Elaine Marshall

Don Beason's fine is reduced, again:

Judge Paul Ridgeway ruled Beason doesn't have to pay the $30,000 fine Secretary of State Elaine Marshall imposed last year. The judge found parts of North Carolina's lobbying reform law enacted in 2007 were ambiguous and that the secretary of state had overstepped her authority in issuing the fines.

I know it might be difficult to find a sitting judge who wasn't also a lobbyist to rule on lobbying issues. But if we want to have a legal ruling that's free of any potential conflicts of interest, we should damned sure look around for one.

Two years ago, I made a decision to run for United States Senate because I believed that we, as a country, need to focus less on powerful special interests and more on middle class families and small business owners. While we came up just short in our fight last year, those very same issues that inspired me to run then still exist now.

That's why I'm proud to announce today that I have decided to run for re-election as North Carolina's Secretary of State!

So, what did the Farm Team do this election cycle, and what did we learn?

Early last summer, I didn't know what the Farm Team should do this year. The one serious under-30 candidate - who will claim my title as the youngest elected Democrat in North Carolina when she's sworn in - wasn't going to have any trouble winning her election. Candidates like Marcus Brandon won their race when they won their primary. I think young politicians knew this wasn't going to be a good year for Democrats. I planted $150 of seed money in a couple State House races (where the candidates had helped young Democrats), but without young candidates we really didn't have a fundraising angle.

Hi everyone!

This is a bit last minute, but I wanted to remind everyone that Elaine Marshall will be on UNC-Chapel Hill's campus tomorrow evening, speaking about her campaign.

Here's the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=125040134219282

It is in Gardener 105 starting at 7:45PM, so come out and show Elaine some lovin!

Parking on campus is free after 5PM in most lots, just make sure to read the signs...

2 polls came out today. One I don't count really because it is a Civitas poll (shows Burr up by 10) and now WRAL has a new poll out with Burr up by 15. I keep getting emails from the Marshall team about fundraising to add to her tv but I have not seen an ad in a week. Have I just missed them or is she really not on the air?

http://www.wral.com/news/local/politics/story/8513755/

This weekend the Elaine Marshall for Senate campaign picked-up the endorsements of four more newspapers: The Charlotte Observer, The Wilmington Star-News, The Elizabeth City Daily Advance, and The Southern Pines Pilot.

With the endorsements of both the Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh-based News & Observer (both owned by McClatchy newspapers), Marshall has received the endorsement of the state’s two largest newspapers.

The endorsements made this past week increase momentum for the Marshall campaign. Recent polls show the race tightening as the campaign enters the final week.

The News & Observer's editors wrote:

According to my tally, it's Elaine Marsall ahead on endorsements. Does she have any others besides N&O, IndyWeek, Wilmington Star-News, Charlotte Observer? Does Burr have any besides W-S Journal and the Asheville C-T?

I want to run an article (probably on Tuesday) with all the endorsements I know about for Congressional candidates in Triangle, so far.

Martha Brock
Examiner.com/Elections 2010

Wise words from our Secretary of State:

“Prosperity belongs to all if we work for it,” Marshall said to the crowd. “We do not believe the budget should be balanced on the backs of the middle class. The millionaires need to pay their fair share.”

Women are entitled to equal pay for equal work, she said. “This is not a women’s issue; it’s a family issue,” Marshall said.

That's exactly right. Inequality in pay doesn't just impact the (female) earner, it puts her children at a disadvantage as well, if she's also a mom. And there's about 10 million single moms out there, with some 15 million kids they're raising. And only about 1 in 4 receive any type of government assistance.