Has The Last Tarheeled Shoe Dropped?

Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-NC) announced late 11/13 that he would not challenge Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) next year, leaving two other Dems, atty/Obama fundraiser Ken Lewis (D) and '02 candidate/Sec/State Elaine Marshall (D) still in the race. Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy (D) and '00 GOV candidate/ex-LG Dennis Wicker (D) said this week they may also be interested in running if Etheridge doesn't, and the DSCC might well be on the market for a new candidate, if the cmte is disatisfied with its current options. In fact, the Raleigh News & Observer suggests the DSCC might still attempt to nudge atty/Iraq vet/ex-state Sen. Cal Cunningham (D) back into the race, even though he said earlier this week that he would not run.

Still, regardless of any other potential candidates, Lewis and Marshall say the latest news doesn't change their plans on winning the Dem nod. Lewis: "I don't think that Mr. Etheridge's interest in this race will change our strategy or our appeal to voters." Marshall: "I'm in this race. I'm running my race. I'm just moving forward."

Lewis said that NC Dems learned in '08 that to win in NC, the party needs to "run candidates who can appeal across the broad spectrum of the electorate, including young people and independents" -- and in '10, he thinks he's that candidate. Don't be too surprised if Lewis takes on an Obama-style of campaigning. He worked as a head NC fundraiser for Obama in '08, and he says he picked up some winning lessons from the campaign. Lewis said he'll be staying "close to the people" because "the grassroots efforts are what really matters."

Lewis also worked on the SEN camps of '90/'96 nominee/ex-Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt's (D). NC has never elected an African-American state-wide public official, but Lewis said Obama's NC win in '08 and Charlotte Mayor-elect Anthony Foxx's (D) win last week "demonstrates the declining importance of skin color in these races.".

In the '02 Dem primary, Marshall came in third behind '02/'04 nominee/UNC System pres./ex-WH CoS Erskine Bowles (D) and '02 candidate/state Sen./ex-state House Speaker Dan Blue (D), receiving just 15% of the vote. But Marshall says this race will be different. To begin with, the '02 primary date was delayed from May to September due to a legal battle over redistricting. Marshall says the delay bled her campaign of money and resources as the race extended months longer than anticipated, but a similar delay is not expected again. Despite the loss, Marshall said the election taught her about campaigning in a federal election, and she's more prepared this go around. "I'm very focused, very energized, very committed," Marshall said. In fact, she added, "folks told me I look younger."

Marshall, on Burr: "I represent a huge contrast to him. He's been a very ultra, ultra conservative voter. He did nothing while the economy was falling down, and now while the administration is trying to build it back up, he has opposed a lot of those measures. His recent votes have been fairly anti-women. Those are gong to be good issues for me."

But ex-Burr spokesperson Doug Heye insists '10 will not be a replay of '08, emphasizing "Richard Burr's work ethic. He will not be outworked." He admits the race will be competitive, noting: "If you're an outsider and not from North Carolina, before 2008 you thought it was a Republican state. .. .In 2008, people outside North Carolina got to see what we already knew. It really is a state that votes for the person." But he also questioned the viability of any new candidate and said ramping up fundraising less than 6 months before the primary and one year before the general would be "prohibitively difficult." Still, now-Sen. Kay Hagan (D) announced her winning '08 bid on 10/30/07, which suggests the DSCC still has a window in which to recruit another candidate into the race [BETH SUSSMAN]