Chapel Hill man to run against Dole

[struggle4progress]

y Kirk Ross
Staff Writer

Jim Neal ... a native of Greensboro who now lives in Chapel Hill, will head to Asheville this weekend for the Vance-Aycock Dinner, a traditional gathering of Democratic Party movers and shakers and a place where potential candidates often test the waters. He is expected to file official paperwork as early as this week.

Neal was a top fundraiser for the John Kerry and John Edwards ticket in 2004 and a major supporter of Gen. Wesley Clark’s bid for the Democratic nomination that year ...

Dole, a one-term incumbent who has already announced for re-election, has been raising money in preparation for the race. A recent Elon Poll found that 53 percent of respondents indicated they are satisfied or very satisfied with the senator’s representation of North Carolina and 24 percent disapproved or strongly disapproved.

But both Democratic and Republican election handicappers say Dole is vulnerable because of her support of President Bush’s Iraq policies. The same poll shows that only 32 percent of North Carolinians polled approved of her job performance on Iraq and 78 percent — the highest percentage — said the war will influence their vote in 2008.

http://www.carrborocitizen.com/main/2007/10/04/chapel-hill-man-to-run-against-dole/

[struggle4progress]

1. Neal running against Dole in 2008

10/05/2007 04:47 PM
By: Tim Boyum

RALEIGH -- Senator Elizabeth Dole now has an opponent for the 2008 election.

Democrat Jim Neal has filed the paperwork to run. He's a relatively unknown candidate but does have fundraising connections ...

"Not too many people knew John Edwards before he ran and plenty of examples of those who sort of came out of nowhere and made themselves a candidate," Chris Fitzsimon from NC Policy Watch said ...

The Elizabeth Dole campaign did not respond to our efforts for a comment about her new opponent.

http://news14.com/content/headlines/588037/neal-running-against-dole-in-2008/Default.aspx

[Triana]

2. HA! Great news! (n/t)

[tekisui]

3. Looking foward to voting Neal into office.

NC is turning Democratic!

[struggle4progress]

4. Senate candidate confirms that he's gay, says it's 'no secret and no big deal'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3038253&mesg_id=3038253

[fedupfisherman]

6. Will hurt him in WNC

A lot of mountain Democrats are closet bigots and do not like gays

Places like Swain, Haywood, Madison and Yancey Counties

[tekisui]

8. Hopefully the cities will outweigh the homophobes.

[zabet]

5. Glad to see it myself.

Liddy Dole needs to go!!!

[ncliberal]

7. Yes she does!

I hope Burr follows her out of the Senate two years later.

[NorthCarolina]

9. Glad to hear it...

seeing Dole get the boot by a Gay Democrat would be priceless.