dway@heraldsun.com; 419-6654
PITTSBORO -- Buoyed by an anti-incumbent mood and optimistic about the quality of candidates recruited to run for state offices, Republican heavyweights will discuss the party's prospects for winning big in the November election -- including a belief that state House Speaker Joe Hackney and Congressman David Price, Democratic incumbents, can be unseated -- during a one-hour news conference at Pittsboro Community House at noon today.
"I just think that we have a strategy this year that all seats are in play, that we're going to pursue this from Murphy to Manteo and everywhere in between, and that's just kind of our message coming out of this press conference," said Jordan Shaw, state Republican Party communications director.
"Basically, the purpose of the press conference is twofold, first to talk about our filings -- and we feel like we've been pretty successful fielding candidates across the state. To kind of illustrate that will be the kickoff for Cathy Wright, who we feel has a very good shot of beating Speaker Hackney in the fall," Shaw said.
Wright, who has worked as a nurse and high school teacher, is a resident of Governors Club in Chatham County. Hackney lives in Chapel Hill.
"We wanted to do this in the speaker's district, and we worked with the local party" to set up the event, for which House Minority Leader Paul Stam and House Republican Whip Thom Tillis are expected to attend, along with state Sen. Jerry Tillman and possibly other Republican senators representing the GOP Senate Caucus. Wright and other Republican House candidates are expected to be in attendance as well.
"Of course I welcome the discussion of issues and welcome Miss Wright to the campaign," Hackney said. "I look forward to it. I'll run an aggressive grassroots campaign, and we'll have a good discussion of the issues."
Hackney acknowledges there is "a lot of talk" about anti-incumbency fever this election cycle.
"I have yet to see it," he said. "Our recruiting went extremely well for our House races. Fundraising is going well for our House races. The Democrats are hearing good things locally."
All the talk about anti-incumbency is not causing him to rethink his campaign strategy, Hackney said.
"I'm just going to run a strong, aggressive campaign," he said. "I do that even when I don't have competition. I think that's what all of us will be doing. I have a record of service for Orange and Chatham counties, so it's out there."
Hackney said Democrats, too, are holding high-level coming-out events across North Carolina.
"The majority leader and I have been to numerous places across the state to appear for our House members, and we will be doing many more before this is all over," he said. "We don't take Tom Fetzer with us, though," he said in jest, referring to the state Republican Party leader and former Raleigh mayor.
Shaw said North Carolina is likely to get some national attention this year.
"Obviously Sen. [Richard] Burr's race is going to be on the radar," he said of the Republican incumbent. "I think Sen. Burr will win re-election rather easily."
Shaw said Tar Heel Democratic Congressmen Larry Kissell and Heath Shuler "are both very vulnerable," as is Price.
"It doesn't take a genius to look at the climate right now and see all incumbents should be working very hard to earn the right to go back to Washington," Shaw said. "I don't think any incumbent should take this election for granted."
Four Republicans have filed for the May 4 primary and the right to challenge Price. They are B.J. Lawson and Frank Roche of Apex, David Burnett of Cary and George Hutchins of Raleigh.
Price campaign official Anna Tilghman released the following statement from David Price by e-mail Wednesday. "I take every challenge seriously and I look forward to an energetic race against whoever emerges from the primary as my opponent."
