NC-Sen: Cal Cunningham adviser sees blacks and women as a fundraising problem

by: Pam Spaulding

No wonder the Cunningham adviser didn't want to put his/her name on this unbelievable quote:

"When you are in a three-way Democratic primary with a female statewide office holder and an African American it makes it difficult to raise money no matter how good you are," said one Cunningham adviser.

So blacks and women are keeping the white man Cal down!? That is mindblowingly craptastic "advising." What could possibly motivate some unnamed aide to utter this on behalf of Cal Cunningham? A clue here:

Former state senator Cal Cunningham, national Democrats' preferred nominee against Sen. Richard Burr (R) this fall, raised just $345,000 in his first three months of active campaigning -- a sum that raises questions about his ability to win the May 4 primary.

"In a multi-candidate primary, the candidate with the momentum in the last weeks almost always emerges on top," argued Cunningham campaign manager Rick Fromberg in a memo sent to reporters Wednesday night.

Cunningham will face off against Secretary of State Elaine Marshall and attorney Ken Lewis among others in next month's primary. Polling suggests that Marshall is the favorite in that race thanks to name identification built up over her 14 years in her current post.

Neither Marshall nor Lewis have starred in the race for campaign cash either, however. Marshall brought in just $163,000 from Jan. 1 to March 31 while Lewis raised just $109,000. Burr, by contrast, raked in $1.57 million in the year's first fundraising quarter.

http://www.pamshouseblend.com/diary/15919/ncsen-cal-cunningham-adviser-sees-blacks-and-women-as-a-fundraising-problem

I know he supports repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell and is good on other GLBT issues.

The financing, the stupid comments, everything.

for not vocally supporting it when he got in the race. Unlike Lewis and marshall who stated right out of the gate that it should be repealed.

Correct me if I'm wrong Charles, but wasn't there a little (big?) flap about this a week ago and that was when he said he was for repealing it?

Lots of attention, mainstream coverage and bloggers like Pam Spaulding. Cal's campaign has made a number of recent gaffs and over-reaches that seem clumsy, tone death, and lacking in discipline.

He seems to be using the DLC playbook, but seems far short of the Blue Dog version. My take is that Cal tried to straddle several issues and found that position uncomfortable after a while. He is more gungho on Afghanistan, less clear in support of workers rights, ... than Marshall or Lewis.

Elaine is the only one to ever be elected to statewide office, including a win over Richard Petty.

BTW One of Cal's supporters tried to make a big deal out of Elaine missing the NAACP candidate forum. The forum had to be rescheduled because of a snow storm, and the new date was her mother's 90th birthday with the celebration in MD. Elaine went to her mother's and the NAACP did not have a problem with her decision; BTW Elaine lost her husband and her father during the past year.

once upon a time?

"In some ways, it's the way we have to go. We can't make John black, we can't make him a woman. Those things get you a lot of press, worth a certain amount of fundraising dollars."
http://www.feministing.com/archives/007519.html

Can't miss a chance to work Edwards into any NC discussion, even if it is not germane.

For NC Dems, this is not the first serious opportunity to select a woman nor a Black as our candidate for US Senate. NC Dems have already done each of those in previous cycles. So far, neither race nor gender seems to be a major factor in this contest, though race is a factor in the GE with voters who would never vote for any Dem.

white men always say that.