Congratulations Elaine!

Last night, NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall won the Democratic primary runoff over state legislator Cal Cunningham. In December, I joined Marshall's campaign and endorsed her, so I was quite excited to see her win last night. I was impressed with her record of taking on institutions like Wall Street and lobbyists.
Elaine is a fighter with a can-do spirit who has a history of winning as the underdog. When she first ran for NC Sec. of State in 1996, her opponent was NASCAR legend Richard Petty, a household name. Despite Petty's fame, Marshall won. This victory is also somewhat of a setback for national Democrats, as Cunningham had their unofficial backing.
This has not been as good primary season for me, as MilesC's Progressive Politics Post endorsed Arlen Specter in PA and Bill Halter in AR, both losing candidates; needless to say, Marshall's win was a relief! Ideologically, Elaine was considered the most liberal candidate in the field of Democrats; this is certainly good news for progressives.
Marshall edged out Cunningham 60-40, however turnout was extremely low. I will go into the particulars and unique dynamics of this NC race in a later post, but for now, Democrats truly have reason to be excited. Cunningham has thrown his weight behind Marshall, so the party should be fairly unified as it moves forward. Again, NC Democrats should be excited; they have chosen a top-tier challenger to run against a mediocre incumbent.
Looking forward, Marshall will certainly need to continue fighting, as the environment of this election year is not particularly favorable towards Democrats, especially in the south. Burr has kept a low profile and based on his own merits, he is a subpar senator; I consider him nothing more than a talking suit. Burr won with only 51.6% in 2004, so he is considered vulnerable. This year, the only thing buoying his numbers is the 'R' behind his name. Once NC voters are more familiar with Marshall, Burr's advantage will evaporate. Any time an incumbent polls below 50%, they are considered in potentially in danger; the latest poll has Burr leading by a mere 45-39 margin.