Two well-placed sources, independent of each other, have contacted the Swing State Project to let us know that NC State Senator Kay Hagan (D-Greensboro) has reconsidered her earlier decision and will challenge Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
Blue NC had picked up earlier rumors that Hagan might be back in from a local Democratic strategist:
Even before Jim Neal outed himself, Kay Hagan was looking at getting back in the U.S. Senate race. Now she’s getting more encouragement – from home and from Washington. Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro, had looked at running earlier. She pulled back because Senator Charles Schumer from New York, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, was intent on recruiting Grier Martin. Martin eventually opted out.
Now Hagan is reconsidering. She’s being wooed by North Carolina Democrats – and by Schumer. The garrulous New Yorker’s first task was to eat crow with Hagan.
Public Policy Polling recently pegged Dole's approval at 44% with 41% disapproval. If our sources are correct, these numbers certainly suggest Hagan would have something to work with.
We need to at least run a race in NC. We may or may not win, but running Jim Neal would go against the 50-state strategy.
To speak publicly about his orientation affect Hagan’s decision? It doesn’t make sense. If Hagan thinks she can beat Dole, she obviously thinks she can beat Neal in the primary. I don’t even want to consider the ugly possibility that certain Hagan supporters think it would now be “easier” to beat Neal because of his announcement. As I say, Neal is not, as chemists would say, Hagan’s rate limiting step on the road to a seat in the US Senate.
I think that poll showing Dole under 50% probably has an effect, though.
Neal seems to be fairly progressive. How does Kagan stack up?
Easley wont run for this seat. It would be an almost sure pickup if he did.
Local media’s reaction to Hagan deciding not to run:
Last Week Jim Neal stopped by BlueNC for a live blogging session.
Its a great insight into what he believes in and how he might act as a Senator.
“RALEIGH — Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan says she will not run for the U.S. Senate next year against Sen. Elizabeth Dole.
Hagan says she can better serve North Carolina from her current post in the General Assembly instead of challenging the Republican incumbent.”
Gotta love sincerity…
of the entire sorry business at Pam’s House Blend.
Including this wonderful image from Howie Klein.
that St Sen Hagan is in. She has experience running and winning political office and voting and talking about key issues facing the people of NC. It sounds like Jim Neal is a great guy with good positions on the issues and who has worked hard for Democrats and Democratic ideals. But if the DSCC had sat back and said that a neophyte candidate with no electoral experience or name id or money is good enough to win a winnable race, then I’d say they weren’t doing their jobs.
I see this again and again on blogs. Some good person who is a tremendous longshot steps up and says they are running for a seat – Wiviott in NM, Buckey in ME, Novick in OR, Hill in MN-6, Rowley in MN-2, Hackett in OH, Miller in VA last year and then people are shocked, shocked that leaders (DSCC or DCCC or local leaders) keep looking for candidates and are hurt and offended when they find them.
COME ON PEOPLE! Winning elections is really hard – Even with a lot of elecotral experience. Mr. Neal’s inexperience was reason #1 that the DSCC kept looking for a candidate. Him announcing that he was gay and featuring it on his website didn’t make him a stronger candidate, but that was not the reason Democrats wanted other candidates.
It sure looks to me like Ms. Hagan is the strongest candidate and it will be a tough race against an incumbent in a Reddish state. From this distance I would say that Mr. Neal might be a great candidate for State Senate, State House or County Board and those would be good starting spots to prove his skills both as a candidate and as an elected official. I am not pushing him out of this race, but I’m being realistic.
Just as Mr. Neal, as CEO of high-powered financial companies, routinely hired people with experience for high level positions, he should not be surprised that Democratic leaders look for people with electoral experience for one of the highest level political races in the country.