obama will have coattails so we can try to undo the down-ticket disasters of 2010, so the burden lies upon us. McCrory wants to dismantle education (among other things) in North Carolina and we really don't need a Walker clone down here in NC.
Lt. Gov. Dalton already has an ActBlue page, but like I said I'm waiting to see who else enters the race.
†Reconstruction: Also called "Radical Reconstruction." That period from 1865 to 1876 where the South was occupied territory following the Civil War. Following that time, Republicans were not highly thought of in the South. That didn't start to change until the Nixon Era and the "Southern Strategy."
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