MSNBC’s "First Read" Blog: Downballot spotlight

MSNBC’s First Read Blog
Brian Montopoli
August 19, 2008

When state Sen. Kay Hagan was battling through primary season against fellow Democrat Jim Neal, some observers joked that the race was generating a lot of hot air just to select a doormat for incumbent GOP Sen. Elizabeth Dole to step on in November. But since buckling in for the general election, Hagan has shown that she’s not taking this one lying down. Her campaign went up with ads last week, and the DSCC is already pumping cash into TV buys attacking Dole as a status-quo Bush Republican. (The most recent DSCC ad, in which two grizzled men in rocking chairs debate whether Dole is “92” or “93” — a reference, respectively, to her voting record with Bush and to her effectiveness ranking in the Senate — caused a stir for its perceived potshot at the age of the 72-year-old Dole.)

A strong Dem ticket?

Dole remains a force to be reckoned with in the Tar Heel State, Dann adds. Polls show her up by a small (but significant) margin, and her name recognition is sky-high in comparison to the relatively unknown Hagan, who was not the first pick of Democrats who tried in vain to recruit a more popular candidates like outgoing Gov. Mike Easley. But there’s definitely a sense of vulnerability in Dole’s poll numbers. Hagan hopes to benefit from skyrocketing voter registration numbers in the hard-fought presidential primary state. And it doesn’t hurt that she rounds out a Democratic ticket that includes Obama (who’s a magnet for young and minority voters) and Bev Perdue (a strong female candidate for North Carolina governor). Keep an eye on this race for a reality check on how long Obama’s coattails may be, and the degree to which this year’s dismal approval ratings for Congress have turned “incumbent” into a dirty word. Also, talk about a glass ceiling test — the top three candidates on the North Carolina Dem ballot are a black man and two white women.

Back to The Newsroom