Leading Democratic officeholders will be loathe to pass up what are good reelection prospects in order to take on an incumbent senator.
RALEIGH — More than 1,100 candidates or ballot measures were decided by voters, according to the State Board of Elections. Nearly a half-million North Carolinians voted, a turnout rate of nearly 14.4 percent. One analyst notes that the results in mayoral races in most major cities underscored the growth of Democratic Party influence in the state's largest urban areas.
When Gov. Bev Perdue rocked the political establishment Thursday by announcing her plans not to run for reelection, she made history.
GREENSBORO — During the 2009-10 legislative session, then-Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, sponsored a bill that would prevent cities from building broadband systems without a public vote. That bill died in committee, but now Rep. Marilyn Avila, R-Wake, has given the issue new life with the current bill.
It has not been a good summer for government-subsidized sports stadium deals in North Carolina. Two expensive, high profile stadiums have disappointed, one slowly and subtly, one loudly and obviously.
We’ve had a preview of how the new American corporatist state would operate, thanks to the proliferation of corporate welfare deals.
RALEIGH — The indictments of two former members of the Housing Authority of Winston-Salem and a private developer in a property-flipping scheme have triggered much-needed local reform and better transparency in a federal program dogged by corruption nationwide, officials say.
ROANOKE RAPIDS — The Sanford Holshouser law firm, founded by two former governors, is emerging as a key player in developments surrounding the Randy Parton Theatre in Roanoke Rapids. Adding to the political firepower attracted by the troubled project, the two leading Democratic candidates for governor have made the theater’s problems a campaign issue.
RALEIGH — State Treasurer Richard Moore and other members of the Local Government Commission gave final approval to the City of Roanoke Rapids to borrow $21. 5 million to finance the Randy Parton Theatre even though a feasibility study found that other attractions must first be in place for the theater to be viable. The final approval came at the commission’s meeting Feb. 6.
Democrats have been targeting three North Carolina congressional districts for takeover in 2006, but the most likely scenario is, once again, only a single competitive race.
North Carolina’s congressional map is said to leave little room for competitive races, but for the 2006 cycle many Democrats believe they see improbable openings. One is Virginia Foxx’s re-election bid in the 5th District.
