NC-Sen: Burr Still In Trouble

[ccharles000]

If Jim Bunning takes that "little s*** slider of his" (as Ted Williams used to call it) and goes home, Richard Burr is well positioned to take his place as the most vulnerable Republican Senator of the cycle.

He's no match for the Bunning Show - the Lizard and his periodic rants against Republican leadership, the welfare state, and general normalcy make the Rod Blagojevich Show looks like the quintessence of dull - but Burr could certainly play the John Sununu to Bunning's Rick Santorum. What Burr lacks in color, he makes up for in general uselessness.

And voters have taken notice:

Public Policy Polling. 4/8-11. Registered voters. MoE 4%. (12/8-9 numbers)

Roy Cooper (D) 41
Richard Burr (R-inc) 37



Richard Burr (R-inc) 39
Mike McIntyre (D) 34



Lousy, lousy numbers for a sitting incumbent. He's not just under 50%, but under 40%, even against a fairly little known Congressman (McIntyre).

Just last year, we witnessed an essentially unknown State Senator take on a Republican institution and former Presidential candidate in North Carolina, and wind up thrashing the incumbent 53% to 44%.

Richard Burr may not run a campaign as bad as Elizabeth Dole's was, and whoever the Democratic nominee is (national Dems hope it's Cooper) may not run as flawless a campaign as Kay Hagan ran.

Still, Dole started out in a considerably stronger position than Burr does, and Cooper is a popular, well-known potential candidate. The GOP should be seriously worried about losing this seat.

Cooper is very pro-environment
- He sued the EPA to make them enforce the Clean Air Act in 12-14 states that send air pollution to NC.

- He sued TVA to force them to clean up their emissions that pollute the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and surrounding areas.

- In both cases, he is trying to get the courts to force TVA and surrounding states to match what NC is doing under it's Clean Smokestacks law, which is forcing Duke Power and Progress Energy to reduce emissions beyond any mandated by federal regulations.


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/4/16/720760/-NC-Sen:-Burr-Still-In-Trouble