RNC chairman says he isn't taking N.C. for granted
RALEIGH (AP) -Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan said Wednesday that he doesn't expect North Carolina will break with its decades-old tradition of voting for a GOP presidential candidate this year.
But Duncan acknowledged that Democrat Barack Obama does hold some advantages.
"We just can't take a state as important as North Carolina for granted, even though it's had a great history," Duncan said. "We understand that we have to have a competitive campaign here."
During a visit with other GOP leaders in Raleigh, Duncan touted Republican candidate John McCain's policies and said the party is united behind the Arizona senator's campaign. Some had questioned if Republicans would unite behind McCain's candidacy.
Duncan acknowledged that the Democratic senator from Illinois has some strengths, including his popularity among young adults and an established in-state campaign network leftover from the state's May primary.
But Duncan said North Carolina's electoral votes haven't gone to a Democratic candidate since 1976 and he doesn't expect that to change.
McCain has distinguished himself with a more comprehensive energy policy that includes both short and long-term solutions to increasing supply and demand, Duncan said.
"The Democratic values and certainly the values that Barack Obama has been putting forth in this campaign don't match up well here in North Carolina, whether it's on national security, whether it's on gun ownership, whether it's on energy," Duncan said.
He and other top Republicans suggested that voters seem to be cooling to Obama's candidacy now that he has all but sealed his party's nomination.
"I think you'll see more and more people saying, 'Wait a minute. I'm going for the substance, rather than the rhetoric,'" state GOP chairwoman Linda Daves said.
But Democratic leaders said Obama's campaign isn't losing any steam. The noted that they've had more success registering partisan voters than their GOP counterparts this year.
North Carolina now has more than 2.6 million registered Democratic voters compared to a little over 1.9 million Republican voters, according to recent state Board of Elections numbers. A little than 1.3 million have not declared a party affiliation.
State Democratic Party Chairman Jerry Meek said Duncan's visit alone shows that the GOP is worried about losing the election. The Republican leader's visit comes on the heels of a late July visit from Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.
"We are seeing John McCain defend a state that the Republicans have virtually taken for granted for the last three decades in terms of the race for president," Meek said.
Duncan would not predict whether the GOP this year will make any inroads the Democrats' majority in each chamber in Congress, acknowledging that the slumping economy and rising energy costs could deter some voters from voting for his party's candidates across the country.
"It's a very tough environment, there's no question," Duncan said.
But in North Carolina, Duncan said U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole is "very well-positioned" to be re-elected and Rep. Robin Hayes, who narrowly won his fifth term two years ago, also can win the 8th district.
The Republican National Committee also announced Wednesday that North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr will serve as co-chairman of the party's Platform Committee, which outlines the principles and policies for the GOP every four years.
