Heath Shuler's Chief of Staff to run in NC-11
Submitted by Tom Sullivan on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 7:49pm
And just as quick, there's a horse race again for the Democratic nomination in NC-11. Hayden Rogers, Rep. Heath Shuler's Chief of Staff announced he would run today.
Hayden Rogers, a Robbinsville native and longtime chief of staff to Congressman Heath Shuler, announced his candidacy for Congress Wednesday for North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District.
“It has truly been an honor to work on behalf of Western North Carolina alongside Congressman Shuler for the past six years. As a proud North Carolinian, I am humbled to have the opportunity to continue fighting for the families across the 11th District,” Rogers said. “I have seen first-hand how broken the political process can be in Washington. The divisive partisan gamesmanship does nothing to meet the challenges before us as a nation. Future generations of Americans are depending on us to face those challenges sincerely and directly. I will work across the aisle and with all honest people to solve them.”
Shuler's endorsement in WNC could cut both ways for Rogers. If Shuler does some stumping for Rogers (and Rogers benefits from Shuler's war chest), he may be able to energize some people who otherwise would not bother to vote in a primary. On the other hand, there are still people out there who hold a grudge against Heath for some of his positions, and that could work against Rogers. Asheville city councilman, Cecil Bothwell, has had his campaign in gear for months and has been working the turf hard out in NC-11.
Here in the district...
...although many (including me) were disappointed with some of Shuler's positions, it is inconceivable that Cecil Bothwell will find much support in most of the rural district. Even die-hard progressives like me are realistic about the chances of keeping the seat in Democrat hands, preferring to see the glass half-full with Rogers, rather than completely empty with an Art Pope/Koch brothers puppet.
Standing by for heavy rolls...
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Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. -- sign on Einstein's office wall.
We're trying to convince Zeb Smathers
to run for Shuler's seat. He would be the perfect progressive!
Not sure Zeb is a
Not sure Zeb is a progressive, but he would be a good candidate for the party. His time will come one of these days.
Zeb and Democracy NC
I have known Zeb for several years, I first met him while he was helping his dad run for Lt. Gov. I was so impressed with him that I recruited him to serve on the board of Democracy NC. He has been a great board member, giving us a perspective that was needed on the board. His small town roots would serve him well in Congress, his favorite saying was "there are a lot more Cantons in NC than Charlottes".
I hope he runs, he would be a good fit for the 11th.
We can win
One of the things I've come upon, over and over, in the last 10 months, is the attitude among progressive Dems in NC 11 that "We can't win. We need to veer right."
There are LOTS of people out there who have bought that argument. How about we test it? How about we vote where our hearts and brains are and not simply assume that a DINO is the best we can do?
Heck, I've even got Tea Party folks coming on board with this campaign. Let's not give up the game before we get on the field! Being "realistic" can be a substitute for being optimistic and leaning forward.
We are going to win this race, first the primary, then the general, and we have 1,100+ volunteers and 820+ donors who agree.
Progressives are the true conservatives in North Carolina
Good luck and stay strong. They will be coming after you like Catholics attacking birth control.
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
Amen
Love it!
Do good. Be nice. Have fun.
This week's press release
Frontrunner Bothwell challenged by Washington insider
Eleventh District congressional candidate Cecil Bothwell now faces an electoral challenge from retiring Rep. Heath Shuler's chief of staff.
Bothwell has waged a grassroots campaign against Shuler over the past 10 months which culminated in the withdrawal of the unpopular Congressman from the 2012 race.
Bothwell's message of "Jobs, Education and Healthcare" has resonated with voters in WNC dismayed by Shuler's support for a Republican agenda aimed at undermining the President. Bothwell has blasted Shuler for his opposition to the President's stimulus funding, health care, and jobs legislation, and Shuler's support for Republican efforts to slash Medicare and Social Security.
"Real Democrats fight for the people, not the corporations," said Bothwell. "Hayden Rogers has led Shuler's efforts to support a Republican pro-corporate agenda. I believe North Carolina voters have had their fill of Washington insiders like Rogers."
Bothwell said, "WNC's people deserve better. You deserve better. I won't take corporate or corporate PAC donations. Ask Hayden Rogers where his campaign money is coming from. Hundreds of real people have donated to our campaign. We don't need another Blue Dog, corporate waterboy here in the mountains."
Bothwell's campaign has drawn more than 1,100 volunteers with campaign organizers in every county in the District and has collected more than 820 individual donations. Volunteers have spread the word at more than 100 street fairs, holiday parades, party functions and picnics. His campaign has held seven Town Hall Meetings since January, which have been attended by hundreds of voters. Other meetings are scheduled District-wide.
Bothwell said, "We have the momentum and we're going to fight to represent the working people of these mountains. Join us!"
What we don't need is another
What we don't need is another RINO. When will we Dems stop being fooled into thinking that we need to run another dawg. I'm proud of being a progressive. I'd rather go down flaming all the way, than have to have another shuler. I believe the republicans are on the ropes. There is little love for mittens and santorum will NOT increase the independent vote for republicans. Why should we make an appeasement
He did nothing to create jobs and made it so much easier for the republicans to fight the Prez because they had his support. The man was a coward, always hiding under the radar. He backed away from all OF THE MAIN LEGISLATION, of Obama. I got tired of his hypocritical christianity too.
Shuler didn't hold any town halls here in Burnsville. I'm glad the bum dropped out. I didn't vote for him in 2010, and I was planning to vote against him this time - not because I wanted a republican - but because I was tired of dirty laundry and didn't want to encourage inter party squabbles.
It is clear to me that he dropped out because he had no principles. His appeasement didn't work; republicans weren't going to vote for him anyway. They recognized better than we did that he was a snake. Like Romney, shuler commanded neither public affection nor respect
We need a progressive to run not another appeaser. Obama has taken the lead to move our progressive agenda to the front burner with his latest budget. We need to get behind the PREZ full throttle. That is why I will support Bothwell, and reject Rogers. His comments are nothing but rehashed shuler. The system isn't broken b/c of Democratic intransigence; it lies at the feet of republican partisanship. Those across the isle didn't work with shuler - he worked with them. That’s was and will be with rogers another recipe for disaster.
Thanks
Thanks for your articulate response. I too am an ardent Cecil supporter. Thanks too for not giving in or giving up - 2012 is VERY important to ALL people. Peace.