We haven't taken much notice of this election, but it's being touted as a referendum on the president.
ZitatMINT HILL, N.C. (AP) — A tossup special election in North Carolina is shaping up as a pre-2020 test of President Donald Trump’s pull on voters and whether the suburbs are continuing the flight from Republicans that fueled the party’s 2018 House election losses.
The House district flows eastward from the prosperous Charlotte suburbs into rural areas hugging the South Carolina border. It’s up for grabs on Tuesday after state officials invalidated last November’s election following allegations of voter fraud by a GOP operative.
The Democrat in that race, former Marine and Harvard MBA Dan McCready, is running again, portraying himself as a centrist who puts “country over party” and opposes impeaching Trump. His opponent, Republican state senator and attorney Dan Bishop, is a Trump loyalist who sponsored the state’s now-repealed 2016 law restricting the use of bathrooms by transgender people.
Both parties are pouring resources into the state, hoping to claim a morale-boosting win to juice candidate recruitment and fundraising. But the real X-factor is Trump himself, who parachutes into Fayetteville on Monday for an election-eve rally in hopes of securing a district he won by 11 points in 2016 and that Republicans have held since 1963. With Vice President Mike
Pence also campaigning for Bishop on Monday, the race is testing Trump’s influence on voters and whether Democrats can sustain the momentum that powered their midterm election wins.
“This is a pretty Republican district. This is not a seat you’ll be able to explain away very well” if Bishop loses, said former Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who once chaired the House GOP campaign committee. A defeat would mean “Republicans are in trouble in the suburbs,” he said
"Special elections usually produce low turnout but lots of intensely partisan voters, and often don’t forecast the next general election. But with Trump’s national popularity stubbornly low and GOP hopes of recapturing House control hinging on suburban districts like this one, both parties see the race as a potential bellwether."
Be careful when accepting the AP's interpretation ...here's how they put their spin on current events.
If it looks like the R's might lose this election, they'll frame it as a huge indicator of a trend for DJT, of things to come, even if it was a very local election.
Spin is so flagrant these days! The American public has begun to wise up and recognize when it's being applied. A local election involving two candidates, one a center right Dem, vowing to fight AOC and Pelosi. The other a Trump loyalist who fought the transgender bathroom movement. If the Dem wins they won't emphasize that he was campaigning against the Party's trend. They'll call it a loss for DJT.
I hope the R's win, in any case. TM
"Of all horrible religions the most horrible is the worship of the god within." GK Chesterton
"It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will." Donald Trump's Victory Speech 11/9/16
INSIDE EVERY LIBERAL IS A TOTALITARIAN SCREAMING TO GET OUT -- Frontpage mag
Well, I mean, after all, it was a Republican leaning district to begin with
ZitatWith 99 percent of precincts reporting, Bishop led McCready by just over 4,100 votes (94,984 to 90,824) in the race to represent the GOP-leaning 9th Congressional District. In 2018, the Republican candidate, Mark Harris, defeated McCready by a much smaller margin -- just 905 votes, 139,246 to 138,341.
CNN: Republican narrowly wins North Carolina special election By Veronica Rocha, September 10, 2019
The Atlantic: North Carolina Gives Republicans a Wake-Up Call DAVID A. GRAHAM, SEP 10, 2019
NPR: Republican Dan Bishop Wins North Carolina Special Congressional Election September 10, 2019, By JESSICA TAYLOR
POLITICO: GOP special election win papers over fragile 2020 position By STEVEN SHEPARD, LAURA BARRÓN-LÓPEZ and ALEX ISENSTADT 09/11/2019
FOX: Dems admit Trump helped GOP candidates sweep North Carolina special elections By Gregg Re, September 11, 2019
In a major victory for both President Trump and national Republicans, North Carolina GOP state Sen. Dan Bishop was projected to win a fiercely contested special U.S. House election for the 9th District that was widely seen as a bellwether for the president's chances in the 2020 election.
And another Republican House candidate, Greg Murphy, decisively won a separate special election in North Carolina's more solidly GOP-leaning 3rd District earlier Tuesday evening -- frustrating Democrats who spent millions trying to make a splash in the state.
Even Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) Chairwoman Cheri Bustos acknowledged that the president contributed to Bishop's win, writing in a statement that "we fell an inch short tonight, but it took more than $6 million in outside Republican spending and a last-minute Trump rally" to seal Democratic candidate Dan McCready's fate in the 9th District.
McCready's campaign spent approximately $4.7 million on the race, while Bishop's spent only $1.9 million. Outside spending primarily from national party committees helped Bishop to the tune of $5.8 million, though, compared to McCready's roughly $1.4 million.
The clean sweep heartened the president, who has long emphasized the national implications at stake. Trump unloaded on McCready in the fiery rally on Monday night, telling attendees that "to stop the far-left, you must vote in tomorrow's special election."
That effort, Trump said late Tuesday, had clearly paid dividends.
"Dan Bishop was down 17 points 3 weeks ago," Trump wrote on Twitter. "He then asked me for help, we changed his strategy together, and he ran a great race. Big Rally last night. Now it looks like he is going to win. @CNN &@MSNBC are moving their big studio equipment and talent out. Stay tuned!"
He added: "BIG NIGHT FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL!"
"Of all horrible religions the most horrible is the worship of the god within." GK Chesterton
"It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will." Donald Trump's Victory Speech 11/9/16
INSIDE EVERY LIBERAL IS A TOTALITARIAN SCREAMING TO GET OUT -- Frontpage mag