Terry's Elections Guide and Predictions: North Carolina
NC-08 (Republican-held)
Larry Kissell (D) 54 - Robin Hayes (R) 45
Larry Kissell is a great story: laid off from his textile position after 20 years on the job when the company moved overseas, he regained his footing as a high-school social studies teacher, and now he's running for Congress for all his former co-workers who weren't so lucky. For the anti-capitalists of the group, you can cast this race as the textile worker vs. the textile owner, but I prefer to focus on the fact that Robin Hayes brazenly flipped on CAFTA after saying he was "horizontally opposed" to it and claiming he had just voted yes by accident. Polls have shown this one close, and Kissell's activist base is really strong. I am feeling good here.
NC-11 (Republican-held)
Heath Shuler (D) 56 - Charles Taylor (R) 44
I am probably overconfident, but I still think you can call him Congressman Shuler from here on out. Charles Taylor is the richest person in North Carolina and funds his own campaigns, and he's like John Hostettler of Indiana in that he's been counted out in several elections before. Still, Shuler has a huge lead in some polls (bigger than I'm projecting) and has run an effective campaign even though Republicans cited him as an example of a candidate they would tear to shreds. When I heard that Shuler, a former star college quarterback who washed out in the NFL, was running for Congress, I thought, "oh great, yet another Republican athlete cashing in on his success to run for Congress." Then I found out he's a Democrat, and now I support him wholeheartedly. Also, there's a website called StopShuler.com pointing out that Shuler ruined the Redskins the last time he was in Washington; Shuler argues that maybe his return will break the Redskins' recent streak of bad luck. If he wins, Shuler will be one of the most conservative Democrats in the House.