WSJ: Strong GOP run expected in N.C.

Political strategists and media sources keep coming up with good news for Republican State Senate Candidates.   With November approaching, the GOP remains in prime position to take over the State Senate for the first time since the 1870s! 

The last time Republicans won a majority in the N.C. Senate was in the 1870s, but six Democratic retirements and the mood of the electorate have Republicans thinking this could be their year.

They’ve recruited candidates for all 50 Senate seats for the first time in years. Pundits look at voting trends, and see a potential Republican lean in several districts held by Democrats, including at least two in which the incumbent is retiring.

Democrats have traditionally dominated fundraising for state legislative races, but an analysis released on Thursday showed Republican Senate candidates outraising their Democratic counterparts over the past 18 months.

The fundraising success depended on a hefty infusion of loans from the candidates themselves to bolster the coffers, but the two parties are “in a virtual dead heat” when it comes to cash on hand for the coming November Senate elections, according to the North Carolina FreeEnterprise Foundation, a nonpartisan, pro-business research group.

State Sen. Pete Brunstetter, R-Forsyth, predicted a strong Republican push this year, which he said has been bolstered by improved organization and strong candidates. With economic recovery sputtering and a national backlash against the Democratic Congress and president, voters are “going to be looking to Republicans to offer some real solutions,” Brunstetter said.

The most optimistic GOP strategists see a chance to take the House, but the academics and pundits say the Senate is where Republicans have a real shot.

A Republican takeover there would mean the end to state Sen. Marc Basnight’s career as Senate Pro Tem, a powerful position with sway over the $20 billion state budget and numerous political appointments.

It also would give Republicans a stronger negotiating position during redistricting, the once-a-decade drawing of new voting lines based on the U.S. Census.

“It would be a tidal change for politics,” said Gary Pearce, a veteran Democratic strategist. “There seems to be a lot of concern…. The Senate could be at risk.” …

Click here to read the full article from the Winston-Salem Journal…

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