Posted on 06/26/2003 1:04:27 PM PDT by Bob Buchholz
As Democrats wait to see whether U.S. Sen. John Edwards will seek his Senate seat in addition to his run for the White House, Republican Richard Burr's Senate campaign is gaining steam.
In fact, two fund-raisers who helped Democrat Erskine Bowles in last year's Senate race have now agreed to aid Burr's campaign.
On Monday, James Hance, Bank of America's chief financial officer, co-hosted a fund-raiser for Burr's campaign. And this weekend, R.V. Owens, a restaurant owner on the Outer Banks, will host one as well.
While the two influential figures are joining forces with Burr's campaign, Democrats are still waiting to see who will challenge him. Until Edwards makes a move, which is not expected for some time, potential candidates are stuck on the sidelines.
This seems to give Burr more time to build his team, and his campaign is not against reaching out to those who have helped Democrats.
Actually, such crossovers are essential to successful campaigns, said Paul Shumaker, Burr's general campaign consultant.
If you look at successful statewide Republican candidates, such as former U.S. Sen. Lauch Faircloth and former Gov. Jim Martin, you see the same strategies, Shumaker said.
Burr's campaign is expected to have $3 million in cash available by the end of the month, Shumaker said.
But the fact that Burr has no clear opponent yet does not make the campaign any easier, he said.
In some ways, the situation is more difficult because the Burr campaign must do opposition research on more people until it's clear whether Edwards will run.
"There's pros and cons to both," Shumaker said.
An intriguing rematch?
Tom Southern, the mayor of Walkertown in Forsyth County, has announced he will run for the state House seat held by Rep. Michael Decker, a Republican-turned-Democrat from Walkertown.
Southern, a Republican, lost to Decker in the 1996 GOP primary, during which, he said, he was a "political novice."
"I had no organization," he said. "I learned a lot from it."
The next year, Southern, a retired Methodist and Southern Baptist minister, became Walktertown's mayor.
Last year, no Democrats ran in the district, and Decker won on the Republican ticket. After his victory, Decker shocked many by switching sides, which ended up in a split House.
Southern said he has the support of his party, including former state Reps. Theresa Esposito and Lyons Gray, both Forsyth County Republicans.
Although he lost the primary seven years ago, Southern said his work for the town has led him to the legislature numerous times and has developed in him the experience he needs.
Since 1998, Southern has raised millions for improvements in Walkertown, including a $2 million grant to help the town build a sewer system. "That was my baptism into walking the halls," he said. "I have a good understanding of the process."
Decker hasn't announced yet whether he will run again. "I'm looking things over," he said. "There's a lot of time between now and January."
He wouldn't comment on Southern's candidacy, but he does remember him from the primary. "He didn't do too well," Decker said.
One thing is certain -- if Southern ends up winning the seat, he will remain a Republican. "That's one of my pledges," he said. "I don't plan to jump ship."
By staff writer Daniel Thigpen, who can be reached at 836-4969 or dthigpen@newsobserver.com.
I know the article doesn't come out and say it, but RV Owens is the bigges Erskine Bowles supporter. Erskine has said in the past the if Edwards does not run, he will. Since RV has come out in support of Burr, Erskine is not running. In my simple logical world, this means that Edwards WILL run for his senate seat.
What I found interesting was the blurb about Decker's opponent.
In 1998, RV Owens supported Lauch Faircloth against our ambulance chasin' presidential wannabe. I don't think he has much use for him.
Fat lot of good it did Faircloth though. He ran one of the sorriest campaigns ever and relied on people like Owens who couldn't even deliver that part of the state.
When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas, and Lauch has been scratching ever since.
Just as long as he doesn't win.
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