And the Democratic field for NC Governor just got bigger.
Coming in on February 29th (just under the wire as the deadline was the 29th) and sending out mass emails on March 1st, Mr. Etheridge is IN.
Here's the mass email that came out last night.
Friend,
Yesterday, I formally filed for the office of Governor for our great state. I seek this office not out of personal ambition or ideological agenda. I seek this office because I love North Carolina, and we face a crossroads in 2012. Mayor McCrory and the Republican legislature have shown us their ideological agenda: slashed education budgets, massive teacher layoffs and turning back the clock.
I have always believed that public education is the key that unlocks our future. Great schools, great community colleges, and great universities form a sound economic policy that will produce new jobs and opportunities for our state.
As I run for Governor, my platform will emphasize the enduring strength of our public schools, our community colleges and our universities. I believe that putting the best teachers and professors in our classrooms will challenge the minds of the next generation and provide new skills for those who are looking for work today.
As the former superintendent of North Carolina's public schools and a Member of Congress, my life’s work has been to improve our public schools and to create more opportunities for our children. I can see that our schools need leadership today. I will provide that leadership with innovation and energy. Our economy today and future generations depend on a sound public education system that produces a labor force that can compete with any nation in the world.
Stand with me and help move this state forward in the right direction. Please join me at our Campaign Kickoff this Saturday.
Bob Etheridge Campaign Kickoff
Saturday, March 3rd at 8am
2911 Harnett Central Rd
Angier, NC 27501
I need your voice and your support. You can help right now by making a contribution to this campaign.
Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you Saturday and on the campaign trail.
Sincerely,
Bob Etheridge
Quick analysis of his website shows that the domain was registered on February 3rd through GoDaddy and the website appears to have just been put together. It's not ugly, just there's not a whole lot there yet.
On his site he says:
After considerable thought and a whole lot of encouragement, I am announcing today, my candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for Governor.
My life's work has been about improving the public education system in North Carolina. As we move forward, we must ensure we are making the key investments in public education, community colleges and the university system.
This election is about leadership. It's about moving forward - not moving backward.
I will be talking about our future and our commitment to move North Carolina forward. If we want a 21st century economy, we must have 21st century schools.
After the evisceration we've seen in NC of our public school system (15% cut last year, alone) and what they're trying to do to pre-K, it is imperative that we stem the tide and prevent McCrory from winning the Governor's office. Having him push education will hopefully serve as a counterweight to the Republican anti-education screed.
I'm glad that Bob Etheridge is in and we can have debates between him and Lt. Gov. Dalton. Take some of the oxygen out of the room. We need to be able to show and tell exactly what a Republican Administration and Legislature would mean to North Carolina and their dystopian future that has to be stopped at all costs.
President Obama is going to need some serious down-ticket coattails to fix North Carolina and other states (can you say Ohio, Wisconsin, Michigan, etc?), and this means a carrot-and-stick approach.
Carrot: persuade Democrats and Independents to come out and vote for our collective future.
Stick: depress the Republicans, T-baggers, and Plutocrat enablers and get them to stay home.
Note: Both of these block quotes are from their campaign and were for immediate release. Fair use copy limitations do not apply.
Note #2: I am not affiliated with either Bob Etheridge's campaign or Lt. Gov. Dalton's. As I find out more about them I'm sure I'll jump on a bandwagon, but take it as a given that I'm voting Democratic all the way down the ticket.