http://www.rtpnet.org/lwvnc/newsevents/2010_Senate_Primary_Press_Release.pdf

Quote :

"Debate participants include Ken Lewis, Marcus Williams, Elaine Marshall, James “Cal” Cunningham and Ann Worthy. They are on the ballot in the May 4, 2010 primary election. The debate will be broadcast 7:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., April 14, 2010 from the NBC-17 studios in Raleigh. Viewers can also watch the debate live online at MyNC.com. The candidates will answer questions submitted by North Carolina residents. Voters can send their questions for the candidates to myvote@wncn.com, and should include their first and last names along with their city/county of residence. The deadline to submit questions is 12 a.m. Sunday, April 11, 2010."

http://kenlewisforsenate.com/
http://www.nowweshall.com/
http://www.elainemarshall.org/
http://www.calfornc.com/
http://www.annworthyforsenate.com/

I thought about holding off on this thread until the day of the debate, but I decided it would be better to share info about it in advance so people could plan to watch it on Wednesday or at least submit any questions before the deadline which is even sooner. The debate itself happens on April 14th, early voting starts on April 15th through May 1st, and the primary election day is May 4th.

Find all the early voting locations in your county:
http://www.sboe.state.nc.us/content.aspx?id=17

4/10/2010 8:52:06 PM

Just tell me which one(s) are in opposition to sea walls and have their website rightfully differentiating between the environment and energy.

4/11/2010 1:16:14 AM

Only two days until the debate, three until early voting starts.

I think as a former state senator & with military background Cal will be fairly appealing to many North Carolinians. Although for NCSU voters I’m not sure how much his entry into politics as the UNC Student Body President helps or hurts. But I do like his support for Voter Owned Elections(public campaign financing).

Of course Secretary of State and former State Senator Elaine Marshall is polling the strongest against Burr and in 2008 she got more votes in our state than did the President, Governor, or US Senator, & others so she’s got some bipartisan name recognition going for her.

Ken Lewis I like because in many ways he is the most liberal candidate, but with little political experience, and coming consistently in third in the polls I’m not holding out a lot of hope. And in the end I care more about beating Burr than ideological purity because all 3 of the top choices strike me as better choices.

Marcus, Ann, and Susan usually don’t even get included in the polling. Here is the most recent Burr match-up polling I've seen:

Quote :

"Burr vs. Cunningham - Burr (R) 43% Cunningham (D) 32% - Public Policy Polling - 3/12-3/15 878 LV Burr vs. Lewis - Burr (R) 43% Lewis (D) 32% - Public Policy Polling - 3/12-3/15 878 LV Burr vs. Marshall Burr (R) 41% - Marshall (D) 36% Public Policy Polling - 3/12-3/15 878 LV"

4/12/2010 6:52:46 PM

The debate is today.

http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/50023/nbc17-league-of-women-voters-of-n.c.-to-host-statewide-u.s.-senate-democrat/

Quote :

"The 90-minute debate is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast across the state. WNCN (NBC17) will also live stream the debate on MyNC.Com as well as offering the live stream to other news Web sites across the state."

And we have some fresh polling data from yesterday:

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/04/undecideds-continue-to-dominate-nc.html

Quote :

"61% of primary voters have no opinion about Marshall. For Lewis that's 80% and for Cunningham it's 85%"

Quote :

"Marshall checks in at 23% this month to 17% for Cunningham and 9% for Lewis. Minor candidates are getting the other 6%. ... 45% of voters undecided"

This suggest to me that the election, that starts with tomorrows early voting, is still anyone's game with so many undecideds. I was frankly surprised to Cunningham trailing Lewis on how well known the candidate is, and that Elaine is looking like the best candidate to beat Burr. I honestly thought guy with a military and state senate background would be more appealing to North Carolinians, but he his campaign just hasn't caught fire the way I thought it would. In all the online polls I've been voting for Cal and suggesting him to friends, but Elaine is going to be the best candidate to send Burr home his 16 years in Washington, that is something to take seriously. But again, with so many undecideds, tonight's debate may be kind of a big deal.

