Posted on 11/15/2002 11:10:44 AM PST by Dog Gone
GOLDSBORO, N.C. (AP) -- Republicans gained at least a tie in the North Carolina House on Friday when recounts showed them winning two disputed races over prominent Democrats, and the GOP led another high-profile count still under way.
A Republican sweep of the recounts would give the party a 61-59 advantage over the Democrats.
The recount for District 11, centered about 40 miles southwest of Raleigh, was expected to be completed Friday afternoon. Republican Louis Pate, mayor of Mount Olive, remained ahead of House Majority Leader Phil Baddour late Thursday after a partial hand recount.
In far-east District 3, a recount in Craven and Pamlico counties showed Republican Michael Gorman winning by 183 votes over Democratic incumbent Alice Graham Underhill, the daughter of Jim Graham, elected as the state's agriculture commissioner for 36 years. Unofficial results last week had given Gorman a 182-vote lead.
And in District 17, covering part of the Fayetteville area, a machine recount completed Thursday gave Republican lawyer Bonner Stiller a 169-vote lead over Democratic Rep. David Redwine, a 10-term veteran. Stiller had unofficially led by 163 votes last week.
Results will be certified next week by the state Board of Elections.
How dare you blaspheme the good name of The Dark Knight! He is a good and honorable character, not some slug feces like McAwful.
Have you no shame? ;-)
No mercy.
Coming soon: Tha SYNDICATE.
101 things that the Mozilla browser can do that Internet Explorer cannot.
In far-east District 3, a recount in Craven and Pamlico counties showed Republican Michael Gorman winning by 183 votes over Democratic incumbent Alice Graham Underhill, the daughter of Jim Graham, elected as the state's agriculture commissioner for 36 years. Unofficial results last week had given Gorman a 182-vote lead.
And in District 17, covering part of the Fayetteville area, a machine recount completed Thursday gave Republican lawyer Bonner Stiller a 169-vote lead over Democratic Rep. David Redwine, a 10-term veteran. Stiller had unofficially led by 163 votes last week.
These are big Dems that went down, folks! The importance of taking over the House can't be emphasized enough, since redistricting will be taken up again immediately by the State House and State Senate; the court-ordered plans for the two legislative chambers applied only to 2002, so it is vital that the GOP have a place at the negotiating table, and be prepared, if necessary, to go to court again.
Governor Easley, having had his hat handed to him on the lottery issue, is the lamest lame duck imaginable, and with the loss of the House may have real trouble even getting the Dem nomination for 2004. With Dubya at the top of the ticket, unless his popularity is much lower 20-24 months from now than it is now, Easley is in big trouble, Senator Edwards is in big trouble (I still think his Presidential exploration is just a way of keeping his face in front of NC voters), and the Dem majority in the State Senate is in big trouble.
But you broke through, just like the folks in Texas did, and look at that state now.
An apt metaphor. We broke through, and there's a good chance we won't go back. I've said it before on a couple of other threads: particularly in the South, there's long been a "vicious circle" thing going on. Conservatives would avoid voting Republican at state and local levels because they would be aligning themselves with the powerless minority; and the Republicans remained the minority for too long because they weren't getting enough of the conservative vote.
It has literally taken a generation for top-of-the-ballot GOP success in the South to percolate down to the state legislative, judicial, council of state, and county commission levels. But we've broken through! In the eleven states of the old Confederacy, the GOP now controls 10 of the 22 state legislative chambers. Dixie becomes a true GOP majority region -- not just at the Presidential level, but all the way down the ballot -- in 2004, unless I miss my guess.
And one more thing: among Republicans in the South, RINOs are scarce as hen's teeth. :-)
There is no likelihood that Bush will be involved in a scandal.
It looks like Bush is invincible today, although there's always a chance of the unexpected occuring, particularly in foreign affairs.
If Bush wins re-election by a large margin, the ramifications are huge. Optimism is certainly justified.
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