Posted on 11/12/2008 3:40:47 PM PST by MitchellC
State Sen. Fred Smith of Clayton is giving some consideration of running for state Republican Party chairman next year.
Smith, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for governor this year, has been conferring with party leaders to guage interest in him serving, Rob Christensen reports.
"We have have received phone calls from all over the state the last couple of months encouraging me to consider that," Smith said.
Right now, Smith is focusing on his business interests in real estate development, paving and banking to make sure they are stable during the financial downturn. But he said he is open to the possibility of leading the GOP.
"I am considering it," Smith said. "By the end of the year or the first part of next year I will decide whether to pursue it."
The current chair, Linda Daves of Charlotte has not said said whether she plans to seek another term at the GOP convention which is traditionally held in late spring.
The Republicans had a bad year. Democrat Barack Obama carried the state, Sen. Elizabeth Dole lost her seat, and Gubernatorial candidate Pat McCrory’s effort fell short. The GOP also lost Congressman Robin Hayes and State Auditor Les Merritt.
Anyone who heard Michael Steele on Sean Hannity today knows that he’s the only one for this job.
That would be awesome. I supported Smith in the primary, and he’s a solid conservative.
Oh sorry, this was the state chair...my bad :)
Sen. Smith is a good, conservative man. Whether he has the skills to be an effective party chairman, I don’t know.
This is the NC state party we’re talking about here.
We're talking about North Carolina, not the national party.
Don’t know anything about Fred Smith, but the GOP has to have NEW blood, from top to bottom.
Smith may be the first step in shuffling the deck.
The GOP in NC is a total wreck. In local politics here, people would vote for a tree stump if it had a (D) beside its name. I’m glad they are still trying, but if we can’t beat Bev Purdue then......dang.....just...dang.
I think he’d be a pretty good choice.
jw
Local and state politics is a Fun Game, as long as one stays a safe distance behind the lines. As I seem to say so often, in different contexts, I didn’t know people like that really existed!
Unless he’s a puppet of the Daves, I would say:
ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN LINDA DAVES.
(Looking at his campaign, I would say he is a Daves’ Puppet, though.)
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