On Tuesday, May 6, North Carolina will hold its primaries. The race, I think, of the most importance is the Republican race for US Senator. Barring a run-off, the winner's next battle will be against Senator Kay Hagan in November.
If no candidate gets at least 40% of the vote, the runner-up has the option to request that run-off, which would be held on July 15. That would work, I believe, to the detriment of the winner and would boost Senator Hagan's chances for re-election.
Presently, there are eight candidates on the ballot. The top four, based on polls, are Heather Grant, Thom Tillis, Greg Bannon and Mark Harris. Each of these individuals is truly qualified for the post, more so than the incumbent, as they all have leadership skills.
- Thom Tillis is the Speaker of the North Carolina House of Representatives
- Greg Bannon is a physician and Tea Party Activist
- Mark Harris is Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Charlotte and President of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina
- Heather Grant is a Nurse Practitioner and retired First Lieutenant (promotable) who was Branch Chief of Behavioral Health Care Coordination at Ft Bliss, Texas
Based on polls, Ms. Grant is trailing the three men, but it is a funny thing about polls. As I wrote in my commentary on April 21, The Poll on Polls
"The only poll which matters is the one taken on Primary Day or Election Day. But not all polls are about candidates, right? Issues of the day probably in the long run, matter more. It is the issues which influence our feelings about a candidate, how he or she measures up to our own values."
I have looked at all four of the Republican front-runners in North Carolina and I believe, as I said above, each is qualified based on his experience and leadership skills. But based on my own set of values, if I were a resident of North Carolina, I would vote for Heather Grant.
I believe that she understands the problems we all face, living from paycheck to paycheck, maintaining a home, raising children, in an economy which is uncertain, at best. Over the last year, I have spoken with her several times and found her to be an articulate, thoughtful person who truly gets it. She is able to take on difficult problems and find solutions which make sense.
In a field clustered with so many qualified men, she is the bright spot who will be able to take on Kay Hagan on an equal footing, without being called a "bully" by the Main Stream Media, but it is up to the residents of North Carolina to make that distinction on Tuesday, as much as I have now.
For all this and more, I am looking forward to calling Heather Grant, Senator Grant in January. Let's make that a reality.
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