Palombo filed in NC-03 months ago, and is still the only challenger to Code Pink Jones. Can a police chief from New Bern defeat an entrenched incumbent whose father previously held an overlapping district for decades? With the troops coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan, I’m not sure if Jones’s treasonous calls for pulling out in defeat will have as much impact on primary voters as they would have in 2006 or 2008 (or even 2010).
In the NC-08, I like Vernon Robinson, warts and all. Even with his polarizing stances, he’d still beat Kissell in the redrawn CD, and it sure would be fun to have Vernon giving special-order speeches on the House floor (and voting 100% conservative, of course).
In NC-07, the one CD (outside the safely RAT ones) where the Dem has a chance of winning, I agree with you on Pantano; I think running a Johnston County Republican like Rouzer would allow McIntyre to paint his opponent as a Raleighite to voters in the southern counties, and in any event I think that Pantano earned a rematch after his unexpectedly strong showing against McIntyre in 2010.
Speaking of earning a chance to run again, I would support Bill Randalll in the NC-13 if only because he was willing to take on Brad Miller (and make him sweat) when everyone else was afraid to run. Paul Coble and George Holding might be great on the issues (I don’t know either way), but they weren’t willing to run when the CD leaned slightly Democrat, so I’d prefer Randall (whom I know is conservative). It also wouldn’t hurt to have a greater number of black conservatives in Congress. The NC-13 will elect a Republican irrespective of who we nominate.
The same holds true in the NC-11 now that Shuler dropped out. If Meadows is more conservative than Hunt, I’d go for him.
No idea what to think about the huge field in SC-07; thank God SC has run-offs. Anyone But Andre Bauer would be my mantra too, at least for now (maybe I’ll eventually have a preference among the non-Bauers.
Vernon would be in Congress today if he had the sense God gave a clam. There's a time to open and a time to close one's mouth, and he just can't help himself attacking, attacking, attacking instead of running on a great bio and philosophy. I'm not interested in boarding that train knowing he's going to wreck again.
IIRC, a commissioner from Onslow county held Jones to 60% after raising very little money back in 2008. Given the tea party sentiment out there today, I think it’s even more doable now.