With Roy Cooper out of the running for the Democratic nomination against GOP non-entity Richard Burr, CNN reports that the DSCC is putting out feelers to four potential candidates -- including one who previously passed on the race:
Still, the DSCC - which is otherwise staying mum on the recruitment process - is taking four Democratic candidates seriously at the moment, according to a committee source.
Their top candidates are, in no particular order: Rep. Heath Shuler, the former NFL quarterback and second term congressman from western North Carolina's 11th district; Rep. Bob Etheridge from the Raleigh-area second district; former state Treasurer Richard Moore, who lost in the state's Democratic gubernatorial primary last year; and Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.
Shuler, who declined to run for this race back in March, has been receiving encouragement to reconsider the race from Dem groups in DC and North Carolina, according to a spokesperson.
Aside from Shuler, who brings a unique strength in western NC to a hypothetical race, the DSCC appears to looking at candidates with a statewide track record first, and they have a lot to choose from here. Dalton, a former state senator, won the Lt. Governor's race by a five-point margin in 2008, while Etheridge served for two terms as NC's Superintendent of Public Instruction from 1988-1996. (Additionally, Etheridge's Raleigh-area district, which Obama carried last fall, would be an easier hold for Democrats than Shuler's or Mike McIntyre's seats.) However, Etheridge is getting a bit long in the tooth for someone looking to join the Senate -- he'll be 69 years old by election day in 2010.
http://www.swingstateproject.com/diary/4975/ncsen-dscc-looking-at-four-potential-recruits
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