Right-wing Senator Hunt Lands Opponent
Cross Posted from The Jacksonian
North Carolina Senator Neal Hunt will have opposition in November. State employee Charles Malone has announced his intentions to challege the incumbent Republican Hunt in North Carolina's 15th Senate District.
Hunt, widely regarded as an ineffective legislator who is able to use his wealth to independently fund his campaign, is aiming to become a major leader within the North Carolina Senate GOP caucus. The Senator appears regularly on talk radio and local TV supporting various right-wing causes.
In the most recent legislative session, Hunt voted against the smoking ban in public places, against text messaging while driving, and against the school violence/bullying bill. In the past, Hunt has opposed state government initiatives designed to promote economic development and financial security for homeowners.
The Malone campaign released this statement to the public regarding the campaign.
Friends,
I am announcing my candidacy for the Democratic nomination to the North Carolina Senate, District 15, in 2010.
In these times of economic stress, where we see high unemployment, small business failures, increased bankruptcies and home foreclosures, health insurance instability and continued environmental challenges, it is time for the citizens of North Raleigh and Wake County, including the Town of Wake Forest, to have a new leader in the N. C. Senate who will be a proactive legislator on their behalf.
I want to work with both Democrats and Republicans to solve our problems. We need a person who will bring a new perspective to the NC Senate by putting the people before political party loyalty.
As a husband, father, state employee, a former small business manager, and veteran, I have seen how government programs impact families. There is a void in understanding these “kitchen table” concerns in the NC Senate which is causing working families to lose faith in their state government.
I will be a careful steward of the taxpayer dollar. I pledge to examine each issue and how it will impact my district. I will weigh both the costs of progress and the danger of doing nothing to solve issues facing our state.
As a native of Raleigh, and having been raised in nearby Harnett County, I have seen this region of the State grow from the days when Raleigh was a small Capital city of 90,000 people to the metropolitan area it is today with over a million in population. I know the rich heritage that is in Wake County and we must preserve the best of the past, with smart management of the future.
I have been campaigning for months to spread the word of my candidacy and to share with the people my vision of good government and honest and open communication with the public. I bring the perspective of a candidate who is not a career politician. I do not have ambitions to achieve leadership within my party faction and am free to put people before these interests.
I am prepared to take this new journey in my life and give the people of the 15th senatorial district of North Carolina a new choice. I don’t just want their vote, but it is important that I receive their input into what is needed for progress and change in their community.
It is time to move forward and grow together as we bring a new spirit of leadership and commitment to the people of North Carolina’s 15th Senate district. To a new dedication that all citizens are important, not just the few; that all problems have standing, not just those with lobbyists, and that solutions must be sustainable for the next generation, not quick fixes for the specials interests of today.
Best,
Charles Malone
Website: http://www.charlesmalonencsenate.com
Political Page: Charles Malone for NC Senate
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Charles-Malone-for-NC-Senate/184979956500?...
BlueNC is dedicated to making North Carolina a more progressive and prosperous state. If your intention is to disrupt this effort, please find somewhere else to express your opinions.
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Comments
Thanks for keeping us posted
What a blessing it would be to have a sane and thoughtful person in the NC Senate to replace Neal Hunt.
How can we help?
Helping Charles!
The campaign needs money! Small dollar donations would be a nice contrast to Hunt's large independent expenditure and special interest PAC money. Email me, electionconnection@gmail.com
Thanks!
Better yet
http://www.charlesmalonencsenate.com/Donations.html
__________________________
Sure hope you meant "Yellow Dog" instead of blue. Those Blue Dogs aren't especially popular around these parts.
BlueDog and Proud
Nope, I mean Blue and I make no apologies!
However, let us not get into a dispute over intraparty matters and keep our eyes on the real ISSUE Neal Hunt and his brand of Republicanism which would destroy North Carolina!
Wrong
The real issue is not Neal Hunt. The real issue is a responsive, open and transparent NC Senate.
By the way, it may be an intraparty issue for you, but it certainly isn't for me. I resigned from the party last year, and am glad of it.
Um ????
I probably missed you explaining what that "make divorce illegal" is all about that is now at the end of all of your posts. I mean, uh, that's like the most hilarious site yet !! (and sad, in my opinion). I'm thinking you have that here to show us just how ridiculous some things are getting. Or, being a little slow, missed the whole point altogether.
Thanks.
Someone help me out
What is a blue dog? Perhaps because I have young kids, this is what I think of when someone says Blue Dog:
A Blue Dog Democrat
is a Republican who runs as a conservative Democrat because the chances of winning are better with the "D" after his or her name on the ballot.
Thanks
Thanks James. Where is it the case that running with a D after your name affords you a better chance of winning? Is that based on popular perception of the parties or is there a organizational advantage to running as a Democrat?
I am woefully ignorance of party mechanics, so thanks for taking the time to educate a noob.
It's a close call in North Carolina
depends on the district, the overall momentum, etc. Some districts are structured such that it's almost impossible for one or the other party to win.
That said, I was only half serious. A mainstream Democrat in North Carolina is a pretty conservative voter. That's why I left the party ... and why I'm working in the independent movement on the national scene. Years ago, independents were significantly more conservative on social issues than they are now. In my view, today's independent movement is a weird blend of progressives with a strong libertarian streak, environmentalists, and, to a lesser extent, fiscal conservatives.
Again, thanks
Sounds a lot like me! Although fiscal conservative isn't lesser to me. It is the reason I am those other things in many ways. I believe that proper environmental stewardship, while intrinsically right, is also the most cost effective course of action. Cleaning things up is always harder and more expensive than not making a mess in the first place. Same thing with issues of social justice. Education, opportunity and prevention cost pennies on the dollar compared to the prisons, crime, and other social intervention policies they address.
I see myself as an independent first, but the Republican Party is so clearly none of the above on your list, that I look more towards the Democrats.
These are self-identified Blue Dogs - and they need to be defeat
They choose to be called Blue Dogs here.
At least 20 of them need to be defeated in the primary or general elections in 2010 -- including NC's Rep. McIntyre and Shuler.
I don't care if they fall in primaries or generals, they must go.
Shuler and McIntyre are as much my enemy as Neal Hunt. In fact, Neal Hunt has less power in his legisaltive body, which makes Shuler and McIntyre more of a threat to me.
So don't get all "party first" when the policies don't change for the better.
Jacksonian
I visited your blog and found this:
Independence? That's a good one coming from a self-professed Blue Dog who's promoting mythology about our so-called "center-right" nation. With a Fox News feed on your front page no less!
Pretty damn funny.
That said, welcome to the discussion. There's nothing like good old transparency to help keep everyone honest.
The candidate weighs in
I am a Democrat, period. At times, one may need to go left or right, politically. It depends on the issue or the situation. I want to pass bills into law and see real change, even if it is a half a loaf instead of the whole. We need to get people back to work, primarily, and protect our environment, and reform our health care and health insurance policies. The folks in North Raleigh and Wake Forest have many of the same problems as everybody else, and they need a more progressive voice in the Senate than they've had with Neal Hunt. We just need to be inclusive of all the factions, and that doesn't mean we have to adopt all that they do. But nice exchange on the meaning of political parties and factions.
Charles Malone
Candidate for NC Senate Dist. 15
2010
Charles Malone