Posted on 11/29/2008 8:42:58 PM PST by MitchellC
Two Republican state senators are challenging their party's Senate leader for his job in a vote next weekend.
Sen. Bob Rucho, of Charlotte, and Sen. Pete Brunstetter, of Winston-Salem, both plan to run against Sen. Phil Berger, of Eden, the current Senate Republican leader. Berger is seeking a third term in the post.
The GOP caucus is scheduled to meet and vote on their leadership team on Sunday, Dec. 7 in Greensboro.
The challenge to Berger comes despite Republicans' gain of one senate seat in this year's election, pushing back against a national Democratic tide that pummeled Republicans elsewhere and in other N.C. races. Republicans will hold 20 seats in the N.C. Senate next year to Democrats' 30 seats.
"We're the only Republican legislative caucus in the nation that's in the minority in a state Obama carried and still picked up seats," Berger said. He and Sen. Tom Apodaca, of Hendersonville and the Deputy Republican leader, have headed the caucus since 2004.
Rucho, who once roomed with Berger in Raleigh, is retiring from his dental practice next month. He said he will have more time to devote to a leadership position, particularly raising the money that Republicans lacked in this year's campaigns.
"We just can't afford to continue to lose by 3 to 1 in fundraising," Rucho said.
Brunstetter said it's natural for the caucus to talk about new leadership every two years and especially after the GOP has taken a beating nationally.
"The question is not what happened in 2008," Brunstetter said, "but what needs to happen in 2010."
Does anyone have a sense of how this will turn out?
With the NCGOP at this point... hope for the best, assume the worst. After this butt-kicking, I’d accept a complete turnover in leadership just out of principle.
We badly need to get on the ball at a grassroots level here in NC.
I’d put money on Berger, who has been a good leader. Brunstetter has a better chance than Rucho, who while being a good guy, has a strong Massachusetts accent in a kingdom ruled by Democrats since 1868.
Nothing will change the absolute frost of Conservatives in the Republican Caucus by Basnight’s Democrat majority, and any money Bob Rucho will be able to raise will come from the same crowd that bankrolled federal felon and former Speaker Jim Black, with whom Rucho often played golf. They were buddies.
This isn’t as conservative a caucus as you might think, either. There are a group of permanent back benchers who think nothing of doing regular business with the Democrats.
The urgency is redistricting. If Republicans don’t hold one house or the other after 2010, in 2011, the Democrats will draw the House, Senate and congressional districts through the 2020 election.
If some of the marginals, like Smith and Stevens want Phil Berger out, they could give the edge to Brunstetter. But it is ambition, not ill-will that is driving this challenge to Berger. Money is the biggest reason, and the Progressive Business/Academia/Frosting of Republicans will make raising money damn hard for Republicans in the state Senate regardless of who they elect a week from today.
Obama killed any Republican chances in the state. The GOP could have picked up RC Soles Senate seat in the Eastern part of the state but a libertarian took that away. The GOP does need leadership bad. The Dem’s have controlled the state senate since reconstruction and the corruption is still going.
The NCGOP was sucking long before Obama. Consistently failing to take over state government.
I’m sure lousy district lines are part of the reason little luck has been had in the legislature.
These year was a total cluster****.
i agree. david hoyle, rc soles, and a few others. Thank goodness debbie clary took over walter dalton’s seat (barely). that was the only pick up. they better put it together over 2 years because redistricting is coming up.
And they say Heath Shuler another rat who doesn’t belong could give Richard Burr a run for his money in the “cursed” senate seat.
I looked up those districts. They were all McCain country. Especially the 2 western ones. It’s a travesty 2 of them continue to represented by rats. One thanks to a libertarian you say? That’s just wonderful. Just love those guys!
I hate to see democrats hold on to legislative seats in GOP territory. In my state of Illinois the southern tip state senate district (held by D’s since 1974 I think) which has voted Republican for President the last three times reelected it’s rat senator 52-48. And it probably wouldn’t have been that close if Obama wasn’t on the top of the ticket, Southern IL is the one part of the state that rejected him.
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