Republican vies to take back swing district (Rocky Mount Telegram)
A Republican candidate stepped forward Thursday to challenge N.C. Rep. Randy Stewart, who holds one of a handful of Democratic-controlled N.C. House seats targeted by North Carolina Republicans.
Jeff Collins, a 54-year-old Rocky Mount financial consultant, filed to run in the Republican primary for the District 25 seat held by Stewart, D-Nash.
Collins said his primary goal in seeking the office is to make North Carolina more attractive to prospective employers.
“I’m concerned that our state tax policy is making it increasingly difficult for any community in North Carolina to attract businesses,” Collins said after filing. “I’m also appalled that in a recession, when citizens are asked to tighten their belts, the General Assembly has responded with increased spending and higher taxes.”
In August, N.C. GOP Chairman Tom Fetzer and N.C. House Minority Leader Paul Stam held a rally in Rocky Mount, calling on local party stalwarts to offer time, money and perhaps their candidacy to beat the Democrats and Stewart in the 2010 election.
The District 25 seat held by Stewart traditionally has been a conservative-leaning swing district and is prime for the taking, Fetzer said. Republicans controlled the Nash County seat for 16 consecutive years before Stewart’s election in 2008.
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GOP official takes on Spear (Daily Advance)
EDENTON — Local columnist Bob Steinburg is apparently ready to trade in the opinion pages of local newspapers for the halls of the state Legislature.
Steinburg, a columnist whose weekly take on politics, “A Conservative’s Viewpoint,” has appeared in both The Daily Advance and the Chowan Herald as well as other publications, announced Monday that he intends to challenge state Rep. Tim Spear, D-Washington, in the 2nd House District.
“After much prayer and consternation and after months of unsuccessful attempts at recruiting a candidate to oppose Tim Spear, including right up through 4 p.m. (Monday), I have decided at this time I must announce my intentions to file to run for the people’s seat in North Carolina House District 2 before the filing deadline of noon on Friday, Feb. 26,” Steinburg, a registered Republican, said in an e-mail to The Daily Advance.
Steinburg, chairman of the Chowan County Republican Party, said becoming an elected official was “never my true desire” when he started writing his column more than two years ago. His goal then, he said, was to write about local, state and national politics in such a way as to show local readers “how these events all tie together to shape our lives.”
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