Cone on Neal, Hagan & Dole 2008
by Matt | November 12th, 2007 |Ed Cone in the Greensboro News & Record on Jim Neal, Kay Hagan and the effort to oust missing-in-action Elizabeth Dole:
No matter how the Democratic primary between Greensboro’s Kay Hagan and investment banker Jim Neal plays out, the general election between the survivor and Elizabeth Dole will see a notable first: either a race featuring two female candidates or one involving North Carolina’s first openly gay candidate for high office. […]
Hagan’s move brought howls from bloggers at the liberal Blue NC site, who were convinced that Democratic Party leaders didn’t want the openly gay Neal on the ticket. One prominent Democratic official, with solid progressive and gay-friendly credentials of his own, told me that some in the party do fear the possible fallout in other elections of having a homosexual candidate in the Senate race. It’s a shame that kind of attitude still prevails in some places, and the issue says something about the ongoing tensions between progressives and the Democratic Party at both state and national levels.
At the same time, being gay shouldn’t guarantee Neal the nomination. He is hardly a flawless candidate, at least on paper, having only recently moved back to North Carolina — a fact that would seem to mute one of the arguments against the scarcely seen Dole — and with minimal name-recognition and no previous elective experience. That said, if he’s a good enough campaigner to defeat the formidable Hagan anyway, he deserves a place on the ballot.
Lots of people are saying Jim Neal is getting a raw deal. I’m inclined to agree with my gay, politically active brothers and sisters, but I think the situation is far more complex than it seems.
In my convos with state Democratic leaders, it seems (please note the word “seems”) as though Neal and Hagan were treated equally. That doesn’t speak for national Democratic leaders, though.
I think it would have been more than easy for national leaders to just think of North Carolina as some backwoods place where Neal wouldn’t have a chance in the world. If they thought that, it would be easy for any of them to start pushing and prodding another candidate into the race.
I agree with Cone, though: However this election turns out, it will be an historic one.
Technorati Tags: Ed Cone, Jim Neal, Kay Hagan, Elizabeth Dole, Greensboro, News & Record, North Carolina, Senate, election, 2008
Matt, 22, is an LGBT journalist, activist and youth advocate currently living and working in Charlotte, N.C., where he serves as the Editor of Q-Notes, the Carolinas' LGBT news source. A native of Winston-Salem, N.C., Matt attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is still continuing to pursue his bachelors degree. He is the Owner & Editor of InterstateQ.com and has been active in LGBT advocacy work since the age of 14.
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