4/14/2010 11:32:59 AM

Happening now.

Worthy said go for drilling of NC's coast. Cal & Ken said don't go for drilling. Elaine said she's not excited about off shore drilling, but if it must happen then we need to work on the language so that NC gets the royalties, and such that there is a plan to clean up if there is a disaster, and we need to look at expanding green energy. Elaine was the only to say here is my stand, but also here is how I think we should handle what will realistically happen. I like that.

Ken just took a jab at Cunningham saying he's been flip flopping on drilling. But so far its been pretty calm. They all support Health Care Reform but think there are ways to have done it better, they all want to support small businesses and create jobs, none of them sounded happy about the heavy use of filibuster nor the recent SCOTUS decision on campaign finance.

First rebuttal of the night was just used with Worthy also taking at a jab at Cal over drilling flip flopping.

[Edited on April 14, 2010 at 8:20 PM. Reason : .]

4/14/2010 8:11:07 PM

Elaine Marshall is against the Afghanistan surge. She says we need to focus our country building on America.

Ann Worthy says she was against the surge but supported it because she trusts that the President had good information on it. She says we need to stabilize Afghanistan then start pulling out.

Cal Cunningham says winning Afghanistan is key which he knows firsthand from his experience as a soldier in the middle east.

Marcus Williams opposes the war in Afghanistan but trusts the President. Supports a civil surge into Afghanistan. Wants to bring troops home after an unspecified window of time.

Ken Lewis. Supports the Afghanistan war and supported the surge as the best of bad options. Wants to bring troops home in 1.5 years.


This is the biggest difference I've seen in the candidates in the debate so far. Elaine gets the troops home the soonest, Cal keeps us there until we win, and then several options in between from the rest.

4/14/2010 8:30:35 PM

interesting…

i genuinely appreciate you distilling this down Supplanter.

4/14/2010 8:33:56 PM

They all seem to support efforts from prevent another market failure and bailouts.

They've moved away from the moderator asking questions, both hers and user submitted ones, and on to follow up questions. So nothing really new, just more details.

Okay, that part is over, they have some extra time, now an extra question:

How long should unemployment benefits be extended?

Cal Cunningham: Keep unemployment going until we're out of this recession.

Marcus Williams: Keep them going for the short terms, be compassionate.

Ken Lewis: Keep them going. We need to turn to each other, not on each other.

Elaine Marshall: Continue unemployment benefits on an interim basis to support families until we create more jobs.

Ann Worthy: Keep them going.

4/14/2010 8:49:34 PM

Marcus Williams tried to ask for support in Spanish from legal immigrants. He stumbled his way through it.

Closing statements:

Cal Cunningham: Thank you. Need jobs. Optimism. Burr Bad. Vote for me. Go to my website. Optimistic. Vote for me.

Marcus Williams: Thank you. Rich vs poor, powerful vs weak, privileged vs disadvantaged. We need the rule of law to apply for justice to prevail. I'll provide constituent based services. Go to my website. Vote for me.

Ann Worthy: Thank you. I'm not a politician or a lawyer. Its time for a change. I'm a voice in for the people. I'll fight for NC. I am Ann Worthy and I am worthy of your vote.

Elaine Marshall: Thank you. As we move into the election season tomorrow we are in a bad economy and in a war. Today more than ever we need leadership. I support open government and problem solving. I have done that in my career. I have a history of fighting special interests. Join me in this campaign.

Ken Lewis: My grandmother was born on a plantation. Look how far the American Dream can take you. I'm not a politician (he is a lawyer though), so I can bring a different kind of experience and leadership to Washington.

Moderator: Less than 3 weeks until primary election day. Early voting starts tomorrow. The leading candidate needs 40% +1 to avoid a run off. If you missed anything, check out mync.com to watch.

[Edited on April 14, 2010 at 9:23 PM. Reason : .]

4/14/2010 8:56:51 PM

Quote :

"i genuinely appreciate you distilling this down Supplanter."

No prob. I'll try to pretty heavily track things here in the last few weeks. Early voting starts later today, and there are less than 3 weeks until primary election day.

I think I'll keep this thread going throughout the remainder of the primary instead of the old one about the primary election, because the thread is so old that many pictures have stopped functioning, the some links don't work, and the field of candidates has changed. If you want to look back at the campaigns since their early days though, you can do so here:
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=575993



September 2009 public policy polling results for a Burr match up:
Burr vs. Cal Cunningham 42-30 = 12 point Burr lead
Burr vs. Kenneth Lewis 43-27 = 16 point Burr lead
Burr vs. Elaine Marshall 42-31 = 11 point Burr lead

March 2010 public policy polling results for a Burr match up:
Burr vs. Cal Cunningham 43-32 = 11 point Burr lead (closed in by 1 point)
Burr vs. Kenneth Lewis 43-32 = 11 point Burr lead (closed in by 5 points)
Burr vs. Elaine Marshall 41-36 = 5 point Burr lead (closed in by 6 points)

That time gap is about the same size as the time gap between now and the general election. If Cal keeps up this pace of gaining points he can beat Burr in 6 years, if Ken keeps up this pace he can beat Burr in a little over a year, and if Elaine keeps up that pace she can take the lead a month before November. On so many issues they are so close to each other that I think viability against Burr is elevated in importance.

You can watch the debate in full here.
http://wake.mync.com/site/Wake/news/story/50558/democratic-senate-candidates-debate-on-nbc-17/

There is a summary video on top, but it doesn't cover all the issues and for the ones it does cover it doesn't give full detail to. For example they sum up Elaine's position as being anti-off shore drilling, whereas what she really said was that she doesn't think its the right course, but realizing that it may come to pass they need to be working on ways to make sure NC reaps the benefits from it if it does happen, and that there are plans in place in case an accident or disaster strikes, while also perusing some forms of green energy. The bottom video is the first 30 minutes of the 1.5 hour debate, but at the end of the first 30 minutes it automatically rolls over into the next 30, and then the next 30.

4/15/2010 3:28:27 AM

Quality thread.

I assume it's too late to change registration at this point, but are independents going to be able to vote in the Democratic primary?

I'm also somewhat curious whether, in North Carolina, independents will be able to vote in the Republican primary for 2012, but that's quite a ways away.

4/15/2010 5:05:06 PM

It took some digging on the State Board of Elections website and downloading a few PDFs, but I think I have the answers to your questions.

No, you can't change your party affiliation at this time.

Yes, as an independent/unaffiliated you can vote in the primary of your choosing which I believe applies to all elections. So you should be able to vote in the 2010 democratic primary, and then the 2012 republican primary if you so desire.

Here is the text from various BOE sources that I'm basing that on if you want to double check that I'm understanding it correctly:

Quote :

"WHO CAN VOTE IN PARTY PRIMARIES? Voters who are affiliated (registered) with a political party must vote in the primary of the party with which they are affiliated. Voters who are not affiliated with a politi-cal party may vote in a party primary as long as that party allows it. At this time, the Democratic, Republican, and Liber-tarian Parties allow unaffiliated voters to vote in their primaries. Voters who are not affiliated with a politi-cal party are also free to vote a non-partisan ballot in the primary and not participate in a party primary."

Quote :

"Registered voters may also update their address and change vital information in an existing registration record at the One-Stop Site, but they are not allowed to change their party affiliation during the One-Stop Voting period that precedes a partisan primary."

Quote :

"Friday, April 9 Last day to change party affiliation before the May 4 Primary."

4/15/2010 5:20:03 PM

Quote :

"How long should unemployment benefits be extended? Cal Cunningham: Keep unemployment going until we're out of this recession. Marcus Williams: Keep them going for the short terms, be compassionate. Ken Lewis: Keep them going. We need to turn to each other, not on each other. Elaine Marshall: Continue unemployment benefits on an interim basis to support families until we create more jobs. Ann Worthy: Keep them going."

So courageous.

4/15/2010 6:32:30 PM

Well given that its a party primary, positions are going to be pretty similar. But there are differences if you take a close enough look to see who is saying short term/interim basis, and who is saying until the economy has recovered.

4/15/2010 7:03:22 PM

Democratic County Conventions are happening across the state this week and last weekend, and the candidates are bouncing around speaking at as many of them as possible.

I got to see Elaine Marshall, Cal Cunningham, and Holly Lewis (Ken's wife - they use campaign surrogates to make sure they cover them all) speak last weekend.

http://www.wakedems.org/node/2840

For Wake County it is happening tomorrow, April 17th, at Ligon Middle School at noon. If it works like the one I went to last weekend, you just show up and get in for free (although you have the option of buying lunch), and you get to see a whole host of speakers including the Senate candidates. And then, if you want to stay, you can vote on various resolutions saying where your county stands. People came and went the whole time so you weren't obligated to stay any longer than you wanted at the one I went to. You do not have to be a Democrat to go. Give that Wake has such a large population I'm 90% certain that all 3 main candidates will show up in person rather than using surrogates especially since early voting is underway.

4/16/2010 7:15:01 PM

My vote's with Rick Ross.

4/18/2010 11:52:50 AM

In my on going effort to share info on candidate events in Wake County I have another to post about.

Elaine Marshall will be doing a meet and greet type event at the Globe Restaurant on 510 Glenwood Avenue at 5 pm today for anyone who wants to attend. I will unfortunately be in class at the time.

4/21/2010 1:55:33 PM

First round of TV ads from the only 2 candidates who have raised the funds to do TV ad buys:

4/26/2010 3:57:36 PM

New poll numbers out today.

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/04/marshall-leads-cunningham-pulling.html

Quote :

"Marshall gets 26% this week to 23% for Cunningham. It's clearly become a two person race as the rest of the candidates are languishing in single digits. Kenneth Lewis is at 7%, Marcus Williams at 4%, and Susan Harris and Ann Worthy at 3%."

Marshall and Cunningham are both ahead of the pack, and closer together than they've ever been. Cunningham started airing his TV ads a little earlier which has helped to even up the race, but they'll both be on the air before primary election day. Early voting is low because its an off year election, so primary day matters more than it did in 2008. It is going to be really close. There will be one more round of polling next weekend, and I imagine its results will suggest that this race is even more of a nail biter than the results out today.
(this results were just pairing up the primary candidates against each, against Burr the last I saw Elaine still leads)

4/27/2010 3:15:29 PM

Early voting ends at 1pm Saturday May 1st. Wake County residents can vote at any of the 5 locations likely with no lines. If you wait until Tuesday the 4th then you might have lines, and you'll have to specifically go to your own voting location.

New polling is happening this weekend and will be released Sunday evening, and then I'll post it here.

5/1/2010 12:31:23 AM

http://publicpolicypolling.blogspot.com/2010/05/marshall-expands-lead-many-still.html

New polling numbers out today, the last before the election day on Tuesday.

Quote :

"It continues to be clear that this is a two person race."

Quote :

"The race is right on the line right now between having a runoff or not."

Quote :

"If the undecideds make up their minds in proportion to their current preferences Marshall would lead Cunningham 42-32, but there's no guarantee that will happen and either way it wouldn't take much for 42% to slip down to 39%."

It is down to Elaine vs Cal and a run off is very possible. Either of them seem like a fine choice compared to what we have now, but the the best chance according to polling data to beat Burr and the best chance to avoid a runoff (which would lead to more money spent on defeating each other in the primary instead of taking on Burr & might also result in them going negative, who knows) is a vote for Elaine.

As I've said before, I like Ken b/c he's the most liberal, but he can't win, not even the primary, and I was originally leaning towards Cal. But I think Elaine is the way to go to beat Burr.

5/3/2010 12:52:17 AM