Free Republic

Pressure is beginning to grow on John Edwards to decide whether he plans to seek re-election to the U.S. Senate next year, as North Carolina Democrats fret that further delays could hamper efforts to hold the Senate seat. Two of the potential Democratic Senate candidates, former White House Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles and former state House Speaker Dan Blue, say they cannot afford to wait until the Feb. 27 candidate filing deadline before mounting a campaign for Edwards' seat. Bowles said he ideally would like to launch a Senate campaign next month or, at the latest, by October. He...

RALEIGH, N.C. - John Edwards' presidential aspirations are competing with the equally pressing task of shoring up his political support back home. The Democratic senator from North Carolina has not ruled out running for a second term in 2004 if his White House bid falters. While state law allows him to seek both offices, not even Edwards' confidants expect him to take that path. Recent polls have shown that more North Carolina voters disapprove than approve of Edwards' presidential run. A statewide poll also showed President Bush handily defeating Edwards in a hypothetical general election matchup. Edwards has responded by...

5th District race heating up earlyGOP candidates are lining up for a shot at Burr's congressional seat For most voters, the names of Republicans considering running for the 5th Congressional District seat are familiar ones: Gray, Brunstetter, Robinson, Snyder, maybe even Hege. But after U.S. Rep. Richard Burr's announcement Monday that he won't run for re-election and will move toward a run for the U.S. Senate, what's striking is how many Republicans are sizing up the 2004 congressional race. They are setting the stage for a very competitive primary in a very Republican 5th District. "There are lots of people...

Burr looking hard at Senate race The four-term congressman says the White House is encouraging him to run for John Edwards' seat By ROB CHRISTENSEN, Staff Writer WINSTON-SALEM -- Republican Rep. Richard Burr said Monday that he is likely to challenge Democratic Sen. John Edwards next year, a move encouraged by the White House that has implications for the 2004 presidential race. Burr said he would not seek a fifth term to the U.S. House and was establishing an exploratory committee for a Senate bid. Although he did not formally enter the Senate race, Burr made it clear that barring...

Snyder remains untapped By ROB CHRISTENSEN, Staff Writer For Republican Jim Snyder, the White House's decision to back U.S. Rep. Richard Burr for the U.S. Senate in 2004 looks like a case of deja vu. When he sought the Republican nomination for the Senate in September, Snyder, a Lexington lawyer, found himself running against not only Elizabeth Dole but the full power of the Bush administration and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Snyder finished a distant second to Dole with 14 percent of the vote. He's now exploring a second possible Senate bid in 2004. But he may once again...