NORTH CAROLINA — Richard Burr, the GOP Representative from
North Carolina’s 5th District running for Senate, is trying to
appeal to the “Jessie-Crats.” They are the conservative Democrats
who live in the tobacco-heavy eastern portion of the state that
Jessie Helms relied on so heavily in his victories. So, on
Saturday, Burr is barnstorming the eastern side of North
Carolina.
He is not barnstorming it alone. Burr has brought a whole slew
of state GOP candidates with him, including Jim Snyder, who is
running for Lt. Governor, Ed Meyer, for State Treasurer, Joe
Knight, for Attorney General, Steve Troxler, for Commissioner of
Agriculture, and about a half dozen candidates for judicial
offices.
As a candidate, Burr is polished. He is versatile with his stump
speech, sticking to a center but switching some parts based on the
crowd he is with. The crowds respond warmly to his remarks, and
afterwards he is eager to shake hands and make small talk.
The first stop is at the Hampton Inn in Rocky Mount at 8:30 in
the morning on Saturday.
Burr elicits a big laugh when he says, “We did a fundraiser, and
I said to the group, ‘Don’t pay any attention to the polls, it’s
way too early.’ I’m here today to say, ‘Listen to the polls!’” It
isn’t hard to see why. Burr’s opponent, former Clinton Chief of
Staff Erskine Bowles, led by ten points about six weeks ago. At the
time, some in the conservative press were criticizing Burr for
waiting too long to go on the air. Now, however, that seems like
the difference between running campaigns and reporting on them. The
most recent poll has Burr up by two.
Much of his surge is likely due ads he is running that link
Bowles to Clinton, criticizing them for cutting defense spending.
The ads appear to have hit their mark. Bowles has responded with an
ad that declares, “Bill Clinton is not running for Senate.”
The room at the Hampton is about three-quarters full, which
seems a bit light to me. I ask Ed Meyer about this, and he claims
it is actually a big improvement. “Four years ago, you wouldn’t
have had half this many. This represents a lot of enthusiasm.” He
mentions that the enthusiasm isn’t just for Burr. “At the state
fair, they were lined up eight deep at the Bush-Cheney booth,” he
says. “By 7 p.m. the booth had run out of Bush-Cheney stuff.”
AS WE BARREL DOWN the highway toward the next event in Wilson, one
of signs on the Burr RV flies off and is trampled by some cars. At
a pit stop a few minutes later I joke with the New
Republic’s Jason Zengerle, who is also covering the campaign,
that “if the next couple of events go poorly, I guess we have the
metaphor for our articles.” Just then, one of the Burr staffers
pulls up in his car, and takes out what I initially thought was a
new sign. Turns out that he had pulled over and retrieved the one
that had fallen off. (Now there’s dedication to your candidate!)
Minus a few crinkles, it looks pretty good.
It’s just as well, because the metaphor wouldn’t have worked
anyway. Rather, the remaining events go off much like the initial
one. The crowds are not huge but good-sized and enthusiastic. And
there is usually a reason why the turnout is actually exceeding
expectations. At a rally at a Dodge dealership in Jacksonville, the
crowd seems small until I’m told that it was a youth rally
organized by a 13-year-old.
The best event all day occurs at the Overman Farms in Goldsboro.
It is standing room only in the tobacco barn, where the event takes
place. Yet there is a reason: It’s the only event that former
Senator Jesse Helms attends. Although his speech is plodding, the
crowd is attentive to every word. It is unfortunate for Burr that
Helms’s poor health prevents him from traveling more, for the crowd
is very warm toward Helms, and Helms finds ways to let it rub off
on Burr.
“Even though the election is only a few days away, Richard has
already been working hard. This past week Richard and Elizabeth
Dole passed a tobacco buyout through the Congress,” Helms says “As
we say in my neighborhood, he done good.” The crowd laughs
heartily, and Burr has a big grin on his face.
INDEED, THE PHRASE OF THE day is “tobacco buyout,” a plan that is
supposed to end federal tobacco price-support system by buying out
tobacco farmers to the tune of $10 billion. The reaction among
tobacco farmers seems net positive, as many feared that the
price-support system was facing an uncertain future. Thus, Burr is
taking credit for it at every stop. He talks it up with local
reporters, to the exclusion of other issues.
One such issue that Burr neglects to mention is gay marriage.
That’s curious because there are billboards in this area of North
Carolina touting candidates’ opposition to it. Two candidates for
statehouse, Harry Brown and George Cleveland, oppose it in their
radio ads. So why isn’t Burr mentioning it in the area of
“Jessie-Crats”? When asked about this, Burr replies, “I’m talking
about the things that are the most important to the people of North
Carolina, and that’s the War on Terror and the economy and
jobs.”
Still, it seems odd that Burr isn’t talking about gay marriage
among what is surely a lot of “values voters.” Perhaps he doesn’t
want to get bogged down in controversy. Or perhaps he doesn’t want
his message about the tobacco buyout to get muddled. Whatever the
reason, it’s hard to question Burr’s strategy given his recent
surge in the polls.
