As a native North Carolinian, I'm excited to have this kind of race taking place in my neck of the woods, and having a friend and distant cousin working for the Ellmers campaign only increases my interest in it.  So, today I am "adopting" the Etheridge-Ellmers matchup as my spotlight race for the cycle.  What does that mean?  From time to time as we near the election, I'll be posting stuff on the race and how it is progressing.  I hope that this will serve as an interesting "inside look" into a race that represents the possibilities afforded by this year's Republican resurgence.

Right now, most pundits still rate this race a longshot for Ellmers, despite her solid, if scarce, polling numbers and Etheridge's early summer YouTube blunder.  Those who would say she's unlikely to win point to her campaign's lack of funds as part of their rationale.  That's a valid concern, to be sure, but perhaps the recent endorsement by Sarah Palin will improve her financial standing and make her more competitive on that front.

To win the House majority, the GOP probably doesn't have to win this race.  However, much more than the majority is in play for them in the lower chamber, and if the GOP is to realize that tremendous potential, races like this will need to move into the red column.  With polls showing her tied to slightly ahead of Etheridge, I think calling Ellmers a longshot right now is too pessimistic about her chances.  For sure, some healthy fundraising in the coming weeks would remove that label and land this race squarely in toss-up territory.



Filed under:  Adopt-a-race, NC-2  House  North Carolina  NC House  Renee Ellmers