“I have won in a red state – I beat the Jesse Helms political machine to get elected to the United State Senate.”
Edwards, seeking to make the electability argument, has started to use this line much more frequently to explain why he can go toe-to-toe with the GOP in the general. And for the most part he’s been unchallenged in doing so.
But a closer examination of the facts that this argument rests on makes it look less impressive. First off, Edwards was not running against Helms himself, but rather Lauch Faircloth. As anybody who knows a thing about North Carolina politics can tell you, that is an important distinction.
Helms, unapologetically racist long after it became unfashionable, defied the odds cycle after cycle. He knocked off popular Gov. Jim Hunt in 1984 and then twice defeated former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt in 1990 and 1996.
Indeed, Helms’ ability to always seize victory from the jaws of defeat led some of his backers to joke that it was only once every six years that he would actually appear on top in the polls.
By contrast, Faircloth was a one-term senator in a seat that is renonnwed among political junkies for its streak of one-term senators (dating back to 1974). A hog farmer and former Democrat who switched parties to run in 1992, Faircloth was widely viewed as a weak candidate when he ran for re-election. And 1998 was a ripe year for Democrats. And Edwards spent millions of his own money. And, while it’s tougher for Dems in federal races than it is state contests, North Carolina is not exactly Mississippi or Alabama politically.
What’s more, it was the sole victory Edwards has ever enjoyed in electoral politics. As John Kerry’s running mate in 2004, he never ran for re-election. And Edwards didn’t do much to help in his homestate. North Carolina was never really in play in 2004 as Bush won by 12%.
Given his shift left to enter national Democratic politics, Edwards would probably have as difficult a time carrying North Carolina as Al Gore did Tennessee in 2000.
The Politico 10/29/07
http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/1007/The_new_John_Edwards_mantra.html
