Erskine Bowles (D-NC) to run for U.S. Senate

Charlotte Observer ^ | Wed, Sep. 24, 2003 | Charlotte Observer

[jern]

Bowles to run for U.S. Senate To enter race to fill Edwards' seat

Charlotte investment banker Erskine Bowles plans to announce his entry into the U.S. Senate race Thursday, The Observer has learned.

Bowles, a former White House Chief of Staff, is poised to join the race for the seat now held by fellow Democrat John Edwards.

Edwards said this month he would not seek re-election and concentrate instead on his run for the presidency.

Bowles ran in 2002 but lost to Republican Elizabeth Dole.

It's unclear whether he'll have a primary challenge.

Republican U.S. Rep. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem is the presumed GOP nominee.

[Guillermo]

Georgian's won't elect someone who has no political experience.

Remember Guy Millner?

[Jim Robinson]

No one's stopping him. But hope he doesn't come out supporting Bowles again.

[southernnorthcarolina]

In case folks missed earlier threads on the 2004 Senate race in North Carolina, let me qoute from a Chatlotte Observer article of about two weeks ago:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We don't feel intimidated at all by Richard Burr," said Brad Woodhouse, press secretary for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and a former Bowles aide. "They've cleared the field for a guy who was selling toasters before he went into Congress and is virtually unknown outside his district. That's a big risk for a U.S. Senate seat." Burr, first elected in 1994, was marketing director for a wholesale business that dealt in appliances before he began his political career.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This comment about having to work for a living is from a guy whose candidate is running on his wife's fortune. I hope people here in North Carolina, especially, remember that. Assuming Bowles is the Democratic nominee, the "Party of the People" will run, for their third consecutive Senate race in NC, an extremely wealthy candidate who will largely self-finance his race.

This is not, of course, to say that Erskine Bowles hasn't interacted with "common folks." Indeed he has, largely in the form of caddies and waiters he dealt with at each of several country clubs up and down the east coast he was a member of before joining the Clinton administration. (Of course, he dropped out of most of them when he was shocked -- shocked -- to discover that they didn't have minority members.)

There's nothing wrong with being rich, nor even with marrying into money as so many prominent Dems seem to do. But snide comments from representatives of the leisure class about "selling toasters" is repugnant.

We'll see who is "toast" in about 13½ months.

[goosie]

Erskine has money of his own. My husband says he is a third baser. He was born on third base and all his life he thought he hit a triple.

[backhoe]

He's listed among these:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/723210/posts

Liars-- and Sleaze, Incorporated... ( my files on the clintons and friends )

various links | 7-27-02 | The Heavy Equipment Guy