News and Record: Hagan Tops Democrats

Hagan tops Democrats
A News & Record editorial
Published Sunday, Apr. 27, 2008 3:00 am

North Carolina Democrats need a U.S. Senate candidate who can do two things:

• convince voters she has the desire and ability to represent the state effectively in Washington;
• and give Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole a credible challenge.

Kay Hagan is the only Democrat who meets both requirements.

Dole has her own primary, but opponent Pete Di Lauro from Weldon doesn’t pose any competition. In his last political outing, he lost a race for a town council seat.
Hagan’s never lost an election for public office. The long-time Greensboro resident is completing her fifth term in the state Senate, where she quickly rose to leadership positions and ranks seventh in the latest effectiveness survey by the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research.

Her rivals for the nomination, particularly Jim Neal, closest to her in the polls, may criticize her views on some issues or claim they have better ideas, but no one knows what they’d do once in office. Hagan has a track record: She’s worked hard, kept promises and been accessible to constituents. Few, if any, elected officials in the Triad are more highly regarded than Hagan.

North Carolina has elected senators before – John East, Lauch Faircloth, John Edwards, some would say Dole – who’ve been seen too little here once they’ve seen Washington. There’s less risk Hagan would be like that because she’s gone to Raleigh to serve Greensboro, not personal or political agendas.

As a moderate Democrat who supports business and economic development, she can contest Dole for independent voters. But she also holds mainstream Democratic views on education, health care and other social issues. A lawyer and former banker, she’s smart and experienced in finance. As a wife and mother who raised three children while working, she understands family concerns.

Neal, a Greensboro native who lived out of state for nearly three decades while pursuing a career in business and finance, began running almost immediately after returning to North Carolina two years ago. He’s personally appealing and well-spoken, winning a following among very liberal Democrats. But his self-proclaimed “outsider” status and lack of a public record would make him an unlikely winner against Dole.

Lumberton attorney Marcus Williams has a long record of engagement in community service and presents himself as offering middle ground between Hagan and Neal. She, he says, is “only three or four issues from Dole,” and he is “so left he can’t be elected.” But Williams hasn’t assembled a viable campaign organization.

Duskin Lassiter of Lexington, who owns a trucking business, and Dr. Howard Staley, a podiatrist who lives in Moncure, round out the field but also lack political experience.

Democrats originally hoped to attract either outgoing Gov. Mike Easley or N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper to this race. Both passed. It may prove to be Kay Hagan, however, who’s best able to take on Elizabeth Dole.

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