Tag: North Carolina

The Ten Senate Races Democrats Are Most Likely to Win in 2016

Jon Ponder

Feingold
Feingold
We’re not yet halfway through 2015 but the 2016 race for control of the U.S. Senate is starting to take shape. This week The Hill ranked the 10 most competitive races — and since then there has been a development in the race The Hill listed as likely to be the easiest pickup for Democrats.

Yesterday former Sen. Russ Feingold, the Democratic incumbent who was unseated by current Sen. Ron Johnson in 2010, announced he was entering the race. Johnson, a tea partyist, won by 5 percentage points in the tea party’s anti-Obamacare wave election after spending millions of his own money. The Hill quotes him as saying he won’t self-fund this year — which only means he’ll rely on his wealthy cronies to spend unlimited money anonymously to fund his campaign. The Hill cited a poll by PPP taken before Feingold’s announcement that found Feingold with 50 percent support against Johnson’s 41 percent. Wisconsin has voted for the Democratic candidate in every presidential cycle since 1984.

Within hours after Feingold’s announcement, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts endorsed him, according to an email sent by the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.

The Hill’s other nine most-competitive races are:

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N.C. Lawmaker Suggests that Restaurant Workers Shouldn’t Be Forced to Wash Hands

Buck Banks

I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as they post a sign that says we don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restroom. The market will take care of that. It’s one example.

— Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), saying that restaurants should be allowed to opt out of regulations requiring restaurant employees to wash their hands, the Washington Post reports.

Sure, Obama’s Approval Rate Is Down in NC, But GOP Senate Candidate Thom Tillis’ Is Only 1 Point Higher

Jon Ponder

42% – 43%

Approval ratings in North Carolina of Pres. Obama and GOP candidate for the U.S. Senate Thom Tillis, respectively, according to a poll released Oct. 31 by CNN/ORC International. The poll found a 49-48 percent favorable/unfavorable rating for Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan, the incumbent. The unfavorable rating for Tillis, who is also assembly leader, was 50 percent. Hagan holds a slight lead over Tillis, 48-46 percent, in the poll.

Democratic N.C. State Senator Calls out Republican Majority for Seeking Retribution Rather Than Governing

Jon Ponder

Floor Speech on the 2014 Budget from Jeff Jackson on Vimeo.

This floor speech from N.C. state Sen. Jeff Jackson, a Democrat from Gastonia, a Charlotte suburb, is making the rounds. Here’s more information on Jackson, who is a veteran and was serving as an assistant district attorney when he was elected by the local party to succeed Sen. Dan Clodfelter, another Democrat who is now Charlotte’s mayor.

N.C. Congressional Candidate Suggests War with Mexico to Cure Illegal Immigration

Buck Banks

I will tell you if you have foreigners who are sneaking in with drug cartels to me that is a national threat. And if we got to go laser or blitz somebody with a couple of fighter jets for a little while to make our point, I don’t have a problem with that either. So yeah, whatever we need to do.

— North Carolina congressional candidate Mark Walker (R), suggesting war with Mexico might be a way to stop immigrants coming across the border, TPM reports.

Lawmaker Equates Right to Fire Gays to Right to Smoke

Buck Banks

You need to respect the autonomy of somebody running their business. It’s like smoking bans. Do you ban smoking or do people have the right to private property? I think people have the right to private property. In public spaces, absolutely, we can have smoking bans. But we don’t want to micromanage people’s lives and businesses. If you have a business, do you want the government to come in and tell you you need to hire somebody? Why should government be there to impose on the freedoms we enjoy?

— Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-NC), comparing the right to fire gay workers with the right to smoke cigarettes on private property, ThinkProgress reports.