Sen. Elizabeth Dole is up for reelection this year, and the combination of her underwhelming performance over the past six years and the general bad odor emanating from the Republican Party of late makes her particularly vulnerable. (A longtime resident of the Watergate apartments in Washington, D.C., Dole has also irked many of her constituents by failing to spend much time on the ground in North Carolina. She grew up in Salisbury but has not been a full-time resident of the state since the 1960s.)
Dole has also irked many of her constituents by failing to spend much time on the ground in North Carolina. She grew up in Salisbury but has not been a full-time resident of the state since the 1960s.
After a lot of debating about holding a debate, the five Democrats running to square off against Dole met in Greensboro last week. The candidate with the lead in the polls is Kay Hagan, a state senator from Greensboro. Her most competitive challenger is Jim Neal, a corporate financial adviser from Chapel Hill.

Hagan … said she believes any Democrat has a good chance of defeating Dole in the November election. But she vowed to be that candidate, contrasting herself with Dole on issues such as the minimum wage, financial aid for students and veterans benefits.

Neal repeatedly tried to engage Hagan during the hour-long debate moderated by students on the University of North Carolina at Greensboro’s Spartan TV. And while Hagan tried to focus her responses on Dole, she also contrasted herself with her Democratic competitors, including Lumber-ton attorney Marcus Williams and Moncure podiatrist Howard Staley. [Duskin Lassiter, a Lexington trucker, did not participate.]

Hagan, contrary to the other three candidates on stage, would not dismiss the possibility of drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as a way to soften soaring gas prices — an idea often proposed by Republicans but rejected by congressional Democrats.

“I think that’s an issue of a cost-benefit ratio,” Hagan said. “You’ve got to look at how much oil is there, how long it will last and what is the risk from an environmental standpoint. I will really study the cost-benefit analysis.”

The veteran lawmaker said the more urgent priority was finding alternative sources of energy. She also advocated eliminating incentives for oil companies.

Neal … immediately said he opposes drilling in Alaska, suggesting the nation should tap into the nation’s large strategic petroleum reserve first. President Bush favors continuing pumping oil into the reserve in case of an international disruption in oil markets.

“I don’t believe we can begin talking about plundering our natural environment in order to generate more oil on the marketplace,” said Neal, an entrepreneur.

Williams cited data indicating the oil in the wildlife refuge would take years to develop and do little to influence gas prices. Staley said drilling for oil and would only continue a cycle of President Bush’s energy policy, which he dubbed “Drill until you’re sick. Get all the oil out of the earth you can.”

“It’s only led to more consumption and more pollution,” Staley said.

But do the Democrats have a chance of taking Dole’s seat this year? Despite the fact that Dole occupies the seat once held by Sen. Jesse Helms, and Republican Richard Burr won the other seat when Democrat John Edwards decided not to run for reelection in 2004 when he was John Kerry’s running mate, the answer is yes.

While North Carolina has been a reliable red state in every presidential elections since 1976, Democrats have historically done well in state races. North Carolina has had a Democratic governor in six out of the last eight terms, and Democrats control both houses of the legislature.