May 06, 2008
Meanwhile, Down Ballot ...
Down ballot in NC and IN, a few interesting races are also playing out tonight. If current trends hold, it would indicate two victories for EMILY's List, with another too close to call.
As expected, state Sen. Kay Hagan (D) easily defeated investment banker Jim Neal (D) for the right to take on Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-NC) this fall, although her 61%-20% win is a more decisive margin than many expected.
For the NC GOV nods, LG Bev Perdue's (D) apparent 55%-41% victory over Treas. Richard Moore (D) is in line with recent polling, and it appears that Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory (R) has avoided a runoff with state Sen. Fred Smith (R), leading him 46%-37%.
Both NC races should be at least somewhat competitive this fall, although history is on the side of each party to retain their current seats. The NC GOP hasn't elected a gov since '88, while NC Dems haven't won a SEN race in a WH year since '68. Regardless, each party has a large enough base in the state that none of the nominees will be able to sleepwalk to victory.
Recent polling in IN GOV has been inconsistent, and not surprisingly, the Dem primary seems to be going down to the wire. Ex-Rep. Jill Long Thompson (D) jumped out to an early lead tonight over architect Jim Schellinger (R), but with 67% of precincts reporting, JLT was actually trailing by a few thousand votes.
Either Dem would be competitive against Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) this fall (Quinn McCord).
Posted at 09:14 PM
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