Elaine Marshall "Skipped" NAACP Forum Cal Cunningham Didn't, Yet She Still Won NC's Black Vote
Elaine Marshall Wins Run-Off, Faces Richard Burr In November (Her Poor N.C. Civil Rights Record)
N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall easily captured the N.C. Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate Tuesday, tapping into voter discontent with Washington by promising to be a voice for average North Carolinians. (White North Carolinians)
Elaine Marshall, 64, who will face Republican Sen. Richard Burr in November, overcame considerable obstacles to win her party's nomination, including being ignored by her national party, having a money disadvantage and mourning the death of her husband during the campaign.
In a runoff with a very light turnout, Marshall had 60 percent of the vote, and former state Sen. Cal Cunningham had 40 percent, according to unofficial returns.
Marshall entered a crowded banquet hall of a downtown Raleigh hotel shortly after 9 p.m. as supporters chanted "Go, Elaine, go!"
After thanking her backers, she lit into Burr.
"Washington has a lot of problems and one of our biggest problems is our Senator Richard Burr," Marshall told more than 120 supporters at the Holiday Inn Brownstone.
"He stood with insurance companies against patients and families," Marshall said. "He stood with Wall Street against financial reform. And now he is standing with big oil against the people of the Gulf Coast. The choice in this election is clear."
A few minutes earlier, at the Lexington Civic Center, Cunningham conceded and promised to campaign across the state for Marshall.
"Any differences she and I might have shared in this campaign pale next to the differences we have with Richard Burr," Cunningham said. "For 16 years he has taken care of those who do not need taken care of."
Burr congratulated Marshall.
"The Democrats' primary has shown that North Carolina voters will have a clear choice in November between two vastly different directions for our country," Burr said. "I am proud of my record of less spending and smaller federal government, and I trust the voters of North Carolina to pick a senator that reflects their vision for our state and nation."
The loss was a blow to the national Democratic establishment, which had recruited Cunningham, viewing the more centrist, young Iraq War veteran as a stronger potential opponent for Burr.
Marshall alluded to her outsider status in her victory speech.
"The odds were stacked against us but we did not back down," Marshall said. "The Washington establishment made it clear that we would have to win this without their help. But fortunately we had you."
In an interview after the speech, Marshall said she had talked with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and they wanted to meet with her.
Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey, the senatorial committee chairman, pushed Marshall.
"She is a proven reformer who has taken on special interests in her state, and has cracked down on lobbyist activity, insurance company abuses, and excess on Wall Street," Menendez said.
"Tomorrow, we begin the general election, and the choice for North Carolinians could not be any starker," Menendez said.
There was an emotional moment for Marshall, as she recalled the death of her husband Bill Holford late last year, and their joint decision to continue with the campaign despite his illness. She wished, Marshall said with her voice cracking, that he could have been there to share the victory.
Marshall's win was a triumph of old-fashioned grassroots politics, won during hundreds of chicken dinners and lunches during her career. First she was a self-described "country lawyer" for women's causes, then a legislator and then a four-term secretary of state.
She had a particularly strong following among women 50 and older, who had no difficulty seeing her as both a determined feminist pushing insurance companies to include coverage for mammograms and a folksy farm girl with a talent for making her own dresses.
Katy Haynes, 73, of Raleigh, first met Marshall at a Democratic dinner in Asheville in the mid-1980s. Years later, Haynes' daughter went to work for Marshall in the secretary of state's office.
Marshall "is no pushover," Haynes said, but she knows "you just can't walk over people to get what you want. She's willing to listen and come to terms about things."
Polls also suggest Marshall ran strongly among African-American voters.
Her campaign received a boost in the runoff, when third-place primary finisher, Kenneth Lewis, a Chapel Hill lawyer, endorsed her.
The main threat to her winning the nomination occurred when the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the arm of the national party charged with keeping the Senate in Democratic hands, repeatedly bypassed Marshall.
The committee apparently viewed her as a weak challenger to Burr because of her difficulty in raising money and because of her lackluster performance as third-place finisher in the 2002 U.S. Senate Democratic primary.
After trying to recruit several well-known Tar Heel Democrats, the national Democrats settled on Cunningham, attracted to his profile as an Iraq war veteran with a degree from the London School of Economics. Despite one term in the legislature, he was a relative newcomer to politics.
Marshall won a 36-27 lead in the May 4 primary, but short of the 40 percent needed to clinch the nomination. She had urged Cunningham to forgo the runoff; her campaign said Cunningham had "no path to victory." The runoff, with its low turnout, played to Marshall's strength among party activists.
Shortly after the polls closed Tuesday, the national political forces were lining up for and against Marshall.
Tim Kaine, the Democratic National Committee chairman, congratulated Marshall and Cunningham for running an "aggressive campaign."
"With the primary behind them," Kaine said, "North Carolinians now have a clear choice before them: elect Elaine Marshall, a proven leader who will work to create jobs for North Carolina families, or Richard Burr, a typical politician who will put the interests of his party before North Carolinians."
But Republicans quickly signaled that Marshall's views would be a campaign issue.
Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee chairman, said the Democratic primary has "left the Democrat Party largely fractured."
"Marshall's support for the far-left, liberal policies championed by the Obama-Reid-Pelosi triumvirate puts her largely out of touch with the majority of voters in the state," Steele said.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said Marshall "enthusiastically endorsed the Democrats' massive health spending bill, failed stimulus debacle, and job-killing card check legislation."
Elaine Marshall Elected By North Carolina's Scared Black Voters
Today Incumbent, Career Politician Elaine Marshall won North Carolina's run-off election for the Democrat ticket in the 2010 race for U.S. Senate.
Mrs. Marshall's victory officially allows her to run against Richard Burr (R-NC), North Carolina's current GOP U.S. Senator.
How did Elaine win?
Several thousand Black North Carolina Voters supported her at the polls.
Even though she skipped the NC NAACP Forum, North Carolina's Black "Leaders" still widely supported her.
Even though Mrs. Marshall's Public Service record has NEVER proved she's done a darn thing for North Carolina's Black community, the state's foolish Black Voters still handed her the ticket.
Oh sure she made a last minute feeble effort to show she "cares" about Black Voters by making a public appearance at a recent NAACP protest rally against Wake County's Re-Segregation plan (Publicity stunt!) but what has she actually done for North Carolina's Black resident during her 16 years in public office?
I'll tell you NOTHING!!
Elaine's former Democratic party opponent Kenneth Lewis (also African-American) more than likely cut a deal for himself with Mrs. Marshall by endorsing her, thereby delivering the Black Vote to her on a silver platter.
Such sell-out actions from North Carolina's Black community, especially Black Leaders helps to explain why the Black Vote in this region has NO value.
What a shame!
Now do you understand why I rarely support North Carolina's so-called Black "Leaders"?
They're nothing but Scared, Selfish Sell-outs!
Cal Cunningham was and still is the Strongest candidate in the race against Richard Burr.
I cast my vote for Mr. Cunningham this afternoon with no regrets.
So what if Cal Cunningham had Pres. Obama's support, he was still the BEST candidate!
This Fall I will be casting my ballot for Richard Burr in the general election.
Why?
Here's two reasons:
1) Career, Democrat Incumbent Politicians like Elaine Marshall have done enough harm to North Carolina's citizens with all their Corruption and Discriminatory practices.
2) As a concerned citizen there's no way I will just sit at home and NOT vote at all. To do so would be totally irresponsible.
(If you don't vote, than don't complain!)
I'll take my chances with Richard Burr.
To Courageous Black Voters like myself and Charlotte's Mayor Pro Tem Patrick Cannon I say keep HOPE alive!
However to scared Black Voters who cast their ballots for Elaine Marshall, your going to be sorry.
Elaine Marshall wins the N.C. Democratic party primary run-off election.
What a sad day for this state's future because Elaine will surely continue doing absolutely NOTHING for the Black citizens who blindly and foolishly elected her.
Elaine Marshall Skips NC NAACP Forum, Cal Cunningham Didn't
Elaine Marshall skipped the NAACP forum event held earlier this year for North Carolina's U.S. Senate Candidates.
She claimed it was due to inclement weather and a scheduling conflict.
However even after the NAACP forum was re-scheduled (due to inclement weather) Elaine Marshall still did NOT show up!
Cal Cunningham and Kenneth Lewis showed up but Elaine Marshall did NOT.
Yet....She recently received the Endorsement from North Carolina's Black Leaders.
How stupid!
This explains why the Black Vote in North Carolina isn't taken seriously and is so often ignored by North Carolina's White Leaders.
Sell-outs!
North Carolina's Black citizens can't continue to blame White Leaders for holding them down when they are doing it to themselves.
Unfortunately North Carolina's racist White establishment and scared Black leaders have already decided to crown Elaine Marshall.
In my opinion Cal Cunningham is the Best choice for the U.S. Senate race that is if I were going to vote for NC Democrats in this fall's General Election.
However I'm not.
Check out a video of the televised NAACP forum event and articles below.
Elaine Marshall A "No Show" At The NC NAACP's Televised Forum On WRAL
At the NAACP's televised forum on WRAL Secretary of State Elaine Marshall was a No Show.
I don't want to come off as if Elaine doesn't support the African American and Minority community or that Elaine isn't sensitive to the issues that African Americans and Minorities face. But to not show up at one of the most important significant events of this years primary season isn't a sign of unwavering support to the NAACP, African Americans or the Minority community to me.
This would have been the perfect opportunity for Elaine to show her support and communicate to the African American Community and Minorities that if elected she work towards issues that we care about.
At this point we can assume that maybe she had something better to do. Or maybe she took this opportunity to just relax an take a break from the campaign trail.
Well this wasn't the right Event NOT TO show up for. Under any circumstances. You can't just right off voters or assume that you got things locked down. You have to fight for every vote.
Not showing up for this event is very telling. It tells me an many other people in the African American and Minority Community that maybe our vote isn't as important to her as we thought. Maybe she thinks she can win without us.
I happen to have a lot of respect for Elaine for her years of service to this State but in my opinion to not show up at a Signature NAACP event is a severe blow if not out right slap in the face of the NAACP, African Americans and the entire Minority Community.
Anthony D. Hall,
Fighting for Truth, Justice, Freedom and the American Way!
NAACP Sponsors Forum For U.S. Senate candidates
A forum for Senate candidates was held Saturday during the North Carolina NAACP’s Mid-Winter Conference in Raleigh.
State Sen. Cal Cunningham, of Lexington, Chapel Hill attorney Ken Lewis and Lumberton lawyer Marcus Williams attended the forum at the Hilton North Raleigh Midtown, 3415 Wake Forest Road. The Democrats are seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Richard Burr in November.
Libertarian candidate Michael Beitler of Oak Ridge, who will also be on the fall ballot, attended the event as well.
The candidates shared their views on education, jobs, health care and the economy.
The state NAACP and 90 partner organizations that make up the Historic Thousands on Jones Street Coalition sponsored the forum.
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Sources: Daily Kos, Hall Style's Blog, McClatchy Newspapers, My Blue NC.com, NAACP, NC State Board of Elections, Washington Post, WRAL, Google Maps
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