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When John Kerry came to Greensboro on Tuesday, Erskine Bowles was nowhere to be found.  Bowles has made a habit of refusing to publicly appear with John Kerry and John Edwards, usually by having an event somewhere far away. In the past, when Bowles skipped a Kerry or Edwards event, he picked some other part of the state to visit. On Tuesday, however, Bowles traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend a PAC fundraiser in his honor.  That’s right, Erskine Bowles would rather leave the state to raise money from PACs than have the voters see him with John Kerry!  Late last...

Despite Democratic claims of solid unity among members, some top candidates for office either showed up and quickly fled the national convention in Boston, or shunned it entirely. Most of the no-shows came from the South, or other conservative red state areas, and are seeking to distance themselves from the liberal Kerry-Edwards ticket. According to the Los Angeles Times, some of the party's most promising U.S. Senate candidates in the South opted to stay home and campaign in an effort to avoid being connected to their party's far-left nominees. Wrote the Times, "Many have staked out positions on such issues...

Easley, Bowles sit out Democrats' gathering By J. ANDREW CURLISS, Staff Writer Published: Jul 27, 2004 Modified: Jul 27, 2004 3:46 PM Missing from this week's giant gathering of Democrats in Boston are two of North Carolina's most high-profile Democrats: Gov. Mike Easley and Erskine Bowles, who is running to replace Sen. John Edwards. Easley and Bowles are staying home while their party's leaders and foot soldiers rally around presumptive nominee John Kerry and his running mate, Edwards. Spokesmen for Easley and Bowles said the two are not running away from Kerry but will be busy in North Carolina and...

Senate Hopefuls Are Convention No-Shows Some Fear Being Tied to Democratic Ticket By Charles Babington Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, July 26, 2004; Page A01 BOSTON, July 25 -- Boston is the place for Democrats this week, but some will be conspicuous by their absence Thursday night, when John F. Kerry accepts the presidential nomination. The top Democratic candidates from seven of the eight most competitive Senate races will be back home, as will dozens of House candidates. Publicly, these candidates say they need to spend every possible minute campaigning at home. Privately, some acknowledge they do not want to...

Democrat Erskine Bowles continues to hold the early lead over Republican Richard Burr in the North Carolina Senate race, but it still could be primarily the result of his higher statewide name recognition – an advantage that will likely disappear in the fall. According to a new WRAL poll conducted by Mason-Dixon, 48 percent of voters statewide currently support Bowles, 38 percent back Burr and 14 percent are still undecided. This 10-point margin is the same as in May. Bowles remains ahead in every region of the state, by varying margins, except for the Greensboro/Winston-Salem Triad --Burr's home region. The...

Edwards' coattails questionable WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- In tapping John Edwards to be his running mate, John Kerry stoked growing hopes among Democrats for achieving a Senate majority in the November elections. No doubt, Democratic prospects have improved since the start of the year when most prognosticators expected Republicans to pad their narrow 51-48 majority by at least a seat or two. But overturning GOP control still looks like a tough job. Jennifer Duffy, who tracks Senate races for the closely watched Cook Political Report, sees a 30 to 35 percent chance Democrats will achieve a Senate majority. In January,...

Clinton book's praise gives Bowles increased attention He has avoided talking about former boss in bid for Senate THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Thursday, June 24, 2004 CHARLOTTE President Clinton's praise for his former chief of staff in his autobiography is putting Erskine Bowles in an awkward spot as he runs for the U.S. Senate. Clinton's 957-page My Life includes several references to Bowles, a Charlotte Democrat who held several positions in the Clinton White House. Clinton praises Bowles as a "world-class deal maker" who helped balance the federal budget and played a mean game of golf. Bowles and U.S. Rep. Richard...

Bowles retains solid lead By AMY GARDNER, Staff Writer Democrat Erskine Bowles continues to widen his lead over Republican Richard Burr in this year's U.S. Senate race, a new statewide poll shows. Bowles, a Charlotte investment banker and former White House chief of staff, leads Burr, a Winston-Salem congressman, 47 percent to 39 percent, according to the survey this month of 600 likely voters, conducted for a partnership of The News & Observer, WRAL-TV and WUNC radio. That's up from 45 percent to 40 percent in January. But what the numbers really mean depends upon which campaign is talking. North...

June 02, 2004, 8:40 a.m. Operation Clinton ErasureErskine Bowles tries running without Clinton this time. By Sam Dealey With a functioning Republican Senate in the balance, the race for the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. John Edwards (N.C.) is one of most closely watched in the country. The match pits GOP Rep. Richard Burr against Erskine Bowles, a top Clinton-administration official who failed in a similar bid against Elizabeth Dole (R.) last time around. From the looks of things, Bowles appears to be sitting pretty. Recent polling by the Mason-Dixon firm shows the Democratic candidate with a 15 to...

Poll gives Bowles a 10-point lead over Burr By ROB CHRISTENSEN, LYNN BONNER AND AMY GARDNER AND JOHN WAGNER, Staff Writers Democrat Erskine Bowles holds a 10-percentage-point lead in North Carolina's U.S. Senate race and is in far better position than two years ago, a new poll says. Bowles, a Charlotte investment banker, leads Republican Congressman Richard Burr of Winston-Salem by a 45 to 35 percent margin with 20 percent undecided, according to the Mason-Dixon Poll conducted for WRAL-TV and several other news organizations. The poll found that Bowles, who was President Clinton's White House chief of staff, leads Burr...

PINK HILL - Say hello to Erskine Bowles version 2.0. The Charlotte investment banker, former Clinton White House chief of staff and 2004 U.S. Senate candidate stopped in the Smith community in northern Duplin County on Thursday to meet and greet voters and supporters. "They're going to promise us a lot of things," said 68-year-old Doris Hatcher, a staunch Democrat from Chinquapin. "I just hope they come through on most of them." Bowles built largely on the same platform he used during his miss at the Senate in 2002 when he ran against Elizabeth Dole. A must-have federal tobacco buyout...

Poll has Bowles in lead By ROB CHRISTENSEN, Staff Writer North Carolina's U.S. Senate race is shaping up as a potentially close contest with a new poll showing Democrat Erskine Bowles holding a modest lead over Republican Richard Burr. Before any TV ads or much campaigning, Bowles, a Charlotte investment banker, leads Burr, a Winston-Salem congressman, by a 45 to 40 percent margin, with 15 percent undecided, according to the poll done for The News & Observer. That suggests the race for Sen. John Edwards' seat has remained static. A similar N&O poll in November showed Bowles leading 43 percent...

Chinese textile imports became a larger issue in the North Carolina Senate race Wednesday, as the Bush administration nears a decision on whether to issue trade sanctions against the Chinese government. Democratic Senate candidate Erskine Bowles called on the administration to impose the "special safeguard" provision next week, and suggested that Republican Congressman Richard Burr had not been forceful in lobbying his White House ally. Burr, the GOP Senate frontrunner, flew from Washington, D.C., on Air Force One to attend a fund-raiser with the president in Winston-Salem last week. But Burr, one of more than 150 members of Congress to...

BLUE STATERDemocrats in North Carolina breathed a sigh of relief when Sen. John Edwards finally backed out of a re-election race that would have taken the back seat to his presidential (or vice presidential) aspirations. His retirement, as it were, opened the door to Erskine Bowles, the former Clinton chief of staff who has already run for the Senate once and lost once to Elizabeth Dole. Bowles was the state Democratic Party’s pick to run for the seat, in part because it believes Bowles has the personal financial wherewithal and the fundraising connections nationally to make it a competitive race...

In the North Carolina Senate race, Erskine Bowles (D) "has a double-digit lead" over Rep. Richard Burr (R) "in a hypothetical Senate matchup, according to an independent poll taken last month for a nonpartisan North Carolina business group,"

Sheriff: 'I am not for sale'Bowles regrets letting vendor pay for items but says it wasn't wrong12:35 AM CDT on Wednesday, October 15, 2003By DAVE MICHAELS / The Dallas Morning News Dallas County Sheriff Jim Bowles said Tuesday that he regrets allowing a vendor to buy his meals and pay his travel expenses, because it has created a perception that his integrity was for sale. The sheriff said his actions were not wrong because he never intended to steer the department's commissary contract to Jack Madera, the CEO of Mid-America Services Inc. He said Mr. Madera's company won the contract...

Burr leads Bowles, Blue in U.S. Senate race, poll finds By ROB CHRISTENSEN, Staff Writer Republican Rep. Richard Burr of Winston-Salem holds an early lead in next year's race to replace Democratic Sen. John Edwards, according to a new statewide poll. Burr leads two prospective Democratic opponents, Charlotte investment banker Erskine Bowles and Raleigh attorney Dan Blue, the survey found. Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. Mike Easley, who plans to seek a second term next year, continues to show resilience despite a battered economy and 2 1/2 years of budget crisis, according to the survey of 600 likely voters conducted last week...

US Senator [and 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidate] John Edwards met behind closed doors Wednesday with Erskine Bowles, a Democrat very interested in pursing his Senate seat if Edwards continues running for President of the United States. Both emerged from their meeting in Raleigh tight lipped about their political futures.'What they discussed is private between them,' said Jennifer Palmieri, Edwards Presidential Campaign Press Secretary.Neither Edwards or Bowles, who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate last year, would comment directly. While Edwards could legally appear on the ballot for both offices in 2004, most political observers believe that scenario is unlikely.He [Sen. Edwards]...

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH -- Warren Gentry was among the dozens of beach- goers who greeted U.S. Sen. John Edwards warmly here Friday and wished him well on his White House bid. But after the North Carolina Democrat and his entourage had moved down the strand on his annual beach walk, Gentry, a film producer from Raleigh, said he hoped Edwards would soon decide what to do about his Senate seat, which is also on the ballot in 2004. "That's a very important thing for him to do," said Gentry, who voted for Edwards in 1998. "That could be the downside, if...

Today Charlotte banker Jim Hance co-hosts an uptown fund-raiser for Republican Richard Burr's U.S. Senate campaign. On Saturday, Outer Banks restaurateur R.V. Owens hosts another in Nags Head. For Burr, the two men are prize catches. For Democrats, they could be costly defections. Both raised money for last year's Democratic Senate nominee, Erskine Bowles. And both represent what some Democrats say is the risk in U.S. Sen. John Edwards' decision to keep his re-election options open even as he mounts an aggressive campaign for president. Edwards is walking a high-stakes tightrope between a presidential run still trying to get traction...