RALEIGH — Six Democrats are on the ballot for a the nomination to succeed former Rep. Mel Watt, the 11-term 12th District Democratic congressman who resigned his seat earlier this year to become director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The candidates tout progressive credentials but differ on several key issues.
RALEIGH – Two Republicans — Vince Coakley, a radio show host, and Leon Threatt, a pastor of a Charlotte church — are vying for their party’s nomination for the 12th Congressional District. The 12th District stretches from Guilford County to Mecklenburg County, and includes portions of Forsyth, Davidson, Rowan, and Cabarrus counties.
GREENSBORO — There are no Republicans running for the District 58 seat, making the May 6 Democratic primary most likely a winner-take-all event. The candidates largely hold similar views on the issues confronting the state. For the most part, they disagree with many of the policies enacted by the Republican-controlled legislature and Gov. Pat McCrory.
RALEIGH – A shift in the partisan direction of North Carolina’s 8th Congressional District has given five Republican U.S. House candidates hope of going to Washington. But first up is the May 8 primary and a potential runoff. Richard Hudson, Scott Keadle, Vernon Robinson, Fred Steen, and John Whitley are on the ballot.
RALEIGH — A Washington-based group advocating limited government has ranked North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx and Sen. Richard Burr, both Republicans, in its top tier of fiscally conservative lawmakers in 2009.
RALEIGH — A CNN poll released Wednesday found that 71 percent of adult Americans were very likely (41 percent) or somewhat likely (30 percent) to attend a “town hall meeting or some other public forum where voters got a chance to speak” on health-care reform hosted by a member of Congress in their communities.
RALEIGH — As the restructuring of the American auto industry proceeds, both Chrysler and General Motors have begun widespread cancellation of franchise agreements with local dealerships. A total of 789 Chrysler dealers were scheduled to close on June 9, with 1,100 GM dealers scheduled for shutdown by 2010.
RALEIGH — North Carolina’s congressional delegation and their families have taken 160 trips paid for by private individuals or organizations since 2000. The total cost of nearly $600,000 ranges from $200 domestic overnights to week-long visits to Europe and Asia that approach $20,000 per member.
RALEIGH — A public policy organization praised North Carolina’s Sen. Richard Burr and Rep. Sue Myrick, both Republicans, for being two of the most fiscally conservative legislators on issues such as tax cuts, pork barrel spending, and free trade, the group reports in its 2007 congressional report card.
RALEIGH — Conservation activists are pushing legislation in Congress to expand the power and reach of the Clean Water Act in the name of protecting wetlands, but some members of North Carolina’s congressional delegation say the bill would further erode the rights of landowners to make decisions about their property.
DURHAM — A Durham group touts itself as nonpartisan and non-ideogical, but a review of its activities, and its affiliation with national "social justice" groups, casts doubt on that contention.
