nc-08

After posting a dismal take in fundraising last quarter, RealClearPolitics has moved Rep. Larry Kissell's 8th district from "Toss-up" to "Leans Republican."

The NC First Party's chosen candidate is waffling:

After a costly petition drive to put him on the ballot as an independent alternative to Democratic U.S. Rep. Larry Kissell, Concord resident Wendell Fant said Friday he's not sure he'll run.

"Right now it's a definite 'I'm not sure,'" Fant said.

A group called N.C. Families First delivered more than 35,000 signatures to election boards throughout the 8th Congressional District supporting Fant's candidacy.

It appears someone in Cabarrus County is vandalizing Nancy Shakir for Congress campaign yard signs. Hope it's just some kid pranks.

JA

Many thanks for allowing me this opportunity.

First I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Nancy Shakir and I'm doing something a little unusual. I am a Democrat who is running against a Democrat incumbent. I am a Fayetteville resident; a retired high school teacher and school district administrator; I'm the mother of three and the grandmother of one. I completed my undergraduate work at Rutgers University in History and my graduate work at St. Peter's Jesuit College. I also studied Organizational Behavior at Polytechnic in Brooklyn and I've done additional graduate studies at Rutgers and Fayetteville State University.

Although I've been an activist for many years, my interest has not been in seeking political office, but rather in performing direct services and in shaping policy that provides justice and equity.

Cross-posted from a post at Proverbially Penned.

Freshman congressman Larry Kissell has drawn his first official challenger in the form of Tim D'Annunzio, who, it appears, is also acting as a tea-party candidate within the GOP. D'Annunzio did a fantastic job, as CQ Politics reports, of garnering free media attention by holding fundraisers appealing to the crazier individuals among us. D'Annunzio decided a $25 a plate dinner of North Carolina barbeque and sweet tea just wasn't enough to get people excited about his campaign. So he decided to let his supporters come out, enjoy a good meal, and shoot an Uzi or an MP-5 submachine gun.

No, I'm not kidding; he seriously did this:

But wait! There's more. Not only is D'Annunzio running for Congress, he's also acting as if he is the savior of the GOP. More after the break...

In today's (Dec 6) Stanly News and Press I read with disgust Larry Kissell latest betrayal of the progressive Democrats who worked hard to get him elected. Seems that Larry is disappointed that Congress didn't repeal the Estate Tax. Estate Tax? I just can't figure out why Kissell is supporting the repeal of the Estate Tax. Healthcare and TARP funds are a high profile issues, so I can understand his attempts to appease conservatives by voting against these issues. But outside of politically active conservatives and progressives and the very few people who the tax would impact, no voter in District 8 really cares about the estate tax. Nobody is going into the polls next election thinking, "Gee Congressman Kissell worked hard t o repeal the estate tax, I think I am going to vote for him". If Larry thinks that he is going to get the vote of the anti-tax conservative, he is fooling himself because they will never vote for a Democrat.

In 2007, I was fortunate enough to become a 'reporter' by way of becoming a radio talk show host in Colorado. I began interviewing candidates in Colorado and had several candidates on my show who went on to successful victories. And, being an ex-Pat from North Carolina, I took time from my vacation and family visits in NC to seek out NC candidates like Larry Kissell.
During my interview with him, I was very impressed with his statements on supporting the working class families in NC-08 that had lost their factory jobs and were working 2 and 3 jobs just to make ends meet. So I am frankly stunned that he would be on the fence on the current health care bill, when these same families are the ones more likely not to have good health insurance.
the letter I wrote him follows:

Congressman Kissell,

cross-posted at dKos

While I was driving up to Chapel Hill yesterday for the Carolina-Florida State game (which we lost, unfortunately), I was shocked to see a sign along I-85 near Concord advertising a Republican candidate in NC-08 named Tim D'Annunzio. I saw another one near Kannapolis when I was driving home this morning. Now how the heck is this happening? I wondered. Then I found an article in last week's Charlotte Observer saying that this guy is outraising our guy, Larry Kissell.

Tim D'Annunzio of Raeford, a conservative who ran his own TV ads against Barack Obama last year, has more than $260,000 in his campaign account, according to reports filed Friday with the Federal Election Commission. Kissell has $245,000.

Considering that candidates in NC-08 have to run ads in Charlotte and the Triangle (Fayetteville, the second-biggest metro in the district, is part of the Triangle market), those numbers should make any Dem--especially in North Carolina--nervous.

Larry Kissell has his first official challenger, 27 year old Blair Sweeney of Charlotte. Papers were filed last week with the IRS and the FEC for the Blair Sweeney Congressional Committee by Thomas Blair Sweeney running as a Republican in the 8th District. Sweeney is a registered Republican with an address in the 9th District since 2004.

Sweeney, was active in student government at UNC Chapel Hill where he was majoring in Political Science 2001-04. He graduated from South Caldwell High School in Hudson NC in 2000. He was involved in Orange County politics, was a Democratic volunteer and was a campaign director for Delmas Parker's Congressional campaign in the 5th District. Parker is currently 2nd Vice-Chair of the NC Democratic Party.

Yesterday, I was honored to host Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Education Secretary Arne Duncan in Hamlet, NC for a continuation of President Obama’s Rural Listening Tour. Over 600 of our concerned citizens took time from their day to participate, ask questions and tell members of the Administration as well as myself, what Washington can and should be doing for our rural communities.

Some of the press in attendance seemed almost shocked at the civility and respect shown by attendees.

Civility and respect rule at bipartisan town hall meeting

Breaking a pattern of raucous encounters across the country, more than 600 people Monday attended a town hall meeting marked by civility, substance and even bipartisanship.