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The House approved a rule governing debate for the Republicans' Repeal of Obamacare Act on Tuesday. Members voted 240-182 in favor of the rule, which sets up five hours of debate that will take place Tuesday and Wednesday. Democrats strongly oppose the bill, a sentiment reflected in the rule vote. Only four Democrats supported the rule, and every voting Republicans favored it. Democrats voting for the rule were Reps. Dan Boren (Okla.), Larry Kissell (N.C.), Mike McIntyre (N.C.) and Mike Ross (Ark.). The vote came after a debate that seemed to raise the question of why five hours of debate...

Raleigh, N.C. – Democratic incumbent Larry Kissell is clinging to a slim one point lead in the race for North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District according to a new SurveyUSA poll released today by the Civitas Institute. According to the poll of 450 registered voters in that district, 46 percent said they would vote for Kissell if the election for United States House of Representatives were today. Forty-five percent of voters said they would vote for Harold Johnson, and nine percent said they are undecided. When looking at those who are most likely to vote in 2010, Johnson takes the lead...

The polling war in North Carolina's 8th district continued Wednesday with a new survey from Republican Harold Johnson's campaign showing the former sportscaster down just 5 points to freshman Rep. Larry Kissell (D). Johnson's poll, which was in the field Aug. 29-30, showed Kissell with 39 percent to Johnson's 34 percent, with the remaining 27 percent either undecided or favoring Libertarian Thomas Hill. The survey had a 4.9 point margin of error. The poll of 400 likely 8th district voters was conducted for Johnson by the GOP firm Public Opinion Strategies. The results paint a very different picture of the...

Harold Johnson has picked up the support of most of the voters who chose one of the also rans in the 8th District Republican primary for Congress, and as a result he's now opened up a 49-39 lead over Tim D'Annunzio with a week to go until the runoff election. Among people who reported voting for Hal Jordan or Lou Huddleston last month Johnson holds a 60-28 advantage. Johnson is also holding onto 93% of the voters who chose him in the primary while just 80% of D'Annunzio's original supporters are still with him. Whoever wins the nomination will have...

A new survey by Public Policy Polling shows Republican Harold Johnson would give Democratic Rep. Larry Kissell a stronger challenge in the fall than Tim D'Annunzio. Kissell leads both Republicans in hypothetical match-ups, but leads D'Annunzio by a much wider margin. The poll also showed Kissell with "a steep decline" in his approval numbers since January. Johnson and D'Annunzio face off in a Tuesday runoff. Tom Jensen, a spokesman for the Democratic-leaning firm from Raleigh, said D'Annunzio has been hurt by critical stories since the May 4 primary, including criticism from GOP officials. In th poll, 39 percent said their...

Still burning over Rep. Larry Kissell's health care vote, some Democrats in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District are courting a Charlotte attorney to mount a primary challenge. The courtee is Chris Kouri, a former Ivy League football player who ran for the seat in 2002, upsetting a better known Democrat in the primary before losing to Republican Robin Hayes, Jim Morrill of The Charlotte Observer reports. "I think it’s a legitimate groundswell," said Mecklenburg County Democratic chairman Joel Ford. "Chris Kouri is entertaining it. And I believe that if Chris gets enough grassroots support he’ll run." Kouri, general counsel and...

Animated former WSOC sportscaster says he'll join the GOP field to compete for the 8th District seat. For more than a quarter-century, thousands of Charlotte-area viewers watched Harold Johnson broadcast nightly sports news with an outsize personality and a ringmaster's zeal. Now "The Big Guy" will put his energy into politics. Johnson, 68, announced Friday that he'll run as a Republican for the 8th District seat held by Democrat Larry Kissell of Montgomery County. "If you ever watched me on the air you know I speak from the heart," he told the Observer. "What I'm seeing here in Washington, this...

Nearly two weeks after U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell bucked his party and voted against health care legislation, June Mabry's phone line is still burning up with calls from angry Democrats. [...] Kissell, of Montgomery County, was one of 39 Democrats who voted against the health care bill that passed the House by five votes this month. He was one of just eight from a district that President Barack Obama carried last year. It didn't take long for the backlash to begin. The liberal group MoveOn.org has been running a TV ad in his district that applauds congressmen who "stood tall"...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. North Carolina voters aren't likely to get a chance to send a second ex-NFL player to Congress. Former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he has decided against seeking the Republican nomination for the 8th District seat in 2010. Ex-Washington Redskins quarterback Heath Shuler, a Democrat, holds the state's 11th District seat. Republicans hosted Minter in Washington earlier this month in hopes the popular ex-Panther would decide to challenge Democrat Larry Kissell, who beat 10-year Republican incumbent Robin Hayes in November's election. Minter said he decided the job would put too much...

CHARLOTTE — Former Carolina Panthers safety Mike Minter said Wednesday that he will make a decision in the next few weeks whether to challenge for the 8th District seat. The seat is currently held by Democrat Larry Kissell, who defeated 10-year Republican incumbent Rep. Robin Hayes in November’s election. Minter spoke minutes after returning from a two-day visit to Washington where he surveyed the political scene. He said he would discuss the issue with his family and pastor before deciding. “My thing right now is trying to find the best way I can help people achieve what they need to...