Politico: Top Republicans say they have no hope for Dole in North Carolina. "There’s no point in even counting the votes," said a top McCain official.

Atrios asks, "Anyone know how Kay Hagan is apparently pulling this off?"

Well, yes. If you feel like clicking the "Chasing Liddy" tag at the bottom of this post, you'll find almost a year's worth of links and posts.

The short version:

--Dole has disappointed North Carolinians, including those of us who disagree with her positions on many issues, who expected her to be a star in the Senate.

--Dole has been an absentee Senator. We all knew it, but recent reports that she spent a total of 33 days in NC over the course of two years in her term resounded like coffin nails.

--Dole is closely identified with Bush.

--The DSCC has pumped a ton of money into NC to get the message out on all of the above, and the ads have been good.

--Hagan, a powerful member of the state senate, got immediate buy-in from party leaders and was able to raise money early.

--Hagan has run a steady campaign, criss-crossing the state in the style of her uncle, Walkin' Lawton Chiles. She's an appealing, centrist Democrat who plays well across North Carolina.

--Dole doesn't seem to be trying very hard. Her public appearances have been limited, and her ads have been lame. National support for her seems desultory, perhaps a result of her leadership role in the disastrous 2006 GOP Senate effort.

--Hagan has Obama's strong ground game, and the tech-smart, energized NCDP behind her (watch party chair Jerry Meek -- he's a star).

A Republican official in NC told me last month he expects Hagan to win, and that other than the loss of a vote in the Senate, he wasn't too upset about it. People in other parts of the country don't necessarily understand that NC is not the Deep South, and that voters here routinely split the ticket. Still, becoming the first Dem to win a Senate seat in a presidential year since Sam Ervin in 1968 would be a big damn deal.

Comments

[Mal]

I'm glad you picked up on the Eschaton thread, and thanks for the good summary.

[John Emerson]

One would guess that the large number of GOP Senators not elected in2006 would be reluctant to support her.

[David Terrenoire]

Six years ago, I wanted someone to ask, "Mrs. Dole, if, by cance you should lose, where in Salisbury will you be living?"

Of course, no one asked, but maybe people are paying attention now.

[V for Virginia]

Still, becoming the first Dem to win a Senate seat in a presidential year since Sam Ervin in 1968 would be a big damn deal.

Also, a damn big deal.

Good luck NC/Ms. Hagan/America/The World!

[Rick]

Thanks, excellent summary for those of us outside NC.

[Hugh]

If this holds to be true, the upside for Liddy will be no more pesky US Senate business getting in the way of getting her nails done, beauty salon coiffs, shopping, luncheons and no more boring trips to North Carolina a few times a year.

[Bill]

No member on the finance or banking committees should be reelected. They all let us down. Too busy playing partisan politics. It's disgraceful.

[Loki Smith]

My fav Dole line from 2002 was that she knew Rumsfeld and he was the Best Sec of Defense.

Tried to find out if She was the Sec of Trans who delayed air bags but I could not find out and the bowles camp didn't care.

[af]

I remember calling and writing Dole to tell her that I was against Bush's Social Security plan. She had the nerve to send me a letter telling me that because I liked Social Security the way it was, I must not care about my children.

She had some Young Republican flake of a man call me at home and argue with me about how great life was in Chile without Social Security.

She's for immigrants in the state, then she's against them. She's against offshore drilling, then she's for it.

She's never around.

No wonder she's toast in this state.

[Dan]

The first thing I remember about Sen. Dole was how, right after her election, she withdrew all Senate support for a light rail system for Raleigh/Durham. Now that we're reading about greater-than-expected ridership of Charlotte's light rail system, and about $4 gasoline, this lack of support looks like it really was a lack of leadership.

The second thing I remember about her is how she refused to stand up for North Carolinians during the OLF debate, until after the question was effectively settled. Again, a lack of leadership.

The third thing I remember is...well, actually nothing. I can't think of a single piece of legislation that she drove that was passed, or a single thing she's done for the state. No leadership whatsoever.

Hell, it's a news story if she just visits.

I'm glad to see that my fellow Tar Heels are about to tell Sen. Dole: thanks for nothing.

[Rickey]

As a Norfolk native who's been in Seattle for a decade, good to hear news from ground level there.

[Beelzebubba]

Dole sent me a letter stating that Teri Shaivo should have her day in court. I knew she was a cruel, ruthless skank when she wanted to compel a cadver to testify on its own behalf.

[Eric]

Beelzebubba, FTW!

[annatopia]

i caught on to kay hagan back when she gave her speech at the yearly NC fundraiser. donated to her immediately, then found out she was lawton's neice. lawton was my hero back when i was a young floridian. he was a fantastic guy, and here's hoping we can send his neice to the senate!