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EDITORIAL: Reason for GOP optimism already this year
Jan 13, 2010 (Sanford Herald - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --
It's already a better election year for Republicans in 2010, and we're not even halfway through January.
Last night, four candidates vying for the Republican slot to run against Bob Etheridge for North Carolina's Second Congressional District, took the stage in Pittsboro for the season's first debate. Republicans have reason for optimism -- regardless of what was said last night -- simply because they have more choices this go around.
And they'll need solid choices if they hope to unseat Lillington Democrat Bob Etheridge, who at 68 is the only North Carolina congressman on the House Ways and Means Committee and who has held on to his seat since 1997. Etheridge toyed with the idea of a U.S. Senate run a few months back before deciding to remain focused on Congress.
And he'll be difficult to beat. Regardless of his party affiliation, Etheridge is a visible politician who can't be accused of "hiding out" in Washington. There's a lot to be said about visibility and Etheridge's ability to communicate with his constituents.
If there is a chink in his armor, it's the struggles his party has endured during President Obama's first year in office. Etheridge touted a highly controversial and highly divisive health care bill last year, and that alone has Democrats worried in other states.
Expect Republicans to go after that soft spot over the next few months. This time around, the GOP will have four voices -- candidates Frank Deatrich, Renee Ellmers, Jay Johnson and Dan Mansell -- who'll fight against Etheridge's policies and votes instead of just the one. For the past two election cycles, Mansell has been Etheridge's whipping boy ... a sacrificial GOP lamb who hasn't come close to unseating his opponent.
Mansell, too, will benefit from the competition. Having three opponents leading up to May will give him more name recognition should he come out on top after the primary. Case in point -- we're writing about a debate in Chatham County, and we're 300 days away (give or take a few) from the November vote.
We'll see if the build-up is enough to unseat a congressman who's firmly planted in the political soil in Central North Carolina.
To see more of The Sanford Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to
http://www.sanfordherald.com Copyright (c) 2010, Sanford Herald, N.C.
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