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Sunday Roundup
posted at 2009-11-22 13:23 | Last modified 2009-11-22 13:23
Sorry it’s been so quiet around here lately. I’ve been working on a slew of non-political holiday stories. If you missed my Friday morning piece on "Turkey 101" for military spouses, that’s here. There’s more to come this week, including a sit-down with Butterball’s Turkey Maven-in-Chief and a visit to the Wake County SPCA. Stay tuned.
Musical chairs
It’s tough to keep up with who’s in and who’s out of next year’s legislative races. Senator Julia Boseman (D-New Hanover) announced this week she won’t run for re-election, citing family reasons. She’s the third Dem out of the 2010 Senate so far - Tony Rand and David Weinstein were both appointed to other positions by Gov Perdue. A fourth, R.C. Soles (Columbus), says he hasn’t made a decision yet.
Out of the first three seats, Boseman’s is the one most likely to flip. Before Boseman, it was held by 2004 GOP gubernatorial candidate Patrick Ballantine, and then by Woody White. In 2008, Boseman narrowly survived a tough, expensive challenge from Republican Michael Lee. Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo is a likely Dem contender, but it's a very expensive seat. With the departure of Rand, a prolific fundraiser, the caucus may not have the money it'll take to help Saffo win.
There’s been some shuffling in the House, too, and plenty more to come. Cumberland Dems are jockeying to replace Rand. The outgoing senator was quick to recommend Margaret Dickson as a successor, but fellow D Rick Glazier is expected to announce Monday whether he’ll challenge her. If both run, Cumberland Dems will have to scramble to cover two House seats, since you can’t run for both chambers at the same time.
On the R side of the aisle, Rep. Wil Neumann announced this week he’ll run for Dem David Hoyle’s Senate seat. That leaves Neumann’s seat open. Greensboro's Mark Binker reports Guilford Rep. Laura Wiley is also stepping down, prompting a stampede of would-be GOP successors.
I’m sure there’s more shuffling going on out there. If I’ve missed an open seat, let me know so I can update my tally sheet.
Ink and pixels
Binker noted this week that Guilford's GOP chair is one of many party leaders backing a proposal to close party primaries. But on Twitter last night, Binker said, “Word from NC Republican exec comm is that they have decided NOT to close primaries to unaffiliated voters. Status quo.” Over at the N&O today, Rob Christensen critiques the party’s push for ideological purity.
Speaking of ideological purity, former vice-prez candidate Sarah Palin will be signing her new book at a Fort Bragg bookstore tomorrow. More on that here from the N&O’s Martha Quillan. Army officials had originally sought to keep the press out, saying they didn’t want to give Palin a platform from which to criticize the commander in chief. But the Army relented after a lawsuit was filed by the Fayetteville Observer and other media outlets.
At the Char-O, Jack Betts writes about the troubles facing the Golden LEAF.
And gamblers at Harrah's can now drink and gamble at (almost) the same time. Asheville's Jordan Schrader has more on the new deal between the Cherokee casino and the ABC.
Comments? Drop me a line.
