Republican challenger Steve Henion faces an uphill climb in his quest to defeat three-term incumbent Democrat Grier Martin in the 34th House District. But Henion expects his small business credentials, combined with a strong GOP showing at the polls, to put him in the winners’ circle Nov. 2.

That could be a challenge. Martin, an attorney and Charlotte native, handily won his last two election outings, and he has a sizeable campaign war chest. Political analysts see Martin as a hard worker, willing to go door-to-door to gather votes. In addition, Democrats have an 11 percent voter registration advantage in his district, which stretches from north Raleigh to inside the beltline.

Even so, Henion is giving Martin a run for his money. A Civitas poll of registered voters in late August and early September gave Martin a 47-43 percent advantage, with 10 percent undecided. This year, Henion is casting himself as an outsider uninterested in making a career out of elected office — an approach that could boost him among unaffiliated voters disenchanted with incumbents.

“I’m not interested in being elected over and over again,” Henion said. “I’m interested in taking care of the responsibilities that face the state today, and getting it back onto the right path so that North Carolina is the best place to live, the best place to do business, the best place to raise your kids and have an education.”

Six e-mails and two telephone calls seeking an interview with Martin were not returned. Martin’s campaign website lists endorsements from local newspapers, including The News & Observer of Raleigh and The Independent, and his experience as a paratrooper in the U.S. National Guard.

In a candidate statement submitted to UNC-TV, Martin emphasized his independence from party leaders and his stand on ethics reform. “I’ve fought to enact tough new ethics laws, and from my first day on the job refused to accept gifts, meals, or anything from lobbyists,” he wrote.

In 2007, Martin toyed with the idea of challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole but decided against it for family reasons. Democrat Kay Hagan, then a state senator, went on to best Dole in the general election.

In contrasting himself with his opponent, Henion says he has a “totally different” viewpoint on where North Carolina should be.

“Grier Martin has no clue how [small businesses work],” Henion said. “He’s touting that he helps small business people because, back in the late 90s, he worked for a real estate attorney firm down in Charlotte. That’s his only experience, at all, in the private sector.”

Henion, who owns a real-estate business in Raleigh, lists creating jobs and curtailing government spending as top goals. He says he’s pro-life and would support a state constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman.

Henion has secured the endorsement of the N.C. Right to Life PAC. Martin got the backing of the North Carolina Association of Educators, the state’s leading teacher union. In September, the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce Board of Advisors praised Martin for backing a law that gives “tax relief to companies that produce interactive digital media,” according to a press release on Martin’s website.

During his three terms in office, Martin has built a left-of-center voting record. He was a primary sponsor of a bill in 2009 that would have banned private retailers from providing certain types of plastic bags to customers. The same year, he co-sponsored and voted in favor of legislation that bans smoking in most restaurants and businesses.

On the ethics issue, Henion said that lawmakers can’t legislate-away corruption. Instead, citizens have the responsibility of voting out unethical legislators.

“The voters have a responsibility to vote, and with that comes due diligence,” he said. “People have to take the time to look at who is serving their interest and the state’s the best.”

Henion also chided his opponent for not agreeing to debate. “We expected him to not want to debate, because we believe that we would smoke him on the issues,” Henion said.

Martin is leading in fundraising so far. At the end of the second quarter of this year, the three-term Democrat had $132,683.21 in the bank, compared to just $770.89 for Henion. Martin also raised about twice what Henion took in during the first and second quarters of 2010.

Despite the difference in campaign kitties, Raleigh-based political consultant John Davis sees the race as a toss up in the 2010 political environment. He points to the district’s history of electing Republicans.

“It took an extraordinary commitment of time and money for Grier Martin to take this seat in 2004, and holding it in ’06 and ’08 wasn’t that big of a challenge because of the anti-Republican election cycles,” Davis said. “This year is a pro-Republican cycle, and you’ve got a strong candidate in Henion.”

David N. Bass is an associate editor of Carolina Journal